Emmanuel Pereyra (39) is dining at one of the tables on the sidewalk of a gourmet delicatessen in Belgrano. Below the chair, with his belly flattened against the tile and his back legs stretched out, is Latte, an English bulldog puppy.
The dog takes advantage of the cool floor and only raises his head to smell Roberto, one just like him, but 5 years old, who is walking with his guardian (it has been a long time since "owner" has been called in the dog community).
The interaction between the two people also becomes inevitable.
"Did you have a lot of problems with him?" Emmanuel asks. "And... you know they are complicated dogs," he responds.
Already knows.
Latte had a consultation to see if he needed surgery to breathe better. She snores too much and sometimes vomits. And it wouldn't be the first time she has entered the operating room. At three months he had eye surgery due to prolapse or "cherry eyes", something also common in the breed. Plus, he's already being treated for his pimples between his fingers.
Those who have snub-nosed dogs understand each other without speaking. There is a very popular meme on TikTok that is added as audio to videos of English bulldogs, French bulldogs, or pugs. "I want problems always." I always want problems.
Latte, English bulldog puppy. They should evaluate whether surgery on your palate will allow you to breathe better.
Far from the humor on social networks or the literality of having bought a problem, the debate is already global about whether it is ethical to reproduce them in the face of the health complications of these breeds.
A year ago, Norway banned the breeding of two dogs, the English bulldog and the Cavalier King Charles spaniel, "because (due to their very flat snouts) they experience suffering incompatible with the animal protection law."
Now the Netherlands would extend it to everyone with the same condition and, if approved, it will not even be possible to advertise or publish images of these dogs on the networks. The contagion effect could spread to the rest of Europe.
In August the Royal College of Veterinarians of the United Kingdom had already asked not to breed more of the English, because "they are a breed born to suffer."
In Argentina, in neighborhoods like Palermo, Belgrano or Recoleta, where it seems that only flat noses pull the leash, this crisis is not new for veterinarians. There are more and more advertisements for specialized clinics to treat your various conditions.
At the same time, nothing seems to discourage those who are willing to pay from 200 thousand pesos for a puppy this Instagrammable.
The country's rescue associations have been highlighting the genetic problems arising from the pet trade for years and took the opportunity to reinforce the argument of why, compared to adopting, buying pets is never a good idea.
"Your bulldog making so many noises is not cute. He's having a hard time breathing." The message is forceful. The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) issued an alarming statement.
They mark the popularity of these breeds as "dramatically high" and point to brachycephaly -- the technical name that describes the short snouts and skull shape -- as an "emerging canine welfare crisis caused by the increasing number of snub-nosed dogs."
These dogs are created. It is the product of those genetic crosses in pursuit of a "nice" aesthetic that have "exaggerated anatomical characteristics" that can seriously affect them. The worst is Brachycephalic Obstructive Respiratory Syndrome (SORB), which includes digestive disorders that turn them into chronic vomiters.
“With French bulldogs now the most popular breed in many countries and also English bulldogs and pugs very popular, selective breeding for an overly short nose created dogs whose health, in many cases, is compromised for the sake of cuteness perceived. It is simply unethical to breed dogs that struggle to breathe,” Peter Sande, director of the Center for Companion Animal Welfare at the University of Copenhagen, said in that text.
Compared to other breeds, those with snub noses are 30 times more likely to suffer from serious respiratory diseases. They only live between 8 and 10 years and many will need some operation to improve their quality of life.
That is why 200,000 veterinarians around the world urged all animal welfare authorities to guide breeders to "change the perception" about these dogs. May they be raised with less flat noses from now on. "So that respiratory and other problems (digestive, skin, orthopedic) are not transmitted."
The most common pathologies are stenotic nostrils (narrow nostrils), stenosis of the nasal vestibule (blocking air entry), inverted laryngeal saccules (making the passage of air into the trachea even more difficult) and having an elongated soft palate.
The big problem is that guardians, often unnoticed, recognize snoring, noise and regurgitation in their dogs (clinical signs of SORB), but consider them "normal for the breed."
Surgical corrections, depending on whether they are one or several at a time, range from $50,000 to $80,000. Not counting previous studies or subsequent consultations.
The highest degree of mortality occurs in these summer months. Because their noses are so flat, they cannot thermoregulate the intake of air, they constantly pant and suffer from heat stroke.
JoJo and Patty Pugdashian, two Pugs, shown at the American Kennel Club's (AKC) of New York in January. Photo: Reuters
In the 2022 census, it was not asked if there were pets in homes, which would have allowed them to be counted. So, the figures are only estimates. There are about 10 million dogs in the country. 5,700,000 in the Province of Buenos Aires (5% live on the streets) and, according to the 2018 Annual Household Survey, 475,000 in the City.
The statistics by race are provided to Clarín by the Argentine Cynological Federation (FCA). The French bulldog rises to 1st place. If in 2017 it was already leading, comfortably, with 14,842 puppies that were purchased "with papers" that year, in 2022 alone 2,843 were bred to reproduce and sell with pedigree (The FCA issues the Transfer: breeding registration number, name, date birth, variety and color).
The English bulldog, with 3,221, was third six years ago and last year disappeared from the top 10. The German Shepherd remained second, followed by the Argentine Dogo.
In 2011 a "frenchie" cost $1,000. They became so popular that today they are available on Facebook, Mercado Libre and Instagram for much less. Loose or not of papers.
Aesthetically they compete with the French, but pugs (of Chinese origin and about 8 kilos) have not yet entered the top positions of registered dogs. Yes, they are among the most purchased.
"They breed animals that are increasingly flatter for aesthetic reasons. The breed most predisposed to brachycephalic syndrome is the French bulldog. It became very fashionable and the tutors don't find out anything. They normalize pathologies as 'expected' and that leads to light exercise , excitement or heat, have a respiratory crisis," Carina Passeri, a specialist in the Respiratory Diseases Service of the UBA Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, tells Clarín.
"The pug follows him," he says. And a common finding in that breed, macroglossia and aberrant turbinates, has no surgical resolution. It requires specialized care, with treatments to improve air entry.
"You cannot generalize or crucify the breed either. There are kennels that maintain the oldest racial standard, with not so flat snouts, that do not have any respiratory problems. But in the majority, they present some alteration that forms this syndrome. Also another A very common alteration in French bulldogs is vertebral malformation," continues Passeri.
From the Fiscal Unit Specialized in Environmental Matters (Ufema) of the City they tell Clarín that the sale in illegal farms of these snub-nosed breeds is so widespread that, in response to the alert about the raids, the animal dealers transferred their activity to the Province , where breeding to sell is allowed.
Mocca, the French bulldog, had surgery in December. "It could have touched us and it touched us. We do not regret choosing this breed, because we are responsible," says Martín.
Martín Mosca and his partner, Nacho, operated on Mocca, a 3 and a half year old French bulldog, at the end of December. There were two surgeries at the same time: nostrils and elongated soft palate. In addition, she has 4 English bulldogs (mother and children) on whom he also had to operate for an elongated soft palate.
"If you like these breeds, you are supposed to read and know that almost all of them have the same problems. It could affect us and it affected us. But the difference is that almost no one operates on them," he points out.
"We went to the specialist for the first time because one of my dogs fainted after releasing saliva. And we scheduled all the operations, after x-rays. You have to be very responsible. Be very careful with their skin, their eyes, or if they get fungus But if you want this breed...they are very affectionate and playful," he adds.
Ernesto Bruzzone has a French bulldog "who never had any problems." He is the veterinary director of the first clinic in Argentina, in Ituzaingó, which began with endoscopy 30 years ago. He says, bluntly, that "I wouldn't advise a friend to buy a snub-nosed dog." He performed the surgeries on all of Martín and Nacho's dogs.
The veterinarian specialized in the digestive pathologies of "snub-nosed" dogs, together with Berta, his dog, in a routine check-up at his clinic. Photo: Juan Manuel Foglia
In 2022 alone, 300 dogs of these breeds were operated on at its center. Mostly French bulldogs. "During the pandemic there were many more. We have little patients who came from Córdoba, Ushuaia, from all over the country, because they couldn't breathe. People invest a lot of money in them," Bruzzone tells Clarín.
He says that, in recent years, out of 10 dogs that enter his institute, 4 are snub-nosed. They come due to fatigue, hypersalivation, or because they get very agitated while walking around the block.
"The ban leads to nothing. If we are conscious of not reproducing animals in one way and in another (genetically selecting according to a healthier model) change will occur. Today a dog is made to have 7 puppies. And her offspring, very pretty, are not physiologically functional," explains the veterinarian.
Anesthetizing a "snub nose" is a high risk, but the mortality rate in the operating room is low compared to if they need surgery. It is best to operate after 6 months, when the structure has finished developing. Neuter them or not is also an issue. "Because it can lead females to incontinence and males to obesity." New problems.
