Tuna breathing easier after extensive surgery

An Oxfordshire vet has been praised for her efforts to help a rescued bulldog live a more normal life.

Fourteen-month-old Tuna made the headlines in the summer as the face of the RSPCA’s Save Our Breath campaign to highlight the consequences of extreme breeding demands.

Since then, she has undergone a number of major operations to help improve her quality of life, with further surgeries still to come.

But RSPCA vet nurse Katherine Maling, who took Tuna in after she was rescued by the charity in September last year, said it was “disgusting” she had had to endure those surgeries because of the way she was bred.

‘Grateful’

Miss Maling said: “Tuna has had thousands of pounds worth of surgery so far, and she’s only 14 months old. She’s also very lucky to have access to a vet who specialises in these surgeries as they are very complex, and also incredibly expensive.

“Her vet – Kyra Jenning – delivered Tuna via C-section as her mother was unable to give birth naturally, due to her breeding, and she has followed her and helped her at every step of the way.

“I’m so grateful to her and everyone at Bicester Vets for their care and knowledge; Tuna is so lucky to have them looking out for her.”

Campaign

Tuna, who had to sleep with her head on a pillow to help her breathing, has already undergone facial-fold resection surgery to remove some of the excess skin from her face as well as an operation to remove part of her eyelid to tackle entropion, where the eyelid turns inward and causes the eyelashes to rub against the eye.

Once she has recovered, she will also undergo brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome surgery to widen her nostrils and remove excess tissue from her soft palate, enabling her to breathe more easily.

However, while Tuna will still face health problems, many others are less fortunate and the RSPCA says it is taking in more and more flat-faced dogs with major health issues caused by their breeding.

More details of the campaign are available via the RSPCA website.