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A super-cute French bulldog named Hector, who has suffered chronic health problems, can finally run, jump and play with other dogs – after life-saving surgery performed by our team to make a hole in the windpipe in his neck so that he could breathe.
Despite countless setbacks and heartache, Hector’s devoted owners, Emma and her partner Nicky, never gave up hope for him.
Now, their love, patience, and kindness have paid off, with Hector finally able to live an almost normal dog’s life and breathe properly for the first time in his four-year existence. And it’s all down to the hole – known as a stoma – through which he can now breathe in the necessary oxygen which his extremely narrow throat was preventing him from doing – and it’s transformed his quality of life.
Emma said: “It’s been a complete emotional roller-coaster – for us and Hector.
There have been countless times when we thought we might lose him, and we’ve had a constant cycle of trips to the vet from almost day one. “But it’s all worth it when you see the utter joy he gets now from the fact he can breathe well enough to run around and do what other dogs do – and to see him so happy just means the world to us.”
French bulldogs – and other brachycephalic breeds – are prone to breathing issues because of their flat faces and narrowed and collapsed airways – made worse by excess tissue of the soft palate in their throats, which Hector previously had surgery to correct.
Some French bulldogs are also susceptible to stomach issues – which in Hector’s case caused chronic reflux which in turn prevented him eating properly. He’s also suffered from pneumonia as a result of his reflux. But the most serious threat to his life came earlier this year when he went into respiratory arrest and was left unable to breathe at all after suffering a severe reaction to an anaesthetic.
The routine anaesthetic was administered during a general check-up at his local vets and to allow basic tests to be undertaken.
They carried out an emergency tracheostomy by placing a tube directly into his windpipe – and he was then transferred to the intensive care unit at our Vets Now Manchester Hospital. For eight days he remained in the ICU with his life hanging in the balance after he suffered a series of complications including severe and initially unstoppable bleeding from the stoma.
Once the bleeding was stemmed there was still a possibility that the inflammation in Hector’s airways would reduce sufficiently to allow him to breathe normally without a stoma. Unfortunately, the inflammation didn’t subside enough and, after an assessment from our specialist surgeon Professor John Williams, the only option left for Emma and Nicky were to proceed to a permanent tracheostomy.
Emma said: “John and his colleagues Irena and Serena, who are part of the emergency medical team, were all very honest and straightforward with us about the potential risks and complications of a permanent tracheostomy. “And we were very careful to think about it thoroughly. It’s a high risk, high reward procedure. But we very quickly came to the conclusion that we wanted to give Hector that chance. So, we went ahead with it and I’m so glad we did.
“There were quite a lot of complications afterwards as we were warned would probably be the case and we were back in with him about six times in the first week – and I remember I was there in my pyjamas late one night in tears because it all just felt so overwhelming.
“But bit by bit Hector improved and we got the hang of cleaning his stoma and using a nebuliser to get vapour into his lungs every four hours. When he was first discharged, we were nebulising every 4 hours. We now do this twice a day.
“At discharge it was very gruelling for poor Hector obviously – and difficult for us too and we took it in turns to stay up at night with him because he needed constant monitoring.
“Now though, six months on, the transformation in him is just amazing. He’s running, jumping, having fun and keeping up when other dogs come over to play.
“We are just so, so grateful to Irena, Serena, John and everyone else at Vets Now from the nursing team to the surgeons to the reception staff – they gave Hector incredible care and were just so, so kind to us as well.
“The staff were staying on late at times after their shifts just to keep us updated and to take time to talk us through everything that had been happening. At every stage they just went the extra mile and treated us with such kindness.”
Recovery and Challenges After the Procedure
Back at Emma and Nicky’s home in Prestwich, a short drive from the hospital, Hector still needs a lot of care – including keeping his stoma clean – but for the first time in his life is eating and drinking well, as well as running and jumping.
Emma said: “We just couldn’t have asked for a better outcome given the challenges and we wanted to share Hector’s story in case it can provide hope and inspiration to other dog owners, particularly people who have Frenchie’s and other brachycephalic breeds.
“The Kennel Club is doing some important work together with the veterinary community to improve the future health of all brachycephalic breeds and I’m a huge supporter of that work.
“But in the meantime, it’s essential that we all do what we can for the dogs we’ve already got and Hector’s case hopefully shows it’s important never to lose hope, even when things are looking very bleak.”
John said: “Hector made a real impression on everyone here during his stay and is a very lucky dog to have such dedicated owners as Emma and Nicky.
“This was a very complex case with multiple challenges along the way. After the permanent tracheostomy, for example, the skin folds around his stoma site became an issue, which needed further surgery to have them removed.
“So we are all delighted to see such a happy and worthwhile outcome for him.
“We treat a lot of French bulldogs for various conditions and it’s really important with this breed to do as Emma and Nicky did and seek veterinary advice and assistance whenever there are any issues.”
Emma said: “Hector’s our sidekick. He’s our right-hand man and he’s part of our family. Someone said to us once, ‘Hector – that’s a big name for a little dog’ and you know what? He is little – but he’s a giant when it comes to bravery and determination!”