By Zazie Todd PhD., Psychology Today
Are issues in Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, and Pugs seen as normal for the breed?
"The survey found a mismatch between people’s perceptions and the dog’s actual health. To put it bluntly, while 70.9 percent said their dog was in "very good health" or "the best health possible," answers on other questions suggest 40 percent of the dogs had clinically-relevant airway impairment.
The scientists write:
“These contrasting and paradoxical results support the influence here of the ‘normalisation’ phenomenon whereby owners of brachycephalic dogs may be consciously aware that the dog is struggling to breathe but not consciously accept that this is a specific problem, instead considering it a ‘normal’ and therefore somehow acceptable feature of the breed.”
"Rather, it seems that many owners of Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, and Pugs, are (either consciously or unconsciously) not noticing health issues in their dog...."
