Dory struggles for breath, she needs a vital operation to allow her to breathe properly and live a normal life.

At just 10 months old Dory is young, and eager to live a normal life doing all of the things a playful puppy would do, but she will be unable to do that without surgery. It's horrible to hear Dory having difficulty breathing, as you can hear in this video. She has an obstruction in her breathing tube and also incredibly small nostrils. Worryingly this trouble breathing can cause her to collapse after exercise or on a particularly hot day as she struggles to take in as much oxygen as she needs.

In the long term if left untreated this could also give rise to heart problems for Dory, due to a lack of oxygen in her blood causing a strain on her heart, so it's vital that these problems get addressed at an early age. This is why we must act now and you can help Dory by making a donation today.

Unfortunately it's a story that we see all too often with increasingly popular flat faced breeds (including Pugs or French bulldogs like Dory). They are called brachycephalic breeds, meaning short-nosed, and as I'm sure you've seen, they're bred to have particularly short faces and large eyes.

These breeds can be bred responsibly, but the problem arises when breeding for this appearance creates increasingly flatter faces. Leading to problems breathing, due to extremely short throats and noses, you may have heard about this problem. Extreme cases result in Brachycephalic Syndrome, caused by an obstruction in their breathing tube, or particularly narrow nostrils that collapse when they try and breathe normally, just like we see with Dory.

Dory was lucky to be brought into our care, and now we need to raise the funds to cover her operation. Its essential that we raise the £1,793 for her corrective procedure and after care, without which she will never be able to breathe properly.

Dory is playful and loving, and at such a young age she needs to be given the best chance at living a full and healthy life. Will you help her breathe properly by donating today?

Also please share her story so that we can reach our vital target and have the best chance at raising enough funds for the operation she so desperately needs. We'll keep you updated via our Facebook page and with photo updates on Dory's progress, thank you in advance for your support!

UPDATE 25th July: Great news! Dory had her operation on 23rd July as we needed to go ahead as soon as possible. The operation went well, she had her nostrils widened and tissue removed from her tonsils and soft pallet, to aid her breathing. Thanks so much to all who have donated, you've helped give her the best chance. Dory is now back at the Home recovering, which will take some time. We still urgently need to raise the remaining funds to meet the target to cover all of her care, so please donate and your gift will go towards giving this sweet puppy a normal life, thank you.

(if we raise any additional funds over the target, this will go towards life-saving veterinary treatment for other cats and dogs arriving in our care)