A bulldog has received a face lift to solve her breathing difficulties - but now appears to look like another dog.
The two-year-old dog - named Tuna - underwent the major facelift surgery after being rescued by the RSPCA.
In September last year, Tuna was taken in by vet nurse Katherine Maling, who works at Blackberry Farm Animal Centre in Buckinghamshire.
The young dog had health problems due to being a flat-faced "brachycephalic" breed.
A bulldog has received a face lift to solve her breathing difficulties - but now appears to look like another dog
RSPCA
As part of an animal welfare investigation, Tuna was found to be sleeping with her head propped on a pillow to help her breathe.
It comes as the RSPCA launched their Born To Suffer campaign to raise public awareness of the health issues faced by brachycephalic dogs - and to encourage people not to fuel the demand by buying one.
Maling said: "Tuna had facial-fold resection surgery - which is like a facelift - to remove some of the excess skin from around her face and muzzle.
"The ‘rope’ - or the roll of excess skin - around her nose was causing her a lot of issues, like sore skin and hot spots that often led to infections.
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"The weight of it also pulled her eyelids down, which made her eyes weep. The ‘rope’ was causing her lots of issues.
"Facial fold surgery is a big operation but it was worth it for Tuna as it’s given her a new lease of life. Some owners like the ‘rope’ on their dog’s face because of how it looks, but there is no benefit to them having it."
As well as having facial fold surgery, Tuna had soft palate surgery to shorten her palate and open up her nostrils.
"People have fallen into the trap by thinking the loud snoring is normal, and that it’s cute," Maling added.
"After Tuna had her surgery and was no longer snoring, I realised that it was never normal to begin with.
As part of an animal welfare investigation, Tuna was found to be sleeping with her head propped on a pillow to help her breathe
RSPCA
"When Tuna was really struggling to breathe, she had to lift her head up to the ceiling just so she could open her airways. It was distressing for her."
Before Tuna had the surgery, she used to snore loudly when asleep, Maling said, which owners will think of as "normal" for their dog.
"Tuna is as healthy as she can be for the breed, due to the way in which we look after her, keeping her fit and slim with lots of mental stimulation has shown she is keen to live a normal life, without her surgeries she wouldn't be able to go for long walks and train in this way.
"It's really sad to think she had to go through these surgeries just to be slightly close to becoming 'a normal dog'. I also know she will suffer with joint issues in the future which is heartbreaking but we want her to have the best quality of life, now racing around the fields and enjoying her dog training sessions"
