Pocket Bully (Medium Risk Brachycephalic Breed)
The Pocket Bully is a relatively recent type bred primarily from the American Bully (a mix of American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Bulldogs) and the Patterdale Terrier. It is not a recognised pure breed dog. Because of its smaller size it may be more susceptible to brachycephalic respiratory syndrome in the shorter muzzled dogs.
Interestingly, although not related Pocket Bully’s physical characteristics are very similar to French bulldogs which are one of the highest risk Brachycephalic breeds.
Like many Bull Terrier and associated breeds the risk of BOAS is not just specifically related to the direct impact as for many this may be only mild. However as these dogs are prone to stress or anxiety, including due to separation from their owner, interaction with other dogs or even through excitement BOAS can exacerbate the effect of any other existing health issue and limit the dogs intake of oxygen due to restricted airways or cause overheating even in otherwise cool conditions.
So, like all the low & medium risk Brachycephalic breeds as they age or if they are overweight they tend to be less tolerant of heat and in any situation where they do become stressed or anxious they have extra risk during transport and we therefore have to ensure that owners are aware that we will make transport decisions as best we can based on the information provided by the owners rather than requiring veterinary checks and that there are additional terms & conditions they need to be aware of and accept.
Like other issues with these dogs proper socialisation with both people and other animals is a major advantage including with respect to their health during transport.
As with all dogs, but more particularly with Bully type breeds predominantly from the US and which include foundation breeds bred for fighting it is important that dogs are well assessed before transport. During transport dogs will be housed adjacent to many other dogs and handled by a variety of people. Those that are not well socialised or show ANY signs of dog or human reactivity or aggression should not be transported on our standard Express services and may be better suited to a more personalised and planned service if possible.
