Tulip’s Lifelong Struggle to Breathe

Submitted by Kris M.

Tulip was a beautiful, red fawn French Bulldog with a sad but important story.

She was born in a USDA-licensed breeding facility in Arkansas. As a baby, Tulip was attacked by another dog, causing damage to her left ear and left eye, so the breeder used her exclusively as a breeding dog.

Tulip was born with issues that brachycephalic, flat-face dogs often experience, including narrow nostrils, elongated palate, everted saccules in the throat (tissue near the vocal cords that is pulled inward during inhalation and can block airflow) and an abnormally small windpipe. For Tulip, breathing would be a lifelong struggle.

Despite her health issues, the breeder still bred Tulip. Sadly, all her babies died. The breeder decided Tulip was of no further use and discarded her at 4 years old. She ended up in a rescue organization.

My husband, Tom, and I adopted Tulip on July 2, 2025. We promptly fell in love with her and were so happy that we could finally show her what life as a dog should be like and give her all the love she had been denied.    

Tom and I immediately noticed that Tulip had great difficulty breathing and obvious problems with her eyes. Her suffering was heartbreaking to witness, and we were determined to get her some relief, so we scheduled appointments with our primary vet and an ophthalmologist.  

The second day after her adoption was scary. By bedtime, it became critical to take Tulip to the emergency room — she was gasping for air. Tulip was struggling immensely. When Tom and I took her to the ER, the emergency veterinarians quickly put Tulip in the hyperbaric chamber where she finally found some relief. One of the emergency veterinarians explained to us that Tulip had severe BOAS (brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome), a congenital defect that is passed down through breeding dogs to their puppies. 

When Tom and I met with the surgeon, he agreed that without surgery Tulip’s airway issues would result in her trachea collapsing, continued damage to the pulmonary system and a myriad of other issues. The surgeon was surprised that Tulip had made it this far in life. We decided we had to give her a chance to breathe, so Tulip underwent surgery. 

She did well in surgery and was able to come home that night. Unfortunately, Tulip was still having trouble breathing. We were hopeful that things would improve as she healed, but two days later her breathing was labored, and she was lethargic. Tulip had aspirated something into her lungs resulting in pneumonia. The surgeon explained that due to her severe problems, pneumonia and other breathing ailments would be a constant problem for Tulip.

I was able to visit Tulip and reach into the hyperbaric chamber to pet her, clean her wrinkles, give her a little massage and talk with her. Tulip was happy to see me, and I was so happy to see her. The time was precious. I stayed all day to have as much time as possible with her.

During the day, I met with the internal medicine doctor, the emergency room doctor, the critical care doctor, the cardiologist and Tulip’s surgeon. After a great deal of discussion and examination, it was determined that Tulip’s windpipe was just too narrow. The doctors had seen this many times before and suggested euthanasia as the most humane path forward.

At this point, Tom and I only wanted Tulip to be free of the pain she had been suffering with for much of her life. We decided to take the advice of the doctors. We held Tulip and loved her for another several moments. Tulip began having trouble breathing, so we said goodbye.  

Tom and I loved Tulip for 12 glorious days. We are destroyed that she is gone, but grateful to have had the opportunity to take her for a stroller walk, to show her bunnies, birds and deer. She got to sit on the balcony of our deck and stare at the world in amazement. Tulip was able to spend days with us at home. She slept in a comfy bed, enjoyed couch time with us and got to experience all the love we could possibly share!

It was our privilege to love Tulip, to have her and take care of her. We are so grateful that we found Tulip and that she found us so Tom and I could give her the chance of a better life, some relief from the pain and ultimately make the difficult decision to let Tulip finally rest in peace.

Tulip, we love you and we hope your story helps all the other pups suffering in deplorable puppy mills and inhumane breeding facilities. We hope your story helps people understand that as cute as your little flat face is, you suffer for it. We hope people understand that domesticated dogs depend so much on us, and yet some humans treat them like a commodity — machines that churn out puppies for their financial gain. Tom and I hope your story helps people understand that you, Tulip, and all your canine friends want to be companions to humans and are feeling, loving and living creatures that deserve respect, protection and love.

This Puppy Mill Awareness Day, let Tulip's story be a catalyst to inspire and help other dogs who continue to suffer in deplorable puppy mills and inhumane breeding facilities. Learn more about Goldie’s Act and use our easy online form to email your members of Congress, urging them to support this critical legislation.