This article originally appeared on Dr. Mahaney’s Pet-Lebrity News ^[1] column on Pet360.com as Iggy Azalea’s New Puppy Has The Most Unique Name Ever ^[2] .

Are you familiar with the musical stylings of pop sensation Iggy Azalea? She’s the Australian former-model and singer who recently joined The Beatles in being the only other artist having singles ranking first and second with their first two Hot 100 records.  Azalea partnered with Ariana Grande on the chart-topping “Problem” and Charli XCX on the second ranking “Fancy”.

If her music isn’t your cup of tea, then perhaps the unique point of view expressed in her videos is. Azalea takes inspiration from the classic teen movie “Clueless” in her “Fancy” video, where high school happenings, plaid kilts, and first love are given a hip-hop refresh. Azalea is certainly a successful and busy gal who travels the globe performing for fans worldwide, but she recently made news for adding a new canine companion to her family fold.

Azalea took to Twitter and Instagram to make the announcement. Via @IggyAzalea ^[3] on June 27, 2014 she tweeted “I’m a puppy mother now. It’s a girl” prompting over 10,000 Favorites and over 2,500 Retweets.

On June 30, 2014 Azalea shared two photos of her new pooch on her TheNewClassic ^[4] Instagram feed.  In the first, we see a cuddly black, white, and tan (fawn) pooch appearing to be a Bulldog nuzzling into Azalea’s loving arms accompanied by the statement, ”Shrinkabull jam don’t shake like that Jelli” but you can call her Jelli, for short.” This photo ^[5] received an astounding >255,000 Likes so far.

Azalea then posted an image of a pooped-out looking Jelli taking a much-needed snooze on a tile floor, seen above. No description was given for this cute pic, but so far it’s had over 185,000 Likes. Jelli is already quite the popular pooch.

How Common is Jelli’s Name?

Jelli’s full name is likely the most unusual dog name I’ve ever before heard. How this complex name came about is yet to be determined, but I’m glad to hear that Azalea suggests we instead call her puppy Jelli.

According to petMD’s Female Puppy Names- Most Popular ^[6], Jelli doesn’t even register in the database. In fact, the top five most popular female puppy names are (in order) Stella, Bailey, Coco, Bella, and Sophie. Yawn! Ho hum.

I commend Azalea’s choice of giving her dog a bold and unusual name, as it seems fit for such a trendsetter like her to have a uniquely-named pooch. Since Jelli hadn’t been registered on the PetMD site, I took the liberty of doing so and even gave suggestion that the meaning of Jelli is “being jealous, or hating” as indicated in the Urban Dictionary’s definition of Jelly ^[7]. Hopefully, Azalea would approve of my given meaning for Jelli.

What Kind of Dog is Jelli?

Although Azalea hasn’t officially released Jelli’s pure or mixed-breed status, I feel she has the physical characteristics of a pure-bred Bulldog.

According to petMD’s Bulldog page, Bulldogs have a “low-slung, heavy, thick-set body, along with its broad shoulders, provides a low center of gravity, allowing the Bulldog to crawl close to the ground.” There is some functionality in this unusual design, which reportedly is “useful for staying out of range of a bulls horns.” While most modern Bulldogs are no longer fighting bulls, their genetics lending to such abilities remain.  This is due to achondroplasia ^[8], where bones “do not grow to the normal size, based on what is expected of the breed. This is caused by a mutation of the fibroblast growth factor receptor gene. The result is abnormally short limbs, a condition called dwarfism. In some breeds this trait is selectively encouraged, such as…..bulldogs.”

Unfortunately, dogs having achondroplasia are prone to painful arthritis and muscle/tendon/ligament injuries from walking, running, and standing on their abnormal limbs. Achondroplasia is a trait I suggest clients strive to avoid when selecting a companion canine due to the inevitable quality of life-compromising problems associated with the condition.

Additionally, the “large circumference of the head is equal to the dog’s height at the shoulder, offering sufficient space for strong, developed muscles in the dog’s wide jaw. Its distinctive undershot bite allowed it to hang on to the bull with amazing strength, even as it was violently shaken and pounded by the furious bull, and its scrunched up nose allowed it to breath, as its face pressed close to the bull’s body until dog or bull finally fell.”

The explanation of the “scrunched up nose” is intriguing as a reference to stenotic nares (narrow nostrils), one of multiple syndromes associated with the Bulldog’s conformational abnormalities to the head and face known as Brachycephalism (condition having a wide or broad head). Pets that are bracycephalic are affected by “partial obstruction of the upper airway due to physical characteristics such as narrowed nostrils, an overly long soft palate, or collapse ^[9] of the voice box (also known as the larynx)” along with “an abnormally small windpipe (or trachea).” All such features of the Bulldog lend to a variety of health problems associated with inability to normally breathe, including exercise intolerance, obesity, heat stroke, respiratory failure, hypoxia (low blood oxygen), collapse, and death.

Hopefully, Azalea is well-aware of these potential issues and will keep Jelli on the slim side with clean teeth, as being overweight or obese and having periodontal disease can worsen brachycephalic-related airway problems.

If Azalea and Jelli are ever in Los Angeles, I’d love to lend my holistic veterinary perspective to Jelli’s health. She can find and contact me via www.PatrickMahaney.com ^[10] to set up an appointment to create a wellness plan, including recommendations for whole-food based diet, nutraceuticals, medications, environmental and lifestyle modifications, and even travel health certificates.

Do you have a Bulldog with any problems?