Well-being: Brachycephalic dogs suffer from more health conditions

While flat-faced or brachycephalic dogs are very popular, they often suffer from serious respiratory, eye, digestive, and skin conditions that result in a reduced quality of life and a significantly shorter life expectancy. A new study backs up these facts and supports initiatives by veterinarians, breed clubs, and animal welfare organizations that urge owners to think twice before getting a dog that is predisposed to a life of illness.   The popularity of brachycephalic dogs—such as pugs, French and English bulldogs, and Chihuahuas—has skyrocketed in recent years. And the COVID-19 lockdown didn’t help. Many owners, feeling lonely, saw this as the perfect time to buy one of these “must-have” breeds trending on social media, further increasing demand for French Bulldogs, for example, whose numbers had already risen by 4,000% since 2005. But this high demand is all the more paradoxical given that flat-faced dog breeds are prone to numerous health problems. They are highly predisposed to developing a range of conditions intrinsically linked to their physical build, which often result in a reduced quality of life. Brachycephalic dogs thus have, on average, a lifespan that is 4.1 years shorter than that of their long-snouted cousins. With animal welfare in mind, some veterinarians even argue that dogs with extreme brachycephaly, such as bulldogs and pugs, should be excluded from breeding. Following the example of their colleagues in Norway, Sweden, Ireland, and the Netherlands—who have publicly taken a stand against the breeding of these hypertype breeds—veterinarians in the United Kingdom want their voices heard. And now, they have clear data to back up their position. Until now, reliable data on the global health of brachycephalic dogs compared to their non-brachycephalic counterparts has been limited. This has been rectified by a new study from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), which compared 4,169 brachycephalic dogs with 18,079 dogs of other types.  The result: among the 30 most common health issues across all the dogs studied, one-third showed a different predisposition depending on whether the dogs were brachycephalic. Unsurprisingly, brachycephalic dogs are 1.3 times more likely to be diagnosed with at least one condition over the course of a year. Brachycephalic dogs are at higher risk of developing corneal ulceration (8.4 times higher), a heart murmur (3.5 times higher), an umbilical hernia (3.2 times higher), a foot infection (1.7 times higher), a skin cyst (1.5 times), patellar luxation (1.4 times), an ear infection (1.3 times), and anal gland obstruction (1.2 times). On the other hand, the animals were less prone to undesirable behavior (x 0.5) and paw injuries (x 0.5). According to veterinarians, the only way to reduce these health issues in brachycephalic dogs is to change what makes them so distinctive and fashionable: their appearance. It is crucial to identify the health issues to watch for, develop breed-specific treatments, and anticipate these problems by working with breeders to select and produce healthier puppies. But at present, breed standards—fueled by their popularity—are too extreme at the expense of animal health. It is important for the public to fully recognize their role in this cycle of breeding dogs that are born with health issues and to take action. The public must support the initiatives of veterinarians, universities, breed clubs, and charitable organizations that are fighting for animal welfare by seeking to curb the demand for these pedigree dogs. It is perfectly natural to love the temperament and appearance of flat-faced breeds, but we must also consider the health and animal welfare of these animals. Despite their popularity, owners are strongly encouraged to choose breeds that do not have flat faces.