Vets are warning that flat-faced dog breeds such as French Bulldogs, Pugs, and Boston Terriers could disappear within a decade due to severe health problems caused by selective breeding. Data from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) shows a 2,075% rise in surgeries for French Bulldogs, the most popular flat-faced breed in the UK.
Celebrities like Paris Hilton, Lady Gaga, and Reese Witherspoon have popularised these breeds, but experts say the dogs suffer a 'lifetime of suffering' from breathing difficulties, eye infections, and skin problems. Dr Dan O'Neill, professor of animal epidemiology at RVC, said: 'These findings show the huge cost that dogs are paying for our human desire to own dogs that no longer look like natural dogs.'
The RVC study analysed soft tissue surgeries at its Queen Mother Hospital for Animals in London, Europe's largest veterinary referral hospital. Procedures for brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS), a serious breathing condition, rose 813% from 2008 to 2018. Almost half of all BOAS surgeries in 2018 were on French Bulldogs, with an average age of just 26 months.
Dr O'Neill called for a return to natural canine body shapes: 'It is time for humanity to put the welfare needs of the dog ahead of our whims to own extreme and non-natural shaped animals.' The warning comes amid growing concerns that the trend for flat-faced dogs is driving a canine welfare crisis in the UK.
