What are Brachycephalic Breeds and why are they becoming a huge issue?

Brachycephalic refers to the short noses and flat faces of certain breeds of dog, such as Pugs, French Bulldogs, and Boston Terriers. This has recently become a controversial issue, due to all the health issues these dogs face, as a result of their compacted skeleton.

While at first glance these dogs seems cute and smiley, behind this many of them suffer from health complications. Many of the aforementioned breeds are prone to Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome and have to have major surgery to open up their airways and nostrils, in order to help them breath.

Why are these dogs prone to such issues?

Dogs with shorter noses have a decreased skeleton, but have normal amounts of skin and tissue. In comparison to their stubbed snout these dogs have excessive amounts of skin, which presents itself in rolls and folds on their faces and bodies. While these wrinkles can make the dog seem extremely cute and cuddly, they can also result in dermatological issues like Skin Fold Dermatitis and may have to be surgically resected (moved back) as they can cause infection and irritation in the folds.

These folds are not just external, but can also form inside a dog as well. The build-up of tissue causes a number of obstructions (eg. in the airway). As their skeleton is small and short, it makes it especially difficult for these dogs breathe as they have compressed nasal passages. At the back of dogs' throat, the soft palate can be too long and thus obstruct their airway, causing laboured breathing and loud "snoring" noises.

Below is an image of an elongated soft palate of an English Bulldog:

Image credit of Fitzpatrick Referrals

These compressed nasal passages also result in tiny nostrils for the dog, restricting the air flow even more. Many dogs have surgery to widen the nasal cavities and with it remove some of the excess tissue "clogging" up the dog's airway.

Below are pre and post operational photos of the nostrils of a French Bulldog. This surgery was performed in order to open up the dog's airway and nostrils. You can clearly see how small the nostrils were compared to after the operation.

Image credit to Fitzpatrick Referrals.

What are the risks for these flat faced dogs?

Not all dogs with flat faces will develop health problems, but many of them will. As these breeds grow in popularity, more and more of them are being treated for problems cause by breeding for a flatten face.

Breathing Problems:

Breathing problems are one of the main issues in brachycephalic breeds and have other negative impacts as well.

These dogs have shorter muzzles with excess soft tissue which can cause blockages and large internal and external folds. Their tracheas (windpipe) often become deformed and narrowed, and so less oxygen can be taken in with each breath. The other method of taking in air, via the nostrils, is often compromised due to a narrowed shape of the nostrils also known as stenotic nares which makes inhalation more difficult.

These breathing issues affect the ability of dogs to regulate their temperature. Dogs cannot sweat and instead control their body temperature largely through panting. Dogs with a longer muzzle cool themselves down quickly by drawing in air over the large surface area of the tongue; shorter nosed dogs cannot do this as efficiently. As a result of this, brachycephalic dog breeds are more likely to overheat. Some are even killed by hot weather, particularly if they are older or overweight. This is why many flat-faced dogs must have their exercise monitored and restricted, especially on hot days.

Heart Problems:

The narrow and shortened airways mean that these dogs are constantly struggling to cope with a lack of oxygen in their bloodstream. This process of laboured breathing puts a huge strain on the dog's heart, making it more vulnerable to secondary heart problems like heart disease.

Tooth Problems:

Brachycephalic breeds are a result of years and years of selective breeding, in order to achieve 'desired' characteristics. One such characteristic being a significantly shortened nose and snout, but the same amount of teeth (adults have 42). Due to the dramatic size reduction in their mouth, and therefore gums, one issue these dogs are prone to is overlapping teeth. This increases the risk of tooth and gum disease, and may result in extractions.

Eye Problems:

Many of these dogs have prominent, bush-baby like eyes which means that their tear film can be incorrectly spread and vulnerable to infection.

They can easily develop ulcers on the eye which can result in the loss of the eye if severe or left untreated.

Currently pugs are one of the top 10 most popular dog breeds in the UK. This breed and others and the continuation of their selective breeding has become a huge ethical issue with the British Veterinary Association's #breedtobreathe campaign; raising awareness about the issues brachycephalic dogs face as a direct result of their breeding. The BVA are spreading the message of how the severe selective breeding process has caused many difficulties for some of these dogs. The #breedtobreathe campaign is ensuring that people understand the issues theses dogs face. Some organisations are campaigning to reduce the number of brachycephalic breeds in the media, to try and slow down the public demand for them which fuels the breeding industry.

Here are some articles about brachycephalic dogs and the movement raising awareness about their health issues that have been in the media recently:

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/animal-welfare-groups-call-for-ban-on-pugs-in-adverts-as-it-fuels-deformed-dog-crisis-a3720091.html

https://www.bva.co.uk/news-campaigns-and-policy/bva-community/bva-blog/-breedtobreathe---how-vets-can-improve-health-and-welfare-of-brachy-breeds/

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jan/05/think-twice-about-buying-squashed-faced-breeds-vets-urge-dog-lovers