Health and welfare of Brachycephalic dogs
Health and welfare of Brachycephalic dogs
‘In the Spotlight’ features bring together collections of published papers on topics of interest and importance to the veterinary professions.
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Published 10 February 2023 | Updated 14 March 2023
The health and welfare of brachycephalic breeds is an ongoing cause for concern. Despite this, they continue to enjoy high popularity as pets, leading to increasing number of these animals being presented to veterinary practice. Their popularity is also compounding the issues, due to the increase in breeding to meet demand.
The first sections of this spotlight feature provide an introduction to the health status of brachycephalic dogs, providing links to published research on the prevalence of various disorders in the three main breeds (Pug, French bulldog and Bulldog) as well as some papers that provide comparisons to the prevalence of disorders in other dogs. This will be followed by a section which looks at research relating to understanding the appeal of brachycephalic dogs to their owners.
Although the primary focus relating to the health of brachycephalic dogs relates to brachycephalic airway disease, as a result of selection for the characteristic flat face, there are other issues that are prevalent in these animals which can impact on their health and welfare. Therefore, the following sections will provides link to current relevant evidence divided into sections relating to different body systems, before looking at the evidence relating to anaesthesia and caesarean section in these breeds.
While the emphasis on brachycephaly has been focused on dogs the final section will bring together the developing evidence of issues relating to brachycephaly in other species.
As with our other collections, papers are chosen for relevance and accessibility, with the full text of articles either being available through the RCVS Knowledge Library or from other publications to which a significant number of veterinary professionals are likely to have access to, for example through the membership of the BVA or BVNA.
Contents
- The health and welfare of brachycephalic dogs
- Owner perception of brachycephalic dogs
- Respiratory / Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS)
- Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS)
- Susceptibility to heatstroke
- Cardiac disease
- Alimentary disease and gastroesophageal regurgitation
- Skin disease
- Skeletal and orthopaedic conditions
- Ocular conditions
- Anaesthetic risk
- Gastroesophageal reflux and regurgitation
- Temporary tracheostomy tube placement
- Breeding and caesarean section
- Cats
- Rabbits
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