Understanding brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome in flat-faced dogs and efforts to improve welfare through breed reform.
The popularity of brachycephalic breeds represents a welfare crisis normalized by cultural preference for infantile facial features. These dogs experience chronic respiratory compromise that affects every aspect of their lives including sleep, exercise, and thermoregulation. Many owners of affected dogs do not recognize the abnormal breathing sounds and restricted activity as signs of distress because they have never known the breed any other way. Breed reform efforts focus on breeding toward longer muzzles and wider nostrils while maintaining breed identity. Regulatory approaches including breeding restrictions for extreme phenotypes and mandatory health testing before registration offer systemic solutions that voluntary change alone cannot achieve.