Brachycephalic breeds including bulldogs, pugs, and French bulldogs suffer chronic respiratory welfare impairment from extreme flat-face conformation, with breed reform and surgery as welfare interventions.
Severely brachycephalic dogs experience chronic respiratory distress that severely limits their quality of life. Exercise intolerance, gagging, and sleep-disordered breathing are daily welfare impairments. Corrective surgery can provide significant relief but the underlying conformation will be inherited by offspring. Breed reform toward less extreme conformation is the only sustainable welfare solution.