New research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has revealed an 800% increase in surgeries to manage breathing problems relating to extreme body shapes in flat-faced dog breeds at the RVC’s Queen Mother Hospital for Animals (QMHA), Europe’s largest veterinary referral hospital. The study, which is the largest of its kind, also identified French Bulldogs as the breed which most commonly requires this surgery.
While healthcare administration (HCA) data has long been used in human medicine to support evidence-based decision-making, resource allocation, and future service planning, this study represents one of the first applications of data for these purposes in a veterinary setting. Against a backdrop of shifting dog breed popularity, this new study sought to assess changing patterns in referral surgery in dogs and cats at the QMHA. The evaluation of the potential of HCA data can be used to inform future planning, investment, and workforce training in veterinary services to better meet emerging clinical needs and support overall animal welfare.
The research team, led by Dr Alex Currie during his time at the RVC, analysed theatre log data of soft tissue surgeries performed on different breeds of cats and dogs in 2008 and 2018 at the QMHA.
The study recorded a rise in soft tissue surgical procedures from 659 in 2008 to 1,001 in 2018 that has largely been driven by the increased requirement of these specialist RVC surgeons to offer care for flat-faced dogs. Procedures to specifically manage brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS), a serious breathing condition affecting flat-faced breeds, also rose considerably from 16 surgeries in 2008 to 131 in 2018, representing an increase of 813%.
The findings reveal how growing public preference for abnormally flat-faces in dogs is driving a canine welfare crisis in the UK, with veterinary teams treating increased numbers of animals for conditions caused by extreme body shapes that do not exist in nature. Although traits like short muzzles and skin folds are often seen as cute or fashionable, they come with severe lifelong health issues that frequently require complex and costly specialist surgery. As a result, many owners face unanticipated emotional and financial strain, underscoring serious ethical concerns about the continued breeding of dogs with extreme conformations.
Other key findings included:
- The French Bulldog showed the greatest increase in soft-tissue surgical referrals, rising from just four cases in 2008 to 83 in 2018 - a 2,075% increase - making it the most common breed presented to the hospital that year.
- Almost half (45%) of all BOAS surgeries performed in 2018 were on French Bulldogs.
- The median age of the referred French Bulldogs in 2018 was just 26 months, suggesting a strong demand for young dogs and a shorter lifespan linked to chronic health issues.
- Domestic short-hair cats were the most frequently presenting breed in both 2008 and 2018.
- Among cats, the Ragdoll showed the greatest change in referrals, increasing from one case in 2008 to eight in 2018.
- In cats, the subcutaneous ureteral bypass was the most common operation in 2018, with 27 performed, compared to zero in 2008.
The study’s findings demonstrate how pet ownership trends in popular breeds are driving shifts in the types of expertise, facilities and equipment required in veterinary hospitals. Building on the example of this study, future analysis of healthcare administration data from referral centres can help anticipate need, improve planning and ensure the right skills and resources are in place, all to support better outcomes for patients.
Professor Dan Brockman, professor of small animal surgery at the RVC and co-author said: “This study was initiated to objectively examine how the role of the soft tissue surgeon in a referral environment has evolved over time. However, it is impossible to ignore the dominant, stark and devastating finding that human “preference” is creating a welfare catastrophe before our eyes and “on our watch”. I concur entirely with Professor O’Neill, it is time for this to stop.”
