Rethinking Brachycephalic Dogs: Flat-Faced, Not Flawed

Welcome back to The Breed Files! What exactly does it mean for a dog to be brachycephalic? And does having a flat face automatically mean a dog is unhealthy? This week, we're taking a closer look at brachycephalic dogs and going beyond the stereotypes. We'll break down what “brachycephalic” actually means, hear different perspectives from owners who live with these breeds, and dive into BOAS (the breathing disorder that has become one of the biggest concerns surrounding flat-faced dogs). But we're also tackling a complicated question: Can brachycephalic dogs be ethically bred?Tune in for a deeper look at the dogs behind the controversy and the future of responsible brachycephalic breeding.Sources: Accessed 7/11/20267/11/2026https://evolution.berkeley.edu/lines-of-evidence/artificial-selection/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1558787814000616https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7380493/https://www.humanevma.org/brachycephalichttps://www.researchgate.net/figure/Craniofacial-ratio-CFR-of-the-dog-which-is-obtained-by-dividing-the-muzzle-length-by_fig1_378707023https://melbournebulldogclinic.com.au/important-info/cranio-facial-ratio/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_conchahttps://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/frontal-sinushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontal_sinushttps://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/frontal-sinushttps://www.nationwidechildrens.org/conditions/noisy-breathing-stridorhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499965/https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0u-44Z0rm14https://crest.com/en-us/oral-care-tips/pregnancy/what-is-ptyalism?srsltid=AfmBOoqNZbcMs4LbyIgeDzb4wn6Hgn-28fMJorvX4ZbVwi9yi3eXihthhttps://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22376-nasopharynxhttps://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/24278-epiglottishttps://archaeology.org/news/2023/04/18/230419-brachycephalic-dog/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/flat-faced-brachycephalic-roman-dog-frenchie-pug-bulldoghttps://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/no-simple-way-of-predicting-breathing-difficulties-in-pugs-french-bulldogs-and-bulldogs-fromhttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0181928https://ofa.org/diseases/rfgs/https://ofa.org/diseases/rfgs/https://www.vet.cam.ac.uk/boas/about-boas/recognition-diagnosishttps://www.royalkennelclub.com/health-and-dog-care/health-dog-care/health/getting-started-with-health-testing-and-screening/respiratory-function-grading-scheme/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11264736/https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0340604https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S000334729690370Xhttps://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/ajvr/79/2/ajvr.79.2.170.xml