4 Aug 2026
Charity officials have warned the present position “could not be worse” for pets, despite advances in welfare knowledge.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Close-up of a French bulldog. Image: Nataliia / Adobe Stock
A new report has demanded collective action to prevent the breeding of animals with extreme conformations – amid fears of soaring demand on charities linked to them.
The RSPCA’s newly released Shape of Suffering document also warned current assessments were likely to substantially underestimate the true scale of the problem.
A range of measures, including stringent quality of life assessments on any potential surgical interventions, have been recommended to help tackle the issue.
However, Sam Gaines, who leads the RSPCA’s companion animals unit, warned the present situation “could not be worse” for pets despite advances in welfare knowledge.
Rebecca Ashman, head vet for operations, partnerships and prevention, added: “We must move beyond commodifying animals for human preference and prioritise their quality of life above all else.”
The scale of the problem has been emphasised by figures revealing a 3,800% increase in the numbers of one well-known brachycephalic dog breed entering the charity’s care in the past decade.
The charity said it took in 234 French bulldogs or cross-breed variations last year, compared to only 6 in 2016, in a trend it believes is significantly linked to the high costs of their veterinary treatment.
Several other breeds, including the English bulldog, pug and chow chow, have also entered the charity’s care in record numbers in the past decade.
Scientific and policy manager Ashleigh Brown, the report’s lead author, also warned: “Some of these animals come into our care with health problems so significant, there is no way they can ever have an acceptable quality of life.
“Anyone looking to add a pet to their family should do their homework and avoid breeds with exaggerated features unless they are rescues – because there will be a negative impact on their pet’s well-being, as well as additional care needs and costs.”
But the paper has also highlighted 10 other types of extreme conformation, including examples such as skin folds, abnormal eyes, folded or curled ears, and limb deformities, as officials sought to emphasise the problem is not confined to brachycephaly alone.
According to current estimates, around 44 million dogs, cats and small companion mammals across Europe are of breeds that “typically” display harmful features.
More than 20% of the UK’s dog population is also thought to be of a breed with at least one extreme conformation.
However, the paper also warned the figures were likely to be “a vast underestimation of the scale” because they do not account for cross-breeds.
The report calls for action from each of six specific stakeholder groups, including “service providers” such as clinicians in practice.
It argued that care providers should implement “evidence-based and welfare-focused” practices, and encourage others to adopt similar standards, while surgical interventions intended to address extreme traits should “reflect best practice and are preceded by robust quality of life assessment”.
It also recommended modifications to practice settings to accommodate the additional needs of animals with extreme features. The full report is available via the RSPCA website.