24 Jun 2026
An RVN and senior charity official has urged clinicians to act ahead of a new campaign to be launched by her organisation.
Allister Webb
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Image: Di Studio / Adobe Stock
A veterinary nurse and senior welfare charity official has urged clinicians to lead the drive for change against extreme conformation across species.
A new strategy, which is intended to act as a “call for action” on the issue, is set to be unveiled by the RSPCA in the coming weeks.
But BVA Live delegates were urged to adopt their own measures ahead of its launch amid fears the scale of the problem is likely to be much greater than currently thought.
RVN Lauren Bennett, the charity’s science and policy officer, said she recognised the sector’s “activism” had been affected by the range of its present challenges.
But she added: “This is the time for change, and doing what you can, doing what you feel capable of doing, can make a significant difference, no matter how big or how small.”
The plea came amid renewed debate about the appropriate treatment of health issues linked to extreme conformation, including a suggestion that euthanasia should be considered as an alternative to BOAS surgery.
The session was told that more than 80 million dogs, 22 million cats and four million small mammals across Europe are currently estimated to experience suffering linked to their appearance.
More than one-fifth of the UK’s dog population is also thought to have at least one extreme trait.
However, Miss Bennett warned those figures were likely to be a “vast underestimation” of the problem’s actual scale, as she outlined the organisation’s objectives.
She said: “The vision for this project is that all companion animals should be bred with innately healthy conformation and physical characteristics that facilitate good health and positive welfare.”
Although one contributor argued during questions that some breeds were “just disgraceful”, Miss Bennett’s presentation stressed the charity was neither seeking to eradicate breeds altogether or “demonise” their owners.
But she continued: “We are looking to be proactive in calling for collective, meaningful action by all of those who love and respect animals to help us reduce this form of suffering.”
One area that veterinary practices were urged to help counter was what Miss Bennett described as the normalisation of certain issues linked to extreme conformations.
She argued that health and welfare consequences linked to brachycephaly were “still often overlooked and minimised”, warning that some attempts to prosecute alleged cruelty offences had failed because suffering had not been recognised, including by clinicians.
She said: “We often see in veterinary clinical notes sentences such as ‘breathing is normal for the breed’. But we all need to remember that this is not normal. It has just been normalised.”
Miss Bennett encouraged delegates to discuss conformation issues rather than breed when raising awareness of the topic with clients.
She also cautiously backed the suggestion that animals undergoing conformation-related surgery should also be legally required to be neutered, although she warned against measures that could risk more extreme breeding occurring due to a reduced gene pool.