Perception of health problems in French bulldogs and attitudes toward BOAS grading among Danish owners

Helle Friis Proschowsky^1,2*Svenja Springer^3,4Sisse Lotze^1,2Frederikke Rafn^1,2Zenia Sandahl^1,2Camilla Sichlau Bruun^1,2Merete Fredholm^1,2Thomas Bøker Lund^1,5Jakob L. Willesen^1,6Peter Sandøe^1,2,5

• ¹University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
• ²Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
• ³University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
• ⁴Messerli Research Institute, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
• ⁵Department of Food and Resource Economics, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
• ⁶Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Frederiksberg C, Denmark

The French bulldog is among the most popular dog breeds in many countries, but the breed is also commonly affected by a range of health problems. A key issue for the breed is Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS), and a proposed way to improve this situation in the future is selection based on BOAS grading. However, making effective changes in breeding requires a demand for less sick dogs and discrepancies between objective health parameters and owner-perceived health status are well-known among owners of brachycephalic dogs.In this survey-based study, we recorded the health problems reported by French bulldog owners as well as their overall perception of health at both breed and individual dog level. We also examined how the presence of health problems influenced the owners' plan to reacquire or recommend the breed. Finally, we investigated the French bulldog owners' knowledge of and attitudes toward BOAS grading as a proposed means to enhance respiratory health in their dogs.The questionnaire resulted in 452 completed responses from owners of French bulldogs in Denmark. The most commonly reported health problems were allergies (36.7%), breathing problems (29.6%), and back problems (19.0%). In total, 56% of the owners stated that French bulldogs are less healthy than other breeds, while 64% considered their own French bulldog to be healthier (p<0.001) than other individuals of the same breed, and only 8% perceived their own dog to be less healthy. Owners reporting that their dog had breathing problems were more likely to also report that their dog snored when awake (p<0.001), had heat intolerance (p<0.001), and was wheezing (p=0.005). The higher the level of experienced health problems, the less likely the owners were to reacquire the breed (p<0.001) or recommend it to others (p<0.001). Two thirds of the owners had heard about BOAS grading and around 80% expressed a positive view of the test. They believed it should be used for all breeding animals and expressed a preference for puppies from BOAS-graded parents when acquiring another French bulldog.