Crufts is almost here once again, with the world’s largest dog show returning to Birmingham, England, from March 6–9. More than 24,000 dogs are set to be welcomed to Crufts 2025, all vying for the chance to be crowned Best in Show.
It was reported last year that brachycephalic, or flat-faced, dogs – like pugs and French Bulldogs – would need to pass a new breathing test to take part in Crufts 2025, marking the first time that a health test has been mandatory at the dog show.
Jane Ladlow, European and Royal College Specialist in small animal surgery, is attending Crufts this year, and has developed a non-invasive method of assessing airway function in brachycephalic dogs herself, alongside Dr. Nai-Chieh Lui. This led to the creation of The Kennel Club/University of Cambridge Respiratory Function Grading Scheme (RFG), licensed in 15 countries.
She explains that eye tests are currently available at Crufts, as is RFG, which assesses dogs for brachycephalic obstructive airway disease (BOAS), a breathing condition. For the first time, the test is a mandatory entry requirement for all bulldogs, French Bulldogs, and pugs, with dogs at Grade 3 being severely affected and not allowed in the show rings.
While the new rules have been welcomed by vets, Ladlow would still like to see more testing implemented in the future.
“The RFG scheme could be applicable for some of the other brachycephalic dog breeds,” she says. “BOAS is a good disease for health testing as it is common in these brachycephalic breeds and easy to diagnose non-invasively. The eye tests can also be performed to screen for disease and in some breeds with high incidences of heart disease, heart screening is also sensible.”
The non-invasive method Ladlow has developed involves listening to the dog’s airway with a stethoscope before and after an exercise stress test.
“Any noise audible without the stethoscope is classified as clinical BOAS as it is usually associated with clinical signs, such as exercise intolerance, heat intolerance, or regurgitation,” she says. “Mild BOAS is only audible with a stethoscope and is not usually associated with clinical signs.”
For a dog to be at Grade 0, they need to have no airway noise before or after exercise. As a result, they’re considered free from BOAS.
BOAS isn’t the only health problem brachycephalic breeds can face, however, as Ladlow explains. Bulldogs can get entropion – where the eyelid rolls inward – skin disease, aortic or pulmonic stenosis, patella luxation, and tail fold infections. French Bulldogs are susceptible to spinal disease, elbow lateral condylar fractures, ear disease, and eye ulceration – take a look at these common French Bulldog health issues for more information – while pugs can get intervertebral disc disease, spinal malformations, and eye ulceration.
Planning to keep an eye on the famous dog show this year? Here’s how to watch Crufts 2025 live and here are some of our favorite Crufts facts
Jane Ludlow is a European and Royal College Specialist in Small Animal Surgery with more than twenty years’ experience.
In addition to general clinical work and teaching students at the University of Cambridge, Jane focused on upper airway disease in dogs, particularly BOAS and, with Dr Nai-Chieh Lui, she devised a non-invasive method of assessing airway function in flat faced dogs, and introduced a clinical grading system for BOAS.
This work led to the development of The Kennel Club/University of Cambridge Respiratory Function Grading Scheme to facilitate the breeding of healthy dogs. The RFG Scheme has been licensed in fifteen other countries so far which enables a more international overview of the health of these breeds.
Edited by Georgia Guerin.
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This feature was last updated on March 5, 2025.
