New global dog health drive aims to help inform owners 

A global welfare coalition has warned of an “urgent need” to increase public awareness of what healthy dogs should look like.

The plea has been made by the International Collective on Extreme Conformations in Dogs (ICECDogs) following what it said was a first-of-its-kind agreement between stakeholders on the issue.

The group has also published a new position statement, which it hopes will help prospective owners to identify both key indicators of health and what to avoid when acquiring a dog.

The initiative has been welcomed by the UK Brachycephalic Working Group (BWG), whose member organisations include the BSAVA, BVA and RVC.

‘Ethical commitment’

Dan O’Neill, who chairs the BWG, said the project “consolidates our shared human ethical commitment to avoiding extreme conformation in dogs”.

He added: “The BWG supports all welfare-focused activities that aim to protect the health and welfare of dogs from the adverse impacts of brachycephaly as an extreme conformation in dogs.”

The collective already works with the BWG and other stakeholders in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand and Sweden to minimise the impact of extreme features on dogs.

The position paper said the vision is that “no dog is ever produced (bred), sold, purchased or promoted with an inability to experience good innate health as a consequence of an extreme conformation”.

Escalation

Michelle Groleau, animal welfare director of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), said: “The escalation of extreme conformations in animals and the serious harms resulting from them are a priority issue for the CVMA.

“There is an urgent need for the public to be made aware of the severity of the current situation and to learn how they can contribute to a solution.”

Brachycephaly is one of 10 such conformations highlighted in the new paper, which the collective wants prospective owners to avoid when acquiring a new dog.

The others include large and protruding eyes; shortened, twisted legs; facial or body skin folds; tailessness; a clearly overshot or undershot jaw; a disproportionately broad head and shoulders; eyelids that are turned either in or out; a bulging or domed skull; and a sloped back with an excessively low rear end and excessively flexed hindlegs.

Build on research

Officials said the project was intended to build on RVC research into the concept of innate health, which refers to a dog’s capacity to live a fulfilling life without limits imposed by extreme body features.

The paper, published on 9 April, said dogs with good innate health should be able to breathe freely and oxygenate effectively; maintain body temperature within a normal range; move freely without effort or discomfort; eat, drink, hear, smell, see, self-groom, eliminate and sleep effectively; communicate effectively with other dogs; and, where applicable, breed without assistance.

It also urged buyers and adopters to support breeders who are making “welfare-positive change to the conformation of a breed or cross-breed”.

Link not grasped

Dr O’Neill, who is also a founder member of ICECDogs, said: “No owner ever wants an unhealthy dog, but the huge popularity of dogs with extreme conformations suggests that many owners have not fully grasped the link between body shape and quality of life for dogs.

“The new ICECDogs position on innate health helps owners understand that extreme conformations are not natural, normal, healthy or desirable for dogs. Innately healthy body shapes can now become a new normal for dogs that we can all celebrate.”

The full paper is available online.