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Showing results for tags 'brachycephalics'.
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THEME 5: Exaggerations And Extremes In Dog Conformation: Brief Description: a) Health, welfare and breeding considerations; review of national and international efforts, on all fronts (consumers, show world, breeders, judges, vets, etc) since 2012 – what has been achieved?; brachycephalics; other existing and emerging issues; overcoming polarization and conflict, resolving science and emotion. b) Education and Communication – Past practices may not have achieved desired outcomes. What are tools and techniques to promote human behaviour change? What can we learn from other fields? -
Cambridge University is carrying out an important research project into the development of the nostrils in brachycephalic (short-faced) dog breeds. The breeds in this study are French Bulldogs, English Bulldogs and Pugs. -
New Research - Blog posts
Ann Milligan posted a article in Extremes of Conformation | Brachycephalics
February 2019 We'd like to call your attention to two posts in DWN's New Research Blog. Consequences and Management of Canine Brachycephaly in Veterinary Practice: Perspectives from Australian Veterinarians and Veterinary Specialists See Brenda Bonnet's review of this research coming from Austalia that "covers the health problems and welfare issues in brachycephalic dogs highlighting a veterinary perspective." -
This is a translation of an article by Åsa Linholm which will appear in the Swedish Kennel Club magazine: Hundsport Special nr 2:2016. Introduction: The hottest topic in the Swedish dog world in summer of 2015 has been brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs and their health. In February 2016 the Swedish Kennel Club arranged a conference on the subject, an arrangement that was right in time, but in fact was planned since 2014. -
DogWellNet Digest: Issue #22 - 15 February 2019
Dave St. Louis posted a article in DogWellNet.com Digest
News & Highlights 4th IDHW: Don't Miss Out - Register Now! Helpful Hint Make a Donation Stay Informed! -
There is a steady stream of articles / work / initiatives coming in relative to those brachy breeds identified as highest risk for health and welfare issues. Coming from KCs - e.g. SKK... (See the background of and supportive documentation for this NKU project below...) the Mops Club, Netherlands... See the recent discussion of main features of the BALV (outcross, approval and stricter breeding rules) and communication with government and other KC's... and from the veterinary sector ... e.g. FECAVA... ‘Extreme breeding’ of companion animals: Raising public awareness is key In general, the work is based on scientific evidence. Of course, some of the initiatives (measurements etc) are 'new' and not yet fully proven in efficacy for what is proposed. Regardless of the basis, these proposal evoke extreme emotional and even personal responses (e.g. FB, confrontations and disagreements, etc.). Because... at heart these issues relate to a seemingly widespread human attraction to 'extremes'. We are happy to also present excellent articles on avoidance of extremes in other breeds - e.g. Dachshunds and Rottweilers. Clearly, we need not only an evidence-based approach to deal with these issues, but also innovative communication strategies to effect change in human behaviours and attitudes. Background information Brachycephalic projects by the Nordic Kennel Union's affiliated Kennel Clubs is available at: 2018 - SKK's work for brachycephalic health Of particular interest are project planning documents put together by the NKU's Working group and SKK. These documents outline health and welfare issues and offer proposed actions, definitions, parameters and procedures for evaluation of dogs. 1. STATEMENTS AND PROPOSALS REGARDING RESPIRATORY HEALTH IN BRACHYCEPHALIC DOGS Internal link: NKU STATEMENTS AND PROPOSALS REGARDING RESPIRATORY HEALTH IN BRACHYCEPHALIC DOGS.pdf ADDITIONAL INFO... 2. REVEALING THE PHENOTYPIC AND GENOTYPIC VARIATION IN FOUR BRACHYCEPHALIC BREEDS (SKK) As part of the work to combat breathing problems in brakycephalics, the Swedish Kennel Club has started a project to inventory the health status in four dog breeds: Boston Terrier, English Bulldog, French Bulldog and Pug. excerpts... ♦ All these topics - extremes, breed and communication will be a focus in the 4th IDHW.... ♦ -
Here we feature a text entitled Standards, health and hypertypes in dogs, by Pr. José Luis Payró Dueñas (Mexico) from the book, Standards, Health and Genetics in the Dog. ( Read more about the book here. ) Veterinarian, Professor and President of the Americas and Caribbean Section of Fédération Cynologique Internationale, Pr. José Luis Payró Dueñas discusses brachycephalic traits, and other morphologies that impact function of purebred dog breeds. Brachycephalic breed traits and management are covered in some depth. In the writing Pr. José Luis Payró Dueñas outlines steps breeders adopt to achieve effective selective breeding. Dog breeder's evaluations of breeding dogs based on their and breed judge's interpretations of the Breed Standard, breeder evaluations of dogs' pedigrees and their knowledge of the heritability of observable traits that contribute to disease or health are explored. ..."poor interpretation of the standards can cause a breeder to produce specimens with hypertypes or with deformations that will remain concentrated in the breed, producing hereditary diseases. When evaluating a dog, the judge values the effort and the production of every exhibitor whose aim must not just be the pride of winning, but the goal of fixing the type by not selecting those specimens with the hypertypes that are not desired in the breed." Seeing to health and welfare of dogs is judges' and breeders' responsibility - correct construction and interpretation of breed standards is essential. -
2019 - UK - February 4th from The Kennel Club And Cambridge We are thrilled to read news about a Scheme launched to improve health of French Bulldogs, Pugs and Bulldogs... "A new screening scheme aims to provide breeders of French Bulldogs, Pugs and Bulldogs with more information about the health of their dogs, helping them reduce the risk of breeding puppies with potentially serious breathing problems." See more on the scheme at The University of Cambridge and The Kennel Club's website... -
DogWellNet.com Digest: Issue #20 - 23 October 2018
Dave St. Louis posted a article in DogWellNet.com Digest
News & Highlights Make a Donation to Support IPFD Helpful Hint Stay Informed! -
"More information: https://www.vet.cam.ac.uk/boas/about-... The French bulldog, bulldog, pug, pekingese, shih tzu, Japanese chin, boxer and Boston terrier are all examples of brachycephalic breeds. The most distinctive feature of these breeds is their short muzzle. Brachycephalic dogs have been bred for centuries to possess a normal-sized lower jaw, and a disproportionately shorter upper jaw. In recent decades, breeding selection for extreme brachycephalic features has resulted in dogs that are predisposed to upper airway tract obstruction and subsequent respiratory distress, among several other health issues. Although not all brachycephalic dogs suffer clinical signs, the incidence and severity of the respiratory disorders has increased. The respiratory disease related to brachycephalic confirmation is called brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS)." Also see: U of Cambridge's BOAS NEWS page for a timeline. Extremes of Conformation: DWN Resources
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See Dr. Brenda Bonnett's presentation from the First International Conference on Human Behaviour Change for Animal Welfare. HBCAW website: www.hbcanimalwelfare.com All presentations from the conference are available from HBCAW's YouTube channel. Also see DWN's Human Dog Interactions Category.
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IKFB: French Bulldog Club (Germany) - Walking test for French Bulldog, Pugs and English Bulldogs Also see: DWN's article on the IKFB - Dr. Anne Posthoff, the president of the German International Club for French Bulldogs, explains why the rules for breeding French Bulldogs in Germany are amongst the strictest in the world. Hot Topics - Brachycephalics, archive - DWN and Extremes of Conformation - Brachycephalics
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Kyle Snowden, DVM, provides information on brachycephalic anatomy and discusses its impacts on breathing and thermo-regulation. Veterinary interventions used to correct problematic issues in compromised dogs are covered. Also see: DWN's International Actions: Extremes of Conformation
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Health before looks -- Collaborative action is urgently needed to stop the practice of extreme breeding in dogs and cats This message was delivered to the European Parliament at an event organized by our Collaborating Partner the Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations (FECAVA) together with the EU Dog and Cat Alliance and the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe(FVE). (Download PDF below.) This event was "aimed at ending the unnecessary suffering of dogs and cats bred with exaggerated features such as flat faces, narrowed nostrils, skin folds and protruding eyes" and is part of the ongoing work, especially throughout Europe, to address health and welfare in brachycephalic breeds. The speakers represented the veterinary, welfare and breed organization perspectives on the issue. It was great to see this international, multi-stakeholder approach, similar to that we have promoted through the IPFD International Dog Health Workshops (IDHWs) and reflected in the many resources on the brachycephalic isssue on DogWellNet.com. Kristin Prestrud (a veterinarian from another of our Partners, the Norwegian Kennel Club) put into perspective that although there are wide variations across dog breeds in form and function, there should be defined limits for extremes, so that selective breeding does not compromise health or welfare. The challenge, raised at our IDHWs is that those limits are not clear nor consistent across regions and cultures; we need research and collaborative work to define those limits. As Prestrud, explained, for pedigree dogs breeding happens according to written breed standards - however those are often open to interpretation and may vary widely across countries. "“We love that dogs look cute, that they have some particular look that we love. And so, short legs have got shorter, heavy bodies got heavier, long coats got longer, loose skin got looser, long ears got longer and wrinkles more extended. Not in all cases, not in all breeds, but in several breeds.” And when breeders select really strongly for some traits and restrict genetic input from outside, there is always the risk of reducing genetic variation." The British Veterinary Association’s encouragement of data reporting of conformation altering surgery (and caesareans) - by veterinarians with the consent of owners - was described. Similar registers are underway in, e.g. Scandinavian countries. However, there are challenges to compliance with these programs and only time will tell whether they achieve the goal of determining the prevalence of dogs that need such surgery. Speakers also highlighted the role of veterinarians in this issue, saying, “we must be aware that there are a lot of vets who earn their money by doing this very expensive surgery." I was encouraged to see that the discussion by the politicians did not focus simply on legislation of breeding as being the best solution. They discussed the need to control the marketing of unregistered puppies and kittens, “the majority of which are on the internet and are totally without control” . It was estimated that over half of puppies In the Netherlands come from unsupervised sources and it may be as high as 90% for some breeds, e.g. the French Bulldog. One of the members of parliament suggested that "efforts would be better focused on reducing demand by making extreme breed animals unfashionable. “We have to make unhealthy bad conformation unfashionable, it has to stop.”" And, so, as has been discussed in much of our work, we come back to this fact: the challenges are about the people, more than the dogs, and successfully improving health and welfare of dogs needs an approach that addresses human-animal interactions, human attitudes and actions, and using techniques of education that are likely to result in human behaviour change. Addressing sourcing of dogs and communication for change will be two themes at the upcoming 4th IPFD IDHW in Old Windsor, UK, May 30-June 1 2019. Congratulations to FECAVA and their co-organizers for an important event and to the European Parliament for taking an interest in the health and welfare of dogs. Health before looks Collaborative action is urgently needed to stop the practice of extreme breeding in dogs and cats Download: European Parliament Event article by Parliament Magazine - 7-2018
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Finnish Kennel Club to add Walk test results to Koiranet DB
Ann Milligan posted a article in Brachycephalics
Results from two newly official health examinations are being added to the Finnish Kennel Club's Breeding Database. Results from BAER hearing tests and walk tests, the latter measuring the dog's exercise tolerance and breathing, are saved to the system starting from 6th August. -
This publication succinctly addresses: | Health and welfare issues associated with brachycephaly | | Societal responsibility | | Driving healthy standards | | Breed Standards | | Breed health and conservation plans | | Brachycephalic health assessments | | Marketing and advertising | | The role of the veterinary professions | | 10-point plan for veterinary practices | | Research | BVA Position Brachycephalic Dogs - January 2018 BVA-position-brachycephalic-dogs-Jan-2018 (Internal) Introduction "In the ten years to 2017 there has been a rapid rise in ownership and number of brachycephalic dogs in the UK (both those that are Kennel Club-registered and in the wider dog population1). According to Kennel Club figures, registration of these breed types has risen dramatically of the past ten years, with a 3104% increase in French Bulldog registrations, a 193% increase in Pug registrations and a 96% increase in Bulldog registrations.2 BVA is concerned that this rise in numbers is leading to a population-based increase of ill health and compromised welfare in these breed types. Figure 1 visually illustrates the rise in proportional annual birth rates amongst some brachycephalic breed types over the 2004-2016 period." -
Addressing health issues in brachycephalic breeds remains an ongoing topic of interest across the veterinary, research and breed communities as well as impacts animal welfare laws and regulatory agencies in governments. Although there is growing awareness of the potential welfare issues involved, there is clearly still a requirement for education of veterinary professionals, dog breeders and the wider public. This article provides information on a few developments in 2017. -
DogWellNet.com Digest: Issue #17 - 18 June 2018
Dave St. Louis posted a article in DogWellNet.com Digest
Table of Contents: News & Highlights Viewing DogWellNet.com in Other Languages Helpful Hint Stay Informed! -
In 2015 DogWellNet began to feature articles and resources to highlight 'The Brachycephalic Issue'. These articles provide a historical perspective on actions taken by various stakeholders (Kennel and Breed Clubs, researchers, veterinarians and breeders) to address growing concerns about the health and welfare of the short-faced dogs. Breed-specific breeding policies/guidelines and development of breed management strategies for Brachycephalic breeds is ongoing. Please see: https://dogwellnet.com/content/hot-topics/brachycephalics/ OR you can access articles from the Brachycephalic section from the links below. The date posted along with a brief descriptions of each article's content are provided. -
Continuing our series on The Brachycephalic Issue: An exciting research project is underway at Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge spearheaded by a stellar team of researchers : Jane Ladlow, MA VetMB CertSAS CertVR DipECVS MRCVS; Dr David Sargan, MA PhD; Dr Vicki Adams, DVM MSc PhD MRCVS; and Nai-Chieh Liu DVM MPhil into the Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS). In their flyer, Non-invasive Respiratory Function Assessment in Brachycephalic Dogs, they describe the study and call for participants in the UK. (internal link flyer -- BOAS flyers version 4 .pdf) This group has also published their findings in French Bulldogs. See: The Brachycephalic Issue: Evidence and Efforts: Characterisation of Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome in French Bulldogs Using Whole-Body Barometric Plethysmography -
Here you will find a selected group of videos that address brachycephalic issues. -
DogWellNet.com Digest: Issue #15 - 27 February 2018
Dave St. Louis posted a article in DogWellNet.com Digest
In This Issue: News & Highlights Check out our new look! We're excited to introduce our new IPFD/DogWellNet.com theme! Stay Informed! -
The Evolution of Petface The same traits that make these dogs adorable threaten their health and well-being https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/evolution-petface-180967987/ By Kat Eschner smithsonian.com January 31, 2018 8:30AM -
Smithsonian Magazine - The Evolution of Petface
Dave St. Louis posted a article in IPFD in the Media
IPFD CEO Dr. Brenda Bonnett is among the experts featured in a new Smithsonian Magazine article examining how traits that make brachycephalic dogs adorable also threaten their health and well-being. -
DogWellNet.com Digest: Issue #14 - 23 January 2018
Dave St. Louis posted a article in DogWellNet.com Digest
In This Issue: News & Highlights A Look Ahead: IPFD and DogWellNet.com in 2018 Helpful Hint Stay Informed!