Mary Allen
Excessive breeding by some breeders has led to an increased number of dogs of breeds such as pug, English bulldog, and French bulldog having breathing problems. It was noticed last year in the so-called “Blunt Nose Call”. Now they have taken several steps on the road to healthier breeding.
The 2015 “Blunt Nose Call” was started by 700 veterinarians who wanted to create a debate for a healthier blunt nose breeding. The uprising attracted a lot of attention and emotions swelled. As a result, six collaboration groups were started with representatives from, among others, SKK, the Swedish Veterinary Association, and the Swedish Board of Agriculture. These would make suggestions on how to improve the health of breeds with short or blunt noses, so-called brachycephaly. Breeds covered are, for example, boxers, pugs, French bulldogs, shi-tzu, and Pekingese, where excessive exterior can cause problems, especially breathing.
Some suggestions for measures to work on further:
– Health certificate to be used for breeding with short-bald / blunt-nosed breeds has been produced.
– SKK’s puppy inspection certificate has been revised to better capture puppies with the excessive exterior.
– A compilation of the incidence of operations due to respiratory problems is ongoing.
– An information material aimed at, for example, advertising companies. This is to reduce the incidence of dogs with respiratory problems in the media and advertising is under production.
The collaboration groups have also emphasized that it is never compatible with either the Animal Welfare Act or the Kennel Club’s basic rules to use dogs that have clinical problems that can be traced to baldness. It is also encouraged that the breeding work takes into account, for example, the dog’s width on the nostrils, the length, width, and depth of the nose, the width of the trachea, and the volume of the chest.
Footnote: Excessively blunt and short-nosed dogs can have trouble breathing. This is because they can not ventilate as fast as other dogs when they are out of breath or when it is hot. Some blunt-nosed races also have an increased risk of brain tumor glioma. Many dogs with respiratory problems must be operated on in order to have a decent life.
