LAUSR

Vets want to see demand for popular flatnosed dogs reduced and some tougher curbs on their use in advertising campaigns. they say breeds such as the bulldog, French bulldog and pug have become fashionable and, as a result, there has been an exponential rise in breed numbers and unhealthy dogs. Unscrupulous breeders are breeding dogs with exaggerated features in the hope that they will appear ‘cute’ to puppy buyers. While some vets support a move to responsible use of their images in the media, others have called for an outright ban of unhealthy dogs. the calls follow moves by the BVA to publicly criticise Comic Relief for using an image of a French bulldog in its advertising campaign for Red Nose Day. BVA’s president Gudrun Ravetz wrote to them to spell out the health concerns associated with the breed (see story p 290). ‘Many companies do not understand the significant health and welfare problems brachycephalic breeds can suffer, emphasising how important it is that vets continue to speak out on this issue,’ she said. Rowena Packer, brachycephaly expert, said: ‘I started work in this field in 2009 and the problem has got worse. the number of these dogs has gone through the roof and the recognition that there is more problems in these dogs just seems to be constant. the level of knowledge in general public is still incredibly low despite there being more resources available. If you want to buy a dog you only need to spend 10 minutes finding out about all the diseases it could have – but just having that information is clearly not enough to change people’s minds. I find it incredible. ‘this is a topic that has been spoken about for years. Getting some action now would be good. A lot of organisations pay this lip service, they talk about the need to do something but they never do.’ Peter Wedderburn, Ireland-based vet and animal campaigner, said: ‘It’s become normal for us to think bulldogs make a snuffly sound when they breathe. It’s also become normal for a lot of these breeds to need surgery. this is a human-designed problem and as vets, we benefit financially from brachycephalic dogs. We are duty bound to treat them but then speak out about this.’ Dr Wedderburn said while many breeds suffered a range of health problems, it made sense for a ban to start off with images of brachycephalic dogs. ‘these other breeds aren’t rocketing in popularity. But these brachycephalics are and that’s why advertising is an issue. We have to find ways of stopping the irrational popularity.’ Chris Laurence, former chief vet for RsPCA and the Dogs trust, said it was time for the vet profession to stand up and say ‘enough is enough’. ‘It has to be done in Kennel Club registrations for Labrador retrievers, French bulldogs, pugs and bulldogs, 2010 to 2016