Urgent Call by Vet Profession for Working Party on Brachycephalic Dogs and Cats

Please note that this petition can only be signed by vets and vet nurses - please add your qualifications after your name to verify your status.

We, the undersigned veterinary professionals, call for urgent action to address the increasing number of health problems that we are seeing in our vet clinics. The health issues are due to the rapid increase in brachycephalic dogs and cats bred and sold in the UK.

Brachycephaly is a man-made conformational disorder that impacts negatively on many body systems: respiratory, reproductive, thermoregulatory, neurological, ocular and orofacial. The consequences of the condition are often life-limiting and treating affected animals has become a growing part of every small-animal vet’s workload.

Despite the evident appeal of short-nosed pets to many of our clients, it is our duty as vets to not just treat these animals, but also to lobby for reform in the way they are bred – in particular the “extreme” brachycephalics such as Pugs, Bulldogs, French Bulldogs and flat-faced Persian cats.

The Advisory Council on the Welfare Issues of Dog Breeding issued recommendations in their 2012 report, under a section titled "Breathing difficulty linked to head conformation" but veterinary clinics across the UK continue to see many patients suffering from problem linked to extreme brachycephaly. We are calling for urgent action to be taken now to deal with the consequential animal suffering.

We propose that a working party is established with the aim of coming up with concrete proposals to help brachycephalic dogs and cats. Measures may include:

-Reform of the breed standards to introduce minimum muzzle lengths

-Functional tests before brachycephalic dogs can be bred

-Increased efforts to educate the consumer about the welfare consequences of their puppy purchase

Update #37 years ago
We are delighted to inform you that the petition has had some success. Please read this update:

http://www.vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2016/06/17/stopping-the-suffering-of-brachycephalic-dogs-an-update/

If you have not added your qualifications to the petition please submit here
http://goo.gl/forms/ZztnnXsxNPwJswRG2

A huge thank you for signing

VetHelpDirect
Update #27 years ago
Thanks for signing the brachycephalic petition.

Unfortunately all signatures that do not have qualifications in the name or comments will have to be deleted in the next few days. If you signed without posting your qualifications please could you take a few moments to submit them by following this link.

http://goo.gl/forms/IKzhnyc5Fh

We will then cross reference and ensure your signature is not removed.

Many thanks
Update #17 years ago
Thank you for signing the petition about brachycephalic dogs and cats.

Please note this is a petition for veterinary professionals only and as such we require qualifications to be included either with the name or comments. Any names that do not have qualifications with them will be removed from the petition in 24h. If you have not yet included your qualifications please edit your entry as soon as possible

Many thanks

VetHelpDirect.com
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