The tiny crushed nose of the French bulldog makes you crack? The small head of the Cavalier King Charles reminds you of a toddler? These breeds of dogs appeal to the French and flood our social networks, but these physical characteristics, taken to the extreme, can have consequences on their health.
Last year Norway banned the breeding of two breeds: the English Bulldog and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. The Netherlands even want to go further and are considering banning the possession of “brachycephalic” dogs.
A brachycephalic dog is characterized by a short skull, a flattened nose and protruding eyes. Among the races, we find, among others, the French bulldog, the boxer, the pug, the Shar-pei or the Pekingese. To justify the ban on the breeding of two breeds, Norway therefore invoked health reasons. So should France do the same? Watch our article header video report.
Respiratory diseases and heart problem
Concerning English bulldogs, it is mainly about respiratory diseases and for Cavaliers King Charles, heart problems but also syringomyelia, a syndrome which affects the cranial box and the cerebellum of dogs.
“We’ve got the wrong target and we confuse breeders with what I’ll call breeders,” explains Alix, a Cavalier breeder for over twenty-six years. “We love our dogs and we follow the breed standard. Others have profit as their only goal.
The Cavalier King Charles breed club has thus implemented a protocol to identify the animal’s heart problems. “From eighteen months, and then every eighteen months throughout life, a cardiac ultrasound is performed by a veterinarian” describes the breeder. A reproduction authorization is thus delivered or not.
On the side of animal rights associations, Norway’s decision is welcomed. “It’s a step in the right direction and we hope that France will do the same”, welcomes Marie-Morgane Jeanneau, spokesperson for Peta. The association would like such a decision to be accompanied by a ban on keeping the animal in order to fight against foreign imports and puppy mills, but also to promote adoption in shelters.
Fashion effect on the networks
Veterinarians estimate that, depending on the brachycephalic breeds, between half and 2/3 of dogs would be so-called “healthy” individuals. The health problem would reside in so-called “hypertyped” dogs, that is to say with exaggerations of the anatomical characteristics of the breed. Ever shorter noses, ever smaller heads and animals with even more wrinkles.
“There is a fashion effect on the networks but also in advertising and TV series” details the spokesperson for Peta. “For example, Game of Thrones launched the trend of the wolf-type dog. But these animals have very specific needs.” The association also regrets the lack of education of the general public concerning the health of hypertype dogs.
“Everything extreme is bad” approves Alix, “we have precise instructions from the Canine Central Society, as a breeder and as a show judge to fight against the hypertype”. Dogs must therefore have well-opened nostrils and a muzzle that is not too short.
So should France ban the breeding of certain brachycephalic breeds? Or should we focus instead on breeders who favor only hypertyped dogs?
Give us your opinion in the comments. And if you have questions about other social issues concerning animals, do not hesitate to let us know as well.