When it comes to our beloved dogs, their health is sometimes something we don’t really like to think about. While it’s important to keep on top of things, we all just want our pooches to live long, healthy, and happy lives.
We feed them the best dog food, give them plenty of exercise, and of course a whole lot of love.
However, some breeds are particularly prone to certain health issues, with flat-faced, or brachycephalic, breeds at higher risk for various physical and hereditary conditions.
And now, vets in the Netherlands have launched a ‘Healthy Nose, Happy Dog’ campaign in response to flat-faced dogs, like pugs and French Bulldogs, being bred illegally in the country. Here are 32 brachycephalic animal breeds for more information about them.
These pups still receive pedigrees from the Dutch Kennel Club, despite a legal breeding ban being in effect in the Netherlands since 2019, and Dutch vets are warning dog parents that they might mistakenly assume their dog meets legal and health standards simply because it has a pedigree.
The Kennel Club refuses to enforce the muzzle-measuring methods that are legally required, even though its chairman received an official warning from the country’s disciplinary board for veterinarians in July.
Meanwhile, the healthy variants of these breeds, which are bred with longer muzzles, don’t receive pedigrees. Servé Smeets, the vice-chairman of Caring Vets, a veterinary association in the Netherlands, said: “The Dutch Kennel Club continues to facilitate, promote, and reward the illegal breeding of flat-faced dogs. We urge dog owners to choose a dog with a healthy muzzle. Healthy nose, happy dog!”
While breeding flat-faced dogs is illegal in the Netherlands, buying and selling them isn’t, and through a combination of illegal domestic breeding and the import of dogs from other countries, there are still a lot of flat-faced dogs in the Netherlands struggling with hereditary conditions.
Hannah den Boeft, policy officer for companion animals at the Dutch Royal Society for Veterinary Medicine (KNMvD), explained, “We are wasting time if people continue to buy dogs with short snouts. It’s simple: measure the snout, and don’t buy a dog with a snout that is too short. This way, you save yourself and your pet a lot of misery.”
Veterinarians and animal welfare organizations in the country are encouraging dog parents to measure their pups’ noses and get advice from vets when in doubt. A flyer has also been published, providing measuring instructions.
And while the welfare of the dog is of course paramount, the health conditions that flat-faced dogs can develop are likely to have an effect on their parents’ finances, too. The various surgeries that may be required, from dental treatments to nasal fold corrections to airway and eyelid surgeries, could potentially cost over €10,000 (around $10,750).
Whether your own pup belongs to a flat-faced breed or not, it’s always worth checking out 32 of the most common illnesses dogs get here for an idea of the ailments your pooch could face, and what you can do to help them.
