Is there a healthy future for pedigree dogs?

Following a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed screened in August 2008 the ethical and welfare issues associated with the breeding of pedigree dogs has come to the forefront of discussions in veterinary and other related professions. Public outrage ensued over the apparent disregard for the health and welfare of dogs in favour of exaggerated characteristics that follow the breeders’ interpretation of the breed standards governed by the UK Kennel Club. As well as the visible conformational aspects that lead to health problems, inbreeding can lead to hidden, inherited problems such as heart conditions in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (Figure 1) highlighted in a survey conducted by The Kennel Club (Rooney and Sargan, 2009). The debate over the problems associated with breeding pedigree dogs, however, is not new; in 1963 Oliver Graham-Jones, the then President of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA), in his opening address to BSAVA congress, expressed concern on behalf of the veterinary profession about the breeding of pedigree dogs with preventable abnormalities that caused the animal unnecessary suffering (Asher et al, 2009; (Nicholas et al, 2010).

Veterinary surgeons face ethical dilemmas daily, performing emergency caesareans on dams that are unable to give birth to their pups due to conformation-related problems, and treating joint problems in extra large breeds, skin irritations caused by excessive skin folds, and eye problems caused by protruding eyeballs etc (Rooney and Sargan, 2009). However, the veterinary profession has been criticized as being desensitized to the plight of these animals (Rooney, 2009) and some commentators have even claimed that while they are gaining financially from these disorders the veterinary profession is unlikely to speak out against the breeding of dogs with these inherited defects (McGreevy, 2007). As professionals, veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses are in an ideal position to educate potential dog owners on choosing a dog for health rather than appearance, and also educate potential breeders on the health and welfare issues associated with the breeding of close relatives.

Background

Up to the mid 1900s, and as far back as 40 000 years ago, dogs were kept for the benefit of humans and used for hunting, burrowing or the protection of communities. The dogs that best suited the function needed were selected and bred together to enhance their favourable characteristics (Rooney and Sargan, 2009). Behaviour characteristics which allowed dogs to interact favourably with the human communities were also selected (McGreevy and Nicholas, 1999). As the need for dogs to work to earn their keep in these roles diminished, and they became companion dogs, showing dogs emerged as a hobby (Rooney and Sargan, 2009). As the hobby became more popular breed standards were set up by breeders, which described in detail how the breed should conform and The Kennel Club was established in 1873 to administer these standards (The Kennel Club, 2010).

The functional traits of the original companion dogs were included in the initial breed standards but as time has progressed these standards moved away from functional traits to aesthetics, i.e. traits the people devising the standards thought were desirable for appearance. Often little or no thought was given to the health or welfare of the animals (McGreevy and Nicholas, 1999). The UK Kennel Club now acknowledges over 200 different breeds of dogs and categorizes them into seven groups; the classification is very arbitrary, based only on body conformation (Bateson, 2010). These breed standards can often be inconsistent and open to interpretation, which has lead to some breeders breeding the extreme characteristics seen today (Bateson, 2010). Roberts and (McGreevy 2010), in their study of canine hip dysplasia, found that the ambiguity in the specifications of breed standards lead to conformational extremes because the interpretation of the standards was left to breeders and judges to decide.

The current situation

The current situation, according to some commentators, is critical and demands immediate action by all concerned to stop the suffering of animals whose features have become over-exaggerated through breeding (McGreevy and Nicholas, 1999; (Asher et al, 2009;(Rooney, 2009). As a consequence of the BBC programme various reports were commissioned to address the issues of health and welfare of pedigree breeds (APGAW, 2009; (Rooney and Sargan, 2009; (Bateson, 2010). Asher et al (2009) used searches of published articles of the top 50 breeds in the UK to collate information on conformation-related disorders and the resulting report demonstrated that all of the 50 breeds investigated were predisposed to at least one disorder that was conformation related. Four breeds, the Bulldog, Pug, Basset and Miniature Poodle, were found to have major conformation-related disorders (Asher et al, 2009). The main problem appears to be the trend by some breeders, in seeking to win prizes in the show ring, to breed in order to attain the extremes of the standard phenotypes (McGreevy and Nicholas, 1999).

Conformation

One example of the exaggerated features favoured by some breeders and show judges is the large brachycephalic head of the Bulldog. This has lead to severe problems with breathing because of the elongated soft palate and occlusion of the nasal nares (Figure 2).

A distorted skeletal shape can also lead to problems walking and mating (Rooney and Sargan, 2009). For example, the size of the head of the Bulldog in comparison to the pelvic canal can lead to dystocia, which frequently requires veterinary intervention in the form of a caesarean section (McGreevy and Nicholas, 1999 and APGAW, 2009). The lifespan of a Bulldog is often shortened due to the many medical problems related to defects in conformation (Rooney and Sargan, 2009).

Table 1 highlights some of the conformation trait and the health problems that can be associated with these traits (relating to this article).

Welfare concerns

From a welfare point of view these conformational defects cause suffering to the animal on many levels, for example, struggling to breathe prevents the animal expressing its normal behaviours in regards to play. O'Connor and Asher (2009) state that play is often used as an indicator of positive welfare and as such it could be argued that animals that cannot play because of breathing difficulties are being denied quality of life (McMillan, 2000). Because of the many health problems associated with the Bulldog's conformation, and the associated compromised quality of life, some commentators suggest that perhaps the breed should be banned as a breed — this would mean there would be no breeding from or showing of the breed — unless they are no longer bred for such extreme features (CAWC, 2008; Rooney and Sargan, 2009).

Responsibility

According to Yeates (2009) ethical decisions can, and should be made, in terms of who should take responsibility for ensuring that breeding does not adversely affect the animal's health. It could be argued that breeders have a responsibility to the dog population and to potential owners to breed dogs that do not have medical problems related to breeding, and that by breeding dogs such as Bulldogs they are showing irresponsibility. Moreover, veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses also have an ethical responsibility according to Yeates (2009) to educate prospective owners against irresponsible breeding that causes exaggerated features and ultimately ill health.

Line breeding

Another major issue that needs to be considered is the practice of inbreeding, or what breeders prefer to call line-breeding, where close relatives of the same line are mated together in order to enhance or fix certain traits (McGreevy, 2007). This practice can lead to an increase in homozygous genotypes which causes the expression of certain deleterious recessive genes. This is likely to be a problem in the more unusual breeds, such as the Tibetan Mastiff or Komodor, where inbreeding is almost impossible to avoid because of the small numbers of animals available (McGreevy and Nicholas, 1999). In addition, by selecting for certain, perceived desirable traits located on a genome, breeders can inadvertently select a deleterious gene located close by (Rooney, 2009). The UK Kennel Club is developing schemes to help breeders choose more appropriate mates to limit close matings, with scheme such as the Mate Select Facility in conjunction with the Animal Health Trust (Bateson, 2010).

Gene pool

Concerns have also been raised that the The Kennel Club breed registration rules for inclusion in stud books operates a closed gene pool by stipulating that a litter of pups can only be registered with The Kennel Club if both the dam and sire are registered beforehand in the breed studbook (Rooney, 2009; (Rooney and Sargan, 2009). This effectively endorses the inbreeding as any dog that is not in the studbook, and potentially has new diverse genes to bring to the gene pool, is excluded.

Behavioural concerns

Many commentators also question the selection of purely cosmetic features with little attention paid to the temperament, as well as health, or suitability of these breeds to live in a home environment (Rooney, 2009). Family life has changed over recent years and dog owners, while wanting a loving, friendly dog, are now often out at work all day and the dog is expected to spend a large amount of time on its own. McGreevy and Nicholas (1999) highlight the trend in breeding domestic dogs today choosing behaviours that they describe as neonatal, puppy-like or juvenile, in adult dogs. This they attribute to the selective breeding of desirable traits which ultimately result in smaller brain size in comparison to their wolf ancestors. This has led to dogs that show more play behaviours, dependence on humans for food, leadership and more vocalization in the form of barking. While this has outwardly resulted in desirable dogs from the perspective of potential owners, if these dogs are left on their own all day, these behaviour traits may contribute to separation anxiety resulting in barking all day, and destructive behaviours (Rooney and Sargan, 2009). (Rollin (1999) stated that millions of healthy dogs worldwide are euthanased each year and many of these are due to behavioural problems, therefore, one could argue that by breeding for appearance or puppy-like behaviours with no attention to temperament or health we are actually breeding dogs with an inability to cope in the domestic households of today.

Legal concerns

There are also legal issues that need to be addressed with regards to the breeding of pedigree dogs. There is already legislation in place in the UK, such as the Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999, which governs the welfare aspects of breeding dogs and the premises in which they are kept. It also provides legislation for the age a bitch should be before starting to breed, how many litters they should have at most and the rest period between litters (Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999, p2). It does not, however, legislate for how many times a stud dog should be used in breeding; transmission of deleterious genes has been attributed to an overuse of stud dogs (Rooney, 2009). It also does not legislate against inbreeding of close relatives, which is also a major contributing factor in the transmission of certain hereditary diseases McGreevy, 2007).

The Animal Welfare Act (2006) also legislates to promote the health and welfare of companion animals. The Act encompasses all vertebrates other than man but precludes an animal in its foetal or embryonic stage (Chapter 45, Section 1 (1) and (2)). The Act states that a person commits an offence if ‘an act of his, or a failure of his to act, causes an animal to suffer’ (Chapter 45 Section 4 (1) (a)) and it could be argued that intentionally breeding for characteristics such as short nose length, knowing that the dog may suffer breathing problems later on in life, is causing suffering. However, as the Act does not include the embryonic or foetal stage this means no conviction can be made under this law as it stands.

In the section on promotion of welfare the Act highlights five needs which the person responsible for the animal should ensure are met (Chapter 45, Section 9 (1)). These are based on the Five Freedoms (freedom from hunger and thirst; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury and disease; freedom to behave normally; freedom from fear and distress)(Bateson, 2010). The two most relevant freedoms in relation to welfare of breeding of animals are the need to exhibit normal behaviours and the need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease. By breeding an animal that has a conformation that is going to make it more prone to suffering or disease, the breeders are denying those animals one of these freedoms. As previously stated, the inability to exhibit normal play behaviours of brachycephalic breeds means a reduction in quality of life (McMillan, 2000;McGreevy, 2007). Some breeds, such as French Bulldogs, have been bred in such a way that their ability to use normal social signals is reduced significantly; their very stiff hind legs, as a result of breeding, mean that interaction with other dogs may be restricted (Rooney, 2009). The standards for the Hungarian Puli state that they should have long hair that overshadows their eyes, which may lead to reduced awareness of their surroundings and can lead to aggression (Rooney and Sargan, 2009).

The veterinary dilemma

Veterinary surgeons are faced with dealing with health or welfare issues relating to pedigree dogs. They are consulted regarding dogs with medical conditions that are the result, either directly or indirectly, of breeding for certain characteristics. As well as the morphological extremes, such as the brachycephalic skulls of Bulldogs or Pugs or the long backed, chondrodystophoid, breeds with vertebral degeneration (Rooney, 2009), they also have to treat animals with chronic ear problems in pendanteared breeds (Figure 3) and inherited heart problems in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (Figure 1) (Rooney, 2009). Many veterinarians are asked to perform corrective or cosmetic surgery to correct these hereditary defects, which causes a dilemma over issues such as: the need to respect a client's autonomy as the owner of the dog; the duty to reduce the suffering of the individual by alleviating their distress; and the util-itarian ethical perspective that by correcting these defects the dog may then be used for breeding, thus passing on the defects to future generations. This dilemma was highlighted by (Green (2007) in his case study of an animal charity's policy of neutering dogs with umbilical hernia. Correcting these types of condition, while being in the animal's best interest can lead to success in the show ring or the animal being used for breeding. However, reporting the procedure to the Kennel Club can lead to ethical issues due to client confidentiality (Legood, 2000; (APGAW, 2009).

Veterinary surgeons are often faced with owners of pedigree dogs presenting with a sick pet where often they can only offer palliative treatment or in certain circumstances painful surgery to correct genetic conditions that could, and it could be argued should, be eliminated by ethical breeding practices (APGAW, 2009). Veterinary nurses, in working closely with veterinary surgeons, similarly face circumstances where they are nursing patients that suffer medical conditions that are the result of conformation or genetic defects.

Conclusion and recommendations

There is little doubt that the breeding of pedigree dogs has reached a stage where urgent action needs to be taken in order to protect their health and welfare. The UK Kennel Club is making attempts to rectify the situation by various methods including amending the breed standards of the worst affected breeds, such as the Sharpei (The Kennel Club, 2011) and encouraging schemes such as the Accredited Breeding Scheme (APGAW, 2009). They also have screening schemes for conditions such as hip and elbow dysplasia and inherited eye diseases (APGAW, 2009) some of which have been in existence for 30 years. Although these are steps in the right direction much more needs to be done, such as only allowing breeding from dogs whose genetic, conformational and behavioural characteristics will result in dogs that are healthy and pain free (Rooney and Sargan, 2009). Currently many schemes that would involve DNA testing are under discussion and eliciting the expertise and advice of the veterinary profession should be integral to this process (APGAW, 2009).

The involvement of the veterinary profession when making amendments to breed standards should be encouraged as this should help in the move away from conformational extremes — the veterinary profession knows the effect that the extremes have on the health of the dog (APGAW, 2009). The veterinary profession could also consider working through their professional bodies (such as British Veterinary Association, BVA) to make changes to legislation relating to the breeding and welfare of pedigree animals as ultimately it is through such legislation that changes can be made.

The veterinary profession should be at the forefront of the changes required in educating prospective owners and new breeders of pedigree dogs. Ideally offering consultations and literature to clients acquiring a new puppy could educate clients on how to choose the best puppy for their family based on good health and welfare rather than appearance. Choosing a pet for the behavioural traits required is also essential to avoid consultations in which an adolescent dog is to be euthanased because of behavioural problems. Similar advice to new breeders would hopefully also educate them to move away from breeding for extreme characteristics and close breeding of relatives, instead health and welfare being the desired characteristics. Veterinary nurses could play an integral part in client education, supporting a practice ethos of health and welfare, performing nurses' clinics and meetings to offer advice and education to existing/prospective pet owners.

Key Points

• Breeding of pedigree dogs has reached a point where ethical and welfare issues should be paramount.
• Breeding for conformational extremes, such as extreme brachycephalic breeds, can result in severe health issues for the offspring and should be discouraged.
• As well as conformational features, close breeding for certain characteristics and inbreeding to accentuate this can lead to inherited genetic diseases such as heart conditions and likely also behavioural problems.
• The veterinary profession has the capacity to be at the forefront of tackling these issues with regards to client education and first time breeders.
• Some legislation is in place to protect animals, but more needs to be done to ensure the continuing health and welfare of veterinary patients.