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).