Tumgik
#WELCOME TO SPANIEL ANATOMY
konmari-dogs · 3 years
Text
I’m all for highlighting problematic “funny pet videos” but oh my god dog groups really go for the most trivial minor nitpicking details just enjoy the fucking video you humourless fuck
37 notes · View notes
Text
Delicate
Chapter 1: good dog
"Fuck me, Thor."
Y/n always thought that almost every time she entertained herself in bed. As an Aussie, Y/n had grown up on Chris Hemsworth, following him all the way from Home and Away. It was quite by accident, really, since her last foster mother was very much into soap operas.
As much as Y/n loved Thor Hemsworth, today's exclamation was a curse since she was sopping wet from the rain. Thankfully, she'd just made it into work, safe from the downpour.
"Told you to take a brolly!" Her coworker/roommate teased as she peeled off her coat.
In Australia, January was one of the hottest months of the year. In SoHo London, in the opposite part of the world, it was the wettest.
"Mhm, yeah. Thanks for that obvious tip!" Y/n shlepped into the back room and switched into her work clothes, after she barely managed to clock in on time.
"Any tips today?" Y/n asked Troy as she joined him behind the counter. She was referring to the tip jar she kept, hoping to collect money for her favorite charity.
Troy peaked a look from the window.
"Not many people," he answered as thunder broke.
"You mind if I bring my schoolwork out?"
Troy's family- well, his older sister- ran the coffee shop in SoHo: Beans and Books. Trish and her friends had combined their love of coffee and books to make a little café/bookstore, popular among the youth.
Y/n had been lucky to find a flatspace that Tony was renting, and was soon given a job at the café. Most of her transfer student funds went into tuition, books and rent, so working gave her some spending money.
"Nah, you should be good. Just look attentive if anyone comes in."
Y/n brought her work up to the counter, and was able to get plenty reading done since not many customers came. Troy took most orders from anyone who had come. But 5pm came around, marking the end of the work day. On drier days, it meant rush hour, but on an overcast day like today, they didn't expect many people. It picked up close to 6, and Y/n had to put her schoolwork away to focus on the customers.
A group of school students had left a covered table, with left over pastries still on the plates. Thankfully, they left a decent tip. Y/n was just taking away the last of the plates when something ran through her legs, making her drop the dishes.
Immediately the dog began lapping at the fallen pastries.
"Bad Bobby! Stop that!" The dog's human tugged on his leash, pulling him away from the mess he'd created.
"I'm so terribly sorry," the man leaned down to help Y/n clean up his dog's mess. "Bobby really wanted out from the rain."
"Oh, it's no big deal!" Y/n smiled at the capped man. "I just don't want him eating broken china, otherwise he's welcome to the pastries."
The man sheepishly chuckled and deposited the shards into the bin.
"Sorry for that, again. Perhaps I can buy some for him."
"That makes sense. The window's over there. I'll just be around."
Y/n showed him to the display as she went to put away the bin. Then she helped him pick some pastries and he ordered himself a coffee. The man went over to the checkout, and was looking around for his dog when he noticed the many bookshelves.
"Is that Cymbeline?" He asked, nodding to the shelf with the rest of Shakespeare.
"It's Shakespeare, isn't it? The owner likes to have all the books by any author, if she can help it."
"It's only, Cymbeline isn't as popular as the rest of his work."
"A shame, really. I quite liked the unfortunate story of Imogen and Posthumus. I don't know what's worse, dying like Romeo and Juliet, or having your lover not trust you."
The customer laughed gently at her woe as he paid for his things.
"I played in Cymbeline once. In a West End production."
"Must've been fun!"
"It was! Do you mind if I sit and read a while?" He looked out the window. "I don't think Bobby has a mind to leave."
"Not a problem! Help yourself."
The man thanked Y/n and went to get a book before he sat. Then he gave one pastry to his spaniel as he enjoyed another himself.
It was quiet in the shop for a while, only two customers in the thirty minutes. And then Troy came back from break.
"Bloody hell!" He screamed as he came in from the back door.
"Hey, Y/n! Do you think Thor might give it up if you blew him?"
Y/n immediately looked at the customer, who was looking at her with an amused brow.
"Y'know. Works for the both of you!"
Y/n slapped Troy's arm hard as he approached the counter. She eyed the customer and Troy instantly grew up, apologizing for his comment.
"Unfortunately, Chris Hemsworth is very married. With three kids!"
The guest laughed, unable to miss the loud reject in the small space.
"I'm going to stop talking now." Y/n blushed and focused on a chore around the café.
"Did you know, his wife's the Latina girl in the Fast and Furious movies? The one with Hobbs, not Letty."
"Oh, yeah! Man, I love those movies. No regard for physics."
"Still sad about Paul Walker, though."
"Yeah. I saw his movie, Hours. Kind of a flop, but it was cute!"
Y/n and Troy talked about the Fast movies for a while, then Troy went to do inventory for the next day. Y/n meanwhile, took a refill to her customer.
"So, you really fancy Hemsworth, do you?"
"Only since Home and Away. Soapy, I know. But that's mostly what they played at the foster home."
The man grew curious. "You're a foster child?"
Y/n and the man talked about her past, which part of Australia she was from, and how she came to London. She was studying journalism at Kingsway College, hoping to travel the world. Their conversation was interrupted by a loud crack of thunder, and Bobby jumped up from his spot, tangling his leash through y/n's leg as he went to his owner. The man picked up the pup while Y/n worked on releasing the leash.
She handed the man the leash back, and he offered to let her pet him, which she took him up for. Thunder roared again.
"O, that my tongue were in the thunder's mouth! Then with a passion would I shake the world.
"And rouse from sleep that fell anatomy, which cannot hear a lady's feeble voice, which scorns a modern invocation."
Y/n smiled as the man joined in finishing the quote from King John. They stayed staring at each other until Bobby whined.
"I should get back to work."
"Thanks for the coffee, y/n."
"Any time...um?"
"Ehehe. It's Tom."
Y/n smiled.
"Tom."
Y/n started walking back to the counter, but stopped in her track.
"Odin's beard! That would be Chris and Tom?" She asked, without turning to look at him.
"Eheh. Guilty," Tom replied sheepishly.
Y/n bit her lip. Damn!
"And I call myself a Thor fan!" She finally turned around, cheeks red.
"I've never missed a Marvel movie, and here I've missed you!" She whispered as she sat back down on the edge of her seat.
"Well, I don't look quite Loki like at the moment."
"So rumor confirmed! You really do like your classics."
"Well I should hope so. I majored in classics at Cambridge."
Y/n wanted to know more, but customers came in and she left Tom. Troy came out too, to help with the rush as the rain had stopped. The song on the store playlist changed and Troy began loudly singing along.
"That's what people say, mm mm!"
God, Troy loved his pop songs. Y/n happened to look up at the moment to see Tom having a sip of his drink.
Damn! That was Tom Hiddleston, she suddenly remembered. And Troy was blasting Taylor Swift. Y/n stomped on Troy's foot, making him stop singing.
"Ow! What the hell?" Troy cried at her.
"Change. The song." Y/n gritted at him.
"But it's T-"
Y/n grabbed Troy's shoulder and shoved him below the counter.
"Yes. And that's Tom Hiddleston out there!"
Troy instantly lifted his head to take a peak, but Y/n name yanked him down. Troy took the chance to change the song.
"Don't draw attention to him!"
"Sorry! Can you believe it? A famous person at our café?!"
"Yeah!"
"I gotta call Trish!" and Troy ran off to call his sister.
By the time he was back, Tom was ready to leave.
"Mind if I buy a box to go?" He asked, as if it were trouble.
"Not at all! Let me get you one." Y/n got a box and filled it with Tom's choice of pastries before ringing him up.
"I'm sorry about Troy," she said quietly. "He's a die hard fan of Taylor Swift."
"It's no issue. He's got good taste in music. I wouldn't stop reading Shakespeare just because he dumped me!"
Y/n smiled an apologetic smile.
"I hope you come again!"
"I hope to see you again as well. Good night, Y/n."
Tom began to leave, but Troy yelled.
"WAIT!"
Tom stopped by the door, feeling everyone's eyes on him. He pulled down his cap and sighed.
"Sorry, you forgot to sign the receipt."
Tom turned and walked back to the counter.
"Troy, I take it?" he asked as he took the offered pen.
"That's me, but if you could make it out to Trish, my sister."
Tom smiled and autographed the napkin to both of them. He turned to leave, but then walked to Y/n.
"I'm going to see a play at the West End this Saturday," he told her. "Would you care to join me?"
Y/n turned pink at the question and shared a look with Troy.
"I could pick you up from here."
"Y-yeah! She should be off!" Troy spoke for her.
"If...if it's not too much trouble."
"I think I can manage. I'll pick you up at around 5-ish?"
"I look forward to it!"
"Excellent. I'll see you then. Good bye, Y/n. Goodbye, Troy."
"Bye Tom! Bye Bobby!"
As Tom walked out the front door, Troy's sister came running in through the back one.
"Where is he?'
"Where's who?" Troy teased his sister.
"Tom Hiddleston, THAT'S WHO!" Trish growled at him.
"Oh, you just missed him a second ago."
Trish stood staring at the front door.
"Can you believe it? Tom freaking Hiddleston. In my café! How lucky am I!!"
"Not as much as Y/n. She's got a date!"
6 notes · View notes
drferox · 7 years
Text
20 questions with Dr Ferox #4
It’s that time of the week again where I try to shrink my inbox by answering 20 of your questions all in one go. This seems to be working well, and I must thank everyone who has endeavored to use the search function this week. I’ve tried to tag folks, but if you’ve sent in anonymous questions you’ll have to read through and look to see if you’ve been answered.
A lovely, understanding anonymous said: Have you ever had players in your DnD group not get along? Also, if you ever feel stressed out about the number of asks, don't feel like you have to immediately respond to us. It's a blog, we get it. Nobody is waiting on a time-sensitive diagnosis from a blog (or at least they fuckin shouldn't be), and we can wait. Prioritize yourself, we're a bunch of randos asking about dog food on the Internet.
Well, nobody should be waiting for a time sensitive diagnosis from any vet blog any more. I’d hoped I’d been clear enough by now why it’s not appropriate to ask specific veterinary advice from myself, or any other vetblrs on here.
But yes, I have had players in my D&D groups not get along, but I had enough players to keep them separate most of the time. Dungeons & Dragon is supposed to be fun, it’s a game, so it’s meant to be fun. Aside from other skills you learn playing roleplaying games, managing a group of people is definitely one you pick up. Humans are human, we don’t all get along all of the time.
@kabjl asked: Would it be theoretically possible to have a viable hybrid offspring of a house cat and a wild large cat like a lion or tiger?
Unlikely. House cats belong to the Felinae subfamily and lions and tigers belong to the Pantherinae subfamily. While Pantherinae species can hybridize (eg tiger and lion) and Felinae species can hybridize (eg domestic cat with anything), the offspring are usually infertile. I don’t think it’s possible for a Felinae X Pantherinae hybrid to be viable.
@a-floral-ghost asked: What's your favorite animal name you've come across? Mine is a cat named Chuck
Hmm, that’s a interesting question. There are no many pets and names to try to remember. I must profess a fondness for Pat the Cat.
@curiouspinecones said: What is the best and worst pet name you've come across? I work in a pathology lab within a vet practice and I quite like when patients have really human names (Dave the cat is always a good one). The worst has to a Labrador called "Daddy", that is totally not okay...
Again, an interesting question. There are lots of names that are unoriginal and boring, but it’s the straight up racist names that I don’t like.
Anonymous asked: Hi! I read somewhere on tumblr that because of the cat's particular tastebuds, they can't taste sweet things. If that's true, does that also mean they can't smell sweet things, since taste and smell go hand-in-hand? Question tax: Came for the dog breed facts, stayed for the vet stories and knowledge.
Well, none of us actually smell sweet. You can smell things you associate with sweet foods by learning, but you’re not smelling ‘sweet’ as such.
Another Anonymous said: Have you ever met a hamster? I know we're not allowed to have them in Australia, but I'm curious about whether you've been exposed to one during the process of learning vet medicine. I know I feel odd about never having seen a hamster in real life, since it's such a common pet elsewhere...
I’ve never seen a hamster in the flesh. They’re not legal in Australia, neither are gerbils of chinchillas. I have seen one on an animal handling video though.
@fox-noodle said: I forgot the question tax, my apologies! My rat Apollo is almost 2 1/2 and recently went to the vet for what I thought were tumours, but are actually testicles. They only started showing a few months ago, I've now separated him and he has two male buddies now. Is this common in rats? I've only ever heard of something similar (cryptochoridism) in dogs, could that be what he has? Question tax- came for the interesting euthanasia posts (its helped me a lot), stayed for the interesting vet stories
Can’t say I have. That’s a very long delay for that rat to develop testes, and I’d have to wonder if it’s intersex in some way.
Dogs with cryptochidism have testes, they just haven’t descended into the scrotum. They never descend into the scrotum, sometimes they’re stuck in the abdomen and sometimes they’re in the groin, so I don’t think it’s the same process at work. Sorry I can’t be more help.
@rebanndon said: I've read in an article or two, that for active dog breeds like border collies leaving them entire until 18 months of age is a way to reduce the risk of cruciate ligament tears because the bone is able to fill out? There's little/no proof behind the claim reproductive hormomes are linked to aiding ligament growth.  So, in your experience do you see more cruciate cases in active desexed dogs or active entire dogs? Or simply no link at all and desexing should just be done at 6 months regardless?
I’ve written a fairy in-depth article on age of desexing here.
There propably is a benefit in delaying desexing for larger breeds overall, but for most small breeds 6 months still seems about right.
Anonymous said: Isnt't it bad to declaw a cat? Since they are digitigrade doesn't removing the claws hurt their bone structure?
... Yes. That wasn’t up for debate. I’ve discussed this here.
Unobservant Anonymous said: Do you have any advice for a cat with a herniated spinal disk? QoL is still good, he's a happy boy who sometimes has trouble lifting up his back legs and needs stairs up couches and to litterbox. Eats, drinks, purrs and seeks attenion like a champ but sometimes when he grooms himself that it looks like he's got a pinched nerve and has discomfort / spasms reaching for his back feet. Vet has been seen, on cosequin every other dayvand daily gentle stretches. Anything else I can do?
Hey, so, from a legal and ethical perspective I can’t give you specific veterinary advice about a cat that is not one of my direct patients. It’s dangerous and unethical to do so. But go talk to your vet, Cosequin is a joint supplement, not pain relief, there are at least three different medications you could consider.
Anonymous said: Oh my god, you're allergic to bunnies? I want to be a vet too, and so am I XD glad to see I'm not the only one lmao
Yup, allergic to rabbits, rye grass, and dogs (sort of). And nuts, which makes the mixed boxes of chocolates gifted to the clinic very interesting.
Anonymous asked: Working as a veterinarian, do you ever get the urge to adopt the pets in the shelter?
Not from shelters, I just don’t go near them any more. Stray kittens in the vet clinic though are another matter...
Anonymous said: About the uncomfortable animals thing- I was referring to where you said primates are in the  uncanny valley
Lots of vets have certain animals, or breeds of animals, that they just don���t want to deal with. For me, primates make me uncomfortable. Not because they’re creepy, but because they’re clever and I can’t reliably know how clever they are, and whether what we’re doing with them is ethical.
I also don’t intend to go treat horses every again, and I know lots of vets that are averse to large animal practice or outright phobic of birds.
Yet Another Anonymous said: Hey! I'm wondering if you get much experience with our Aussie staghounds (enough to write a breed evaluation on them)? Or if not, maybe just a bit about the general hunting-type Australian dogs? (staghounds, bull arabs, and the many many similar mixes). Question tax: came because I'd always wanted to be a vet and I LOVE anatomy, stayed for the awesome info and even more wonderful stories.
I haven’t seen any staghounds down here, but I’m pretty South and suburban now, not really a much of a hunting culture around here. You can find the Bull arab post here, but are welcome to use the search function for any other breeds of interest.
@orgasmicplushtoy asked: Can you do a write up on small munsterlanders? If not that's okay.
I actually had to look up the three Munsterlander dogs I’ve seen, because I didn’t know ‘large’ and ‘small’ munsterlanders were totally different breeds.
Turns out all three I’ve seen are large ones, over 30kg each. Short version: They all got cancer.
Anonymous asked: Do you see any Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs at your practice? For some reason we see a lot at our clinic and though some of them are fine- they have earned the moniker "Sketchy Swiss." As in: I have to muzzle a 6 month old Swiss puppy because it barks, growls, and lunges at me while I try to TPR. Several of the ones we see have been diagnosed with Wobbler syndrome and various other orthopedic issues. Just curious if you've had similar experiences. Thanks- love your posts!
Sorry, no. They’re quite big and not popular here, I don’t think I’ve ever come across them. Large breeds in general are less common. 
Anonymous said: I don't suppose you've done any evaluations on working cocker spaniels/sprocker/Russian spaniels?
Nope, not yet. There’s 30 waiting in the queue for me to get to them. I have said before though that I’m not answering breed posts that asked for more than one breed in the same post. It just gets too long, confusing and messy if I do. Besides, it’s rather cheeky to ask for more than one in one question, isn’t it?
Another Anonymous said: If you enjoy a little wildlife voyeurism, there are about a half dozen bird cams linked on Cornell's "All About Birds" webpage, and the owls have owlets. There's not really a question here. You have a stressful job, and I thought you might enjoy wasting some time watching the bird feeder or trying to see the baby owls under mum's fluffy owl butt.
Thanks for the thought, I’m sure some followers will find it useful. Personally I try to relax without animal things. I find it helpful to seek out activities that engage different parts of my brain compared to what work does.
@slowdown-its-a-science said: Please give us lots of updates on Trash Bag
I’m sure I will.
@herebelife said: Ps did you read the article about the bilby triplets? Bilby triplets!
I hadn’t, but I have now and will share them with you.
Tumblr media
35 notes · View notes
poop4u · 4 years
Text
Dutch ban short-nosed dogs prompting fears that other countries could follow
#Poop4U
@Dier&Recht
The story broke last week that the breeding in the Netherlands of Bulldogs and other short-faced breeds (and crossbreeds) had been banned, prompting outrage from some dog-lovers - and a standing ovation from others. To many in the show-world, the news seems to have come as a massive shock. New Facebook groups and petitions have sprung up overnight in the hope of preventing a slippery-slope spread to other countries. Dozens of international breed clubs have issued statements of condemnation and on Wednesday, the FCI (the umbrella group for many overseas kennel clubs) held an emergency webinar  (a separate blog to come on that). In fact, the president of the FCI, Dr Tamás Jakkel, has even gone so far as to write an extraordinary open letter charging the Dutch KC (Raad van Baheer) with negligence in letting the Dutch Government implement the new legislation. (Read Dr Jakkel's letter here.)
Last week, the Pug Breed Council in the UK accused the Dutch KC of “being happy to see the demise of historic breeds that have existed for hundreds of years." The Dutch government's decision, it says, is "beyond our comprehension."
In reality, it has been a very long time in coming. And the 'ban' is both not a ban - and it's not new. 
Legislation introduced in the Netherlands in 2014 forbids the breeding of pet animals "in a way that harms the welfare and health of the parent animal or the offspring." It spells out that breeding should prevent, as far as possible, serious hereditary disorders/diseases or welfare-impacting conformation being passed on to offspring. The hope was that it would be enough to encourage breeders to make changes, And, indeed, in 2015, the Dutch Kennel Club became the first in the world to mandate a 1km walking test for Bulldogs before they could be bred. Not much changed, though - and certainly not in terms of breeder willingness to change the look of their dogs. The legislation proved to be vague to be of much to those wanting to bring prosecutions against breeders producing dogs that contravened the law. Faced with continuing high-profile media attention on the plight of brachycephalics, the Dutch government commissioned a report from the University of Utrecht entitled "Breeding Short-Muzzled Dogs" which was published in January 2019.   It provided the basis for six new breeding criteria that Carola Schouten, Minister for Agriculture, introduced in March 2019. These cover eye conformation, nostril stenosis, neck girth, excess skin folds and - most controversially -  that all dogs bred in the Netherlands (crossbreeds as well as purebred) must have muzzles at least one third the length of their head (and, in time, half the length of their head).
As you might imagine, it was met with uproar - other than from one Pug club, Commedia, which advised its members to stop breeding and announced it would be willing to consider outcrossing in order to meet the new criteria. (A stance that was subsequently overturned by the members who ousted the Club officers who wanted to take this route.) However, the Dutch KC itself broadly welcomed the new criteria - with the exception of the muzzle-length rule. In August 2019, along with its brachycephalic breed clubs, the Dutch KC submitted a counter proposal in the hope of overturning it. It failed - although is has now won a last-minute concession that allows, in the short-term, for one parent to have a shorter muzzle if other criteria (which includes an exercise test) are met.
As a result, last week the Club announced that it will no longer issue full pedigree certificates to the following ‘extreme’ brachycephalic (short-faced) breeds - unless the parents have passed an independent vet-check confirming that at least one of them has a muzzle the required length.  Affenpinscher Boston Terrier Bulldog French Bulldog Griffon Belge Griffon Bruxellois Japanese Chin King Charles Spaniel Pekingese Petit Brabancon Pug Shih Tzu
As there are very few of the above that meet this criteria, die-hard Dutch brachy breeders are seeing it as the end of the road.   The Dutch KC says it has plans for a separate registry where dogs that don't meet the criteria can continue to be recorded/tracked - but they won't be accepted on to the stud book and they cannot be shown.  The Dutch KC also says it is hopes to set up a separate registry for outcrosses bred to to bring in eg a longer nose from another breed (something that has been done in Germany with the retro-pug; although not in a way that's been embraced by the German KC).   The hope is that descendants of these dogs might, down the line, be considered acceptable enough to incorporate back into the stud book. This has prompted horrified calls of "mongrelisation" from some breeders. 
"The head is one of the hallmarks of the breed and its change in this manner will cause the breed's essence to be eliminated," writes the French Bulldog Clubs of America and Canada in a statement last week. "This mandate will significantly change the head shape, ratio of muzzle to skull, and the dentition."
I confess I am infuriated by the dentition reference. We know that French Bulldogs and other brachcyephalics have awful teeth - the result of squishing the normal number of canine teeth into a much smaller jaw. Veterinary dentist Dr Fraser Hale maintains he has never, in a 30-yr career, seen an entirely normal brachycephalic mouth. The teeth are always crowded/rotated. A longer muzzle should help normalise this, if not completely resolve the problem.
GSD x Pug
The Dutch KC now finds itself at the centre of an international dog fight, with many breeders blaming it for what's happened. Many are also furious that the Club agrees with the legislators that at least some change is necessary. "As a Kennel Club, we have repeatedly urged the breed clubs of extremely short-muzzled breeds to include additional health measures in their breeding policies," says a spokesperson. "At that time there was no will to adapt, at least not enough. The Dutch KC is also frustrated by the constant deflection by many breeders to "lookalikes" (ie puppy mill/BYB-bred dogs). It knows that this argument doesn't wash with legislators when the scientific literature links the problems to the phenotype not the provenance of these dogs. Sure, "responsible" breeders are the most likely to health-test and their dogs will be pampered - but they are also often the ones breeding the dogs with the flattest faces because that is what wins in the show-ring.  In fact, the most cursory of Google searches proves that many brachyephalic dogs have become more extreme over the years, not less, and that it is the show-ring that has driven much of this exaggeration. "If we look at some old photos of these breeds from the last century, which is not that long ago, should we not ask ourselves who we are to say that this is the only correct type? " asks the Dutch KC. "How would breeders at the time react to the breeds as they are today?" In response to the the FCI's claim that the Dutch legislation is an attack on breeds that should be considered "national heritages" the Dutch KC suggests: "So let us take a good look at the books and the available photo material from that time and use these photos as a standard. If we showed these photos to the public in the street from about 60 years ago and now, which would be their favourite?" It's a good question. And yet if you point out to breeders that Pugs looked like this 150 years ago...
 1878-80 Minnie + Sally from The Royal Collection
Or that Bulldogs used to look like this...
Donald - the first Bulldog to be shown i America
... they'll tell you that these examples were mongrels or can otherwise be discounted.
I'm not often in the habit of defending kennel clubs and I can understand why some believe the Dutch KC could have done more. But I don't think the international dog 'fancy' fully understands the strength of public opinion in the Netherlands - and indeed in other countries where brachycephalic health has continued to be highlighted by scientists and the media.  Bottom line, the Dutch KC's hands are now tied. It can no longer continue to sanction illegal breeding any more than the UK Kennel Club could register breeds such as the Japanese Tosa that are banned by law in the UK.  Of course now the fear among breeders is that other countries, emboldened by the Dutch move, might follow suit.  In fact, I would be very surprised if we saw a  ban in the UK any time soon and, let's face it, the USA is the breeding wild-west where any attempts at control is considered an infringement of constitutional rights. But there are certainly some murmurings in Finland, Norway, Germany and Austria. No one should be surprised.
It is now over 70 years since the first surgeries were done to correct airway abnormalities in these breeds. Today, much of the workload of thousands of vets worldwide is taken up trying to fix both their breathing and a myriad of other issues in these dogs. 
“I am genuinely horrified by some of the patients that walk into my clinic,” says veterinarian Dr Gert ter Haar who contributed to the report commissioned by the Dutch Government and until recently ran the Brachycephalic Clinic at the Royal Veterinary College. “I don’t know where to start to try and make them feel better.”
We now know that brachycephaly confers a host of pathologies on these dogs. Hundreds die from heatstroke every year because their anatomy impairs their ability to thermoregulate; they have the same number of teeth as a Labrador squished into a third of the space; a foreshortened skull which can cause the brain to rotate; eyes liable to damage by the lack of a muzzle to act as a buffer; painful ear problems, gastro-intestinal issues, difficulties mating and giving birth, compromised genetic diversity and a reduced lifespan - particularly for the French Bulldog and Bulldog (5-8yrs old depending on which data/studies you look at).
Dr ter Haar says he is “thrilled” by the Dutch Government’s decision. “The only reason breeders have bred towards a shorter and shorter nose/face is that they look very cute and more childlike. Have we become so superficial that the look of our dogs is more important than their welfare? In my opinion this gives us a way, finally, to stop breeders who do not have the welfare of the dogs they breed at the top of their priority list.”
Others believe a ban is a mistake, pointing out that simple solutions for complex problems can have unintended consequences. 
“Unfortunately, I'm not sure that we have enough evidence to say that increasing the length of the nose alone will make the difference that they are hoping for,” says Dr Jane Ladlow, a brachycephalic specialist who is is one of only a few in the world doing advanced surgery on these dogs. Dr Ladlow, believes that the right approach is to work with, rather than against breeders. Along with colleagues at Cambridge University she was instrumental in the setting up of the UK Kennel Club's new respiratory grading scheme.
“I'm concerned that the ban will stop reputable breeders who are concerned about health but won't stop puppy farms as imports from other countries are still allowable. There is obviously considerable demand for these breeds because of their personalities and popularity on social media.”
Dr Ladlow also points to the Cambridge research which found factors such as head-width and neck girth may be more significant than muzzle length. She is adamant that there are healthy dogs out there.
Indeed, the Cambridge research found that around half of Bulldogs, Frenchies and Pugs had no significant breathing issues. But that leaves 50% who do. And, again, hardly a week goes by without a new paper identifying yet another problem. Two weeks ago, a Finnish study of ostensibly healthy Bulldogs found that that almost all had problematic joint issues (blog post to come).
Dr Rowena Packer, author of several key scientific papers exploring the impact of brachycephaly on dogs, broadly supports the Dutch move: “Many millions of dogs with longer muzzles already enjoy the freedom to breathe, see, walk and play freely, with no need for invasive surgeries or laborious daily husbandry to achieve this.
“Although ‘banning’ may not be an optimal solution for many parties, given the lack of success seen with other breed bans, the Netherlands are sending a clear message to dog breeders that this issue simply must be taken seriously.”
I'm not that keen on bans either. But I welcome the Dutch move. Not enough has been done to address these dogs' problems and breeders continue to resist even minor tweaks to their breed standards. Hopefully, with the threat of legislation hanging over their heads, and with those arguing for reform clearly not going away, we will see more progress. As ever, the dogs deserve better.
Poop4U Blog via www.Poop4U.com Jemima Harrison, Khareem Sudlow
0 notes