The British Veterinary Association is urging veterinary surgeons and nurses to get behind its new #breedtobreathe campaign, designed to stop the rising popularity of brachycephalic breeds with all their conformation-related health and welfare issues.

According to the BVA’s Voice of the Veterinary Profession survey, 9 out of 10 companion animal veterinary surgeons report that the number of brachycephalic dogs being brought into their practice has greatly increased over the past three years.

98% said they had treated brachycephalic dogs for conformation-related health problems in the past year, and that 56% of the brachycephalic dogs being brought into practice either had, or would have benefited from having treatment for conformation-related health and welfare problems.

49% of UK vets say that the high profile of brachycephalic breeds in social media and advertising is one of the main reasons that clients choose to get a brachycephalic pet. 

The #breedtobreathe campaign includes a number of things designed to tackle the problem. Firstly, practices are urged not to use images of brachycephalic dogs in their own marketing materials and communications. In addition the BVA has prepared a toolbox with a template letter for you to send to companies and brands that use brachycephalic breeds in their advertising, together with a range of images and a video you can share on social media, such as Facebook.

BVA President John Fishwick said: "Several well-known brands that use images of flat-faced dogs, such as Costa Coffee, Heinz and Comic Relief, have responded positively to letters from BVA and individual members of the profession recently, and pledged to avoid using them in future campaigns. These seemingly small victories offer hope for greater and long-lasting change.

"While the veterinary profession is relatively small, its reach is significant and its role is critical to the health and welfare of not only animals, but the rest of society too. That is why we believe that it is important for the veterinary team to utilise its spheres of influence both online and offline, which includes avoiding mixed messages between what clients and the wider public are being told by vets and VNs in practice and what they were seeing in practice communications.

"We’re urging vets to continue speaking out on behalf of the animals that we swear an oath to protect, since we know that hearing first-hand from individual members of the vet-led team has a real impact on the brands in question. BVA will continue to support members in challenging irresponsible promotions using these breeds."

The BVA has drawn up a position statement which lists ten actions that veterinary practices can undertake to improve brachycephalic breeds’ health and welfare and promote responsible ownership: 

1. Offer pre-purchase consultations with prospective dog owners. The potential health problems of brachycephalic conformation can be clearly outlined in these consultations.
2. Strongly advise against breeding if a dog is suffering from BOAS or requires conformation altering surgery to prevent further litters with extremes of conformation
3. Promote the Puppy Contract through practice communication channels www.puppycontract.co.uk
4. Promote and actively participate in available health schemes, including those for brachycephalic breeds that currently exist amongst breed clubs
5. Carry out exercise tolerance tests (ETT) and functional grading for brachycephalic breeds as part of their annual health assessment
6. Enrol the practice in clinical surveillance programmes such as VetCompass^TM and SAVSNET, to contribute to data gathering and evidence generation
7. Develop a practice communication strategy to clearly communicate the health problems experienced by dogs with brachycephalic conformation
8. Develop practice policy to ensure that practice communication channels do not portray dogs with brachycephalic conformation as cute, humorous or appealing
9. Ensure practice policy supports staff to appropriately convey evidence-based information and advice to owners of dogs with brachycephalic conformation
10. Support local breed clubs and representatives to develop and implement plans to improve the health of dogs with brachycephalic conformation

For more information, visit: www.bva.co.uk/brachys. 

Photo: ponpimonsa_bibi/Shutterstock

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