WSAVA urges ‘health-focused’ breeding

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The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) shares the concerns recently displayed by the Norwegian court surrounding breeding English bulldogs and cavalier King Charles spaniels. It supports the Animal Protection Norway and the Norwegian Animal Welfare Act, which states that: ‘Breeding should promote traits that provide robust animals with good function and health.’

In a new position paper,¹ WSAVA has called for an improved focus on health screening of breeding animals and informing the public. This consists of urging them to ask breeders for veterinary documentation of pre-breeding health screening results on puppies' and kittens' parents before purchase. It also emphasizes that the selection of breeding dogs and cats should avoid extreme conformation that predisposes them to disease and poor welfare.

According to the release,² the WSAVA’s response to the Court ruling has been led by its Hereditary Disease Committee (HDC), featuring veterinary geneticists, with the support of the WSAVA’s Animal Wellness and Welfare Committee (AWWC).

“We recognize the serious welfare issues that exist in relation to brachycephaly, as well as other extreme anatomy and hereditary diseases in dogs and all purposefully-bred animals. We believe that health-focused breeding and husbandry practices are the means to improve the health and welfare of these animals. This is effectively ‘health quality control,’” said Jerold Bell, DVM, adjunct professor of genetics at the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, and chair of the HDC, in the release.²

“The public’s affection for these popular breeds demands a greater focus on education around healthy breeding and welfare because altered public demand will encourage the breeding practices that produce healthier pets and, over time, create real change,” he added.

Supporting an earlier WSAVA position paper, the latest position paper¹ urges veterinarians and breeders to ensure that standards used for the selection of breeding animals include the ability to reproduce naturally and exclude anatomical traits that predispose to hereditary disease and poor welfare. Additionally, the paper encourages breeders to incorporate pre-breeding health screening to choose animals that are likely to produce healthy offspring.

According to the release,² the WSAVA:

• Prioritizes the breeding of animals that focuses on their health and welfare
• Supports Animal Welfare Laws that decrease the suffering of animals and promote their good welfare
• Encourages kennel clubs and cat registries to acclimate breed standards to address and prevent extreme conformation and disease predisposing anatomy
• Encourages kennel clubs and cat registries to establish breeding guidelines that include breed-specific pre-breeding health screening to avoid genetic diseases, disease risk from exaggerated anatomical features, and monitoring of breed health
• Encourages breeders to collaborate with veterinary professionals to perform pre-breeding health examinations, to select healthy breeding dogs and cats, and to offer pet buyers with official documentation of health screening
• Encourages future pet owners to consult with a veterinarian before purchasing a purposely bred dog or cat, to examine their health and the health of their parents.

References

1. A response to the Norwegian court ban against the breeding of English bulldogs and cavalier King Charles spaniels. World Small Animal Veterinary Association. Accessed February 25, 2022. https://wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/A-Response-to-the-Norwegian-Court-Ban-Against-the-Breeding-of-English-Bulldogs-and-Cavalier-King-Charles-Spaniels.pdf
2. WSAVA calls for ‘health-focused’ breeding. News release. World Small Animal Veterinary Association. February 25, 2022. Accessed February 25, 2022. https://wsava.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/WSAVA-Calls-for-Health-focused-Breeding.pdf