Vets from all over Europe unite to send a powerful message

FECAVA  has teamed up with Dr Emma Milne to create a heart-wrenching video from vets and nurses across Europe and the UK to ask people not to buy flat-faced animals.

The popularity of dogs like French and English bulldogs and pugs has exploded in the last decade and now a new trend for ‘exotic’ colours has also taken hold, sending prices rocketing even higher than before. Tragically, vets all over the world are picking up the pieces of this fashion because these animals are literally born to suffer. And it’s not just dogs – cats, rabbits and even horses are now being bred to have shorter and shorter faces and deformed features. The body shape of these animals leads to severe breathing difficulties, skin fold infections, eye trauma, spinal disease and paralysis, dental issues (which can be fatal for rabbits and horses) and fundamentally problems with reproduction. Dr Emma Milne, the founder of the campaign Vets Against Brachycephalism, said, “Vets contact me from all the world describing the heartbreak they feel seeing these animals suffer on a daily basis simply because of their breed. When breeds are literally clinging to life through veterinary intervention we need to ask ourselves some probing ethical questions. I decided to try and make a video to get across how we feel and FECAVA, who have a fantastic welfare stance, were immediately hugely supportive. It has been a great team effort.

Dr Ann Criel, Chair of the FECAVA Welfare Group said, “This video tells the story not only of the devastating health issues of these animals and the heartbreak for their owners but also the impact that it has on the vets whose lifetime goal it is to help the animals in their care. Quite simply put, we feel there is little defence for breeding animals that we know are very likely to suffer. We hope the video will be shared as widely as possible to get this message out.

Brussels, 26th October 2021

Press release

Watch the video on YouTube

 

 

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