AVA Conference Melbourne 2017

The health and welfare problems of brachycephalic dogs and cats are a key concern for veterinary professionals. These problems can significantly reduce quality of life, may develop early in life, affect a large number of animals and are a man-made consequence of selective breeding. Veterinary treatment improves the welfare of affected animals, but veterinary professionals have a dual responsibility to both cure individual patients and contribute to initiatives seeking to address underlying causes. This improves the health of future generations and helps protect the profession against accusations of complicity with breed-related health problems (e.g. by profiting from Caesarean sections in animals unable to give birth naturally due to selective breeding, without taking actions to address the root cause, thereby enabling this and other welfare problems to be perpetuated). Solutions rely on collaborative working between the veterinary profession, breeders, academics, NGOs and others, with each working towards improving supply (“breeding better brachycephalics”) and reducing demand. This session will highlight current veterinary activities being undertaken in Australia and the UK, and emphasise the roles of practitioners, practices and associations in effecting improvements.