Purebred dogs, when health takes second place

Purebred dogs don't have to be just “purebred”.It is essential that it is also healthy, something that often takes second place.

• Purebred dogs should bring with them a wealth of health and well-being, but this is not always the case.
• Beyond morphology, it is important to favor pairings that have the aim of guaranteeing a long and peaceful existence for our dog.
• Today, however, we focus on profit while putting animal health on the back burner.

If you decide to welcome a dog that belongs to a certain one race, the least we can expect is that the puppy is healthy and that it stays that way for a very long period, bringing happiness into our lives and us into its.This isn't always the case.Indeed, it seems that over the years, despite the achievements of veterinary science, the longevity of purebred dogs is decreasing.And the phenomenon becomes worrying especially if we observe the specimens of the most fashionable and most publicized breeds in the dog world.While in Europe there are countries where the breeding of certain breeds has been banned – il cavalier king charles spaniel, to give one example among all, and the english bulldog – in Great Britain, the dog-loving country par excellence, theamerican bully, an American breed officially recognized byUnited Kennel club (Ukc) In the July 2013.There are conflicting versions regarding the crosses used for birth.The certain fact is that it is evidently fashionable, given the number of admirers and the interest of those who have transformed everything into a lucrative business.The appearance of these dogs is enough to testify to their precarious state of health.Yet we continue to buy them, fueling a market that does not respect animal health and welfare.

When race predisposes to disease

The news that they were being bred in Great Britain recently caused a sensation French bulldogs hairless to satisfy people looking for increasingly particular dogs without worrying about their well-being.

“Recently the British newspaper Guardian published an article on the topic predicting that this too could become a new trend.And in recent years, thanks to the complicity of people from the world of entertainment, it has become increasingly trendy to purchase brachycephalic breeds or those bordering on dwarfism with many health problems:fromobesity at the hip dysplasia.Animals that satisfy the aesthetic standards of those who purchase them, but which unfortunately do not meet any criteria that can allow them to lead a normal life", he notes Ermanno Giudici, writer and blogger.

Unfortunately, in today's breeds, which are increasingly linked to abnormal morphological characteristics that neglect the well-being of the organism, other significant problems are coming to light.Those related to’power, for example.Explain the Doctor Chiara Draws, veterinary doctor:“There are breeds that have difficulty digesting carbohydrates such as poodles or some Nordic breeds like the Samoyed or theAlaskan malamute.There is also a form of hypersensitivity to the proteins of some cereals which exclusively affects the Irish setter. This is gluten enteropathy."All problems that those who choose a companion of these breeds must keep in mind and know how to deal with to guarantee their four-legged friend long-lasting and constant health.

Brachycephalic dogs and their problems

The puppy with wide eyes and a rounded muzzle hides significant health problems that will soon manifest themselves as he ages.The problems of brachycephalic breeds have been studied for some time by veterinarians who stigmatize the excessive use of abnormal morphological characters to satisfy current fashions.On the topic, and on living with this type of dog, a veterinarian, Martine Didier, he even wrote a book: The bulldog who dreamed of being a dog, full of great advice on brachycephalic breeds.He tells us now:"There brachycephalic syndrome it has already been described for several decades, however my years of profession have brought me face to face with the awareness that, often, owners are not aware of the anatomical defects linked to these breeds or have not been adequately informed regarding their limitations.My aim, in this book, is to make people more aware, and to provide readers with a sort of 'instruction booklet' useful for providing some key elements valid for 'interpreting' the language of our adorable friends".

For those who have a dog of this type as a companion, Dr. Didier gives some fundamental advice:“There are no “normal” brachycephalic dogs.An accurate clinical examination is able to define when the anatomical anomalies are serious and what diagnostic and therapeutic measures can be adopted to improve their quality of life.Some of these anomalies are congenital.But neglecting the presence of breathing difficulties during growth can lead, in adulthood, to the development of acquired pathologies, which are equally harmful."Any short-term solutions, apart from not buying any more purebred dogs of this type? Concludes Martine Didier:“Many countries in the European community have already taken measures in this regard.THE'Enci (Italian national dog breeding body) is promoting a program aimed at carrying out effective health monitoring and collaboration with breeders will be fundamental.We need each other to improve, as much as possible, the quality of life of these animals."

Purebred dogs that were in fashion and now no longer exist

The panorama of breeds that have undergone rapid publicity followed by an equally rapid disappearance includes many medium and large sized breeds.The Dalmatian, for example, which experienced rapid expansion thanks to a highly successful cartoon and film.Or the collie who, from a rustic and strong sheepdog, has gradually transformed into a living room toy with increasingly pressing and difficult health problems.Or without going too far back in years we can take a look at the cane corso, to the rottweiler, to the aristocrats doberman or to boxers guardian and defender par excellence.All breeds defeated by wrong and indiscriminate selections, in which the need to sell and produce puppies has outweighed the needs of health and well-being.An almost endless list which can, unfortunately, be verified by observing the dogs roaming the metropolitan streets.Soon even the Bernese mountain dog, with its good look and its peaceful nature, will end up forgotten together with the siberian huskies And malamute, eliminated by tumor pathologies and increasingly precarious health.And it will only be the latest in a long series.

The Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, a breed in free fall

The case of Czechoslovakian wolfdog it is emblematic.Strong and long-lived dog that came directly from crossbreeding with wolves and which should, in the intentions of its promoters, have taken the place of the German shepherd, a breed now deprived of its fundamental characteristics by reckless breeding, the Czechoslovakian wolf has enjoyed rapid success in Italy both for its morphological characteristics and for its health and longevity.A fortune that was eclipsed in the space of just a decade.From a strong and resistant subject, endowed with a remarkable physical appeal precisely due to its resemblance to the wolf, it has transformed into a short-lived breed - puppies of just a few years decimated by incurable tumors - oppressed by nutritional, osteoarticular, dermatological and ophthalmological problems which they have undermined well-being and life expectancy.

In the bleak panorama of the breeding industry which now produces puppies purchased on the internet at increasingly lower prices, the voice of Alessio Camatta, breeder with the affix Athanor Lupus, who was the first to highlight the status of the Czechoslovakian wolf, proposing and creating the site Clc Italia, strong in a database of subjects bred with related genetic tests and any pathologies found over the years, a credible alternative for the foundations of a different way of breeding. Camatta explains to us: “The gift of a Slovakian breeder was fundamental, who gave me the breeding report for the first decade (1982-1991) of the breed.All the litters (which were the only ones in the world at the time) were reported, as well as all the pedigrees of the dogs used from military selection.It was therefore possible for me to reconstruct the genealogy from 1958 al 1991 with the first dogs imported into Italy, and from these with a logical/analytical method I managed to reconstruct the entire Italian population.The July 17, 2013 the portal was put online".

Clc Italia it has thus become, for those who want to purchase a Czechoslovakian wolf, a very useful tool for discovering not only the genealogies of the breed, but also the pathologies linked to the various subjects that can be, for familiarity – especially in the case of tumors – brought back into litters.“It seems absurd, but as should be logical in any sector, a professional should know the main subject.In breeding this matter is the genetics in the broadest sense of the term.When you mate animals you inevitably "play" with genes.Not having a solid foundation in this field is now unacceptable for me, yet it is the rule.At most you have knowledge of Mendel's laws and it seems that in dog breeding this is enough, combined with empirical knowledge, traditions and concepts handed down orally, to protect and manage a breed.But this is not the case, the collapse of many races is there for all to see and is clear proof of this.And the responsible bodies are responsible for this, before the breeders, starting from Enci and all the specialized companies which however are stuck in defending a system that is now obsolete and incapable of providing answers", concludes Camatta.

It is also active on the site Wgi project, the first integrated genetic indexing and breeding management system for morphological, reproductive, health and inbreeding traits operating in the dog sector.A concrete proposal, therefore, which from the world of the Czechoslovakian wolf could be applied to all breeds.Because breeding is not just mating, but guaranteeing health and well-being for every little being that will see the light.And never more than in recent years has this become fundamental even in the dog field.