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3.5 Conformation Extremes and the Veterinary Team

Emma Goodman Milne, BVSc, M RCVS

Inde pendent Veterinary Surgeon, France

BASICS

3.5.1 Summary

In many countries around the world, breeds of pet animals, notably dogs, cats, and rabbits, are becoming more and more extreme in their body shapes. Examples of such extremes could be short legs, long backs, very long ears, excessive hair or hairlessness, pronounced skinfolds, bulging or sunken eyes and, perhaps the most well‐recognized, the brachycephalic or flat‐faced animals. All these extremes lean away from natural selection and evolution and can be associated with a wide spectrum of disease and life‐altering issues. These range from very mild to immediately life‐threatening. The veterinary team can make a big difference both throughout the animal's life but also by being involved right from the point of prepurchase decision making.

3.5.2 Terms Defined

Conformation: The shape or dimensions of an animal.

Entropion: An eyelid that turns inwards and rubs on the eyeball.

Exophthalmos: Abnormal bulging or protrusion of the eyeball.

Inbreeding: The breeding of closely related individuals.

Pyoderma: An infection in the skin.

MAIN CONCEPTS

3.5.3 The Origin of the Problem

For thousands and thousands of years, humans have lived with animals. We gradually selected different types of dogs to do different jobs like herding, hunting, and guarding. We chose different sizes and selected for different temperaments depending on what the dog needed to do. Cats did what they were good at – rodent control – so have been left largely unchanged until the last century or so. When the idea of different breeds and the purity of the breed lines became popular at the end of the 1800s, body shapes started to change and inbreeding became commonplace. Over the last 100–200 years, many breeds have become more and more extreme (Figures 3.5.1 and 3.5.2). For example, pugs and bulldogs that had notable muzzles in 1900 now have very flat faces indeed. Breeds that were created to have slightly shorter legs, like dachshunds and bassets, for hunting different prey now have extremely short legs compared to their back length.

Figure 3.5.1 Flat‐faced animals may experience a large number of health problems, some of which are life‐threatening.

Source: Photo courtesy of Dr David Gould.

Figure 3.5.2 Excessive skinfolds cause disease and eye problems.

Source: Photo courtesy of Dr David Gould.

During this time, we have become more and more used to the fact that different breeds are more likely to have certain health problems than others. Many of these breed‐related problems are due to unnatural and extreme body shape or conformation (Figures 3.5.3 and 3.5.4).

Figure 3.5.3 Short legs of a bassett compared to…

Source: Photo courtesy of Andy Moores.

Figure 3.5.4 …a normal straight leg.

Source: Photo courtesy of Andy Moores.

3.5.4 Consequences of Extreme Conformation

We know that the more extreme the body shape or individual features become, the more likely the animal is to suffer from health issues, but it is not just the animals that are affected. The emotional and financial consequences for the owners can be huge but the whole veterinary team can also be affected. It can be emotionally difficult for members of the hospital team to see and treat animals that are suffering due to their conformation, especially when the animals are young. We can become attached to clients we see often and seeing them deal with illness and death can have a huge effect on us too.

There is also a secondary or indirect (knock‐on) effect for society because many of the extreme or quirky breeds are popular in advertisements and movies so demand goes up. This can increase the number of unscrupulous breeders and production farms and the number of unwanted puppies and kittens. Equally, as these dogs and cats age and owners realize they cannot afford the increased costs of healthcare, more and more animals are abandoned or relinquished, and end up in adoption centers or simply dumped on the streets.

3.5.5 What the Veterinary Team Can Do

3.5.5.1 Make Sure You All Agree!

Many practices have policies on lots of different things like drugs, procedures, hygiene and so on but subjects like ethics and welfare can get forgotten. Some members of the team may have very strong feelings on these issues but never get the chance to air them. By having frank discussions among the whole team, you can achieve a united approach. Discuss things like the ethics of fertility services for animals that are incapable of breeding naturally. Will you offer planned cesarean sections (c‐sections) or only when medically necessary? Make sure you have one or more people whose job it is to report procedures like c‐sections and conformation‐altering surgery if your purebred associations require it. Think about joining data‐sharing schemes so that an evidence base can be gathered globally.

Remember that you can help at every stage of the animal's life, and even from before conception.

3.5.5.2 Social Media

Social media can be great for practices, but it is also a powerful tool in getting messages across both consciously and subliminally. If your team believes that conformational extremes are not to be encouraged, make sure that such animals are not prominently featured on any practice promotional materials or posts unless you are highlighting health issues. Do not do posts using words like “cute” in relation to extreme conformation and avoid sharing videos that people see as funny but are in fact signs of ill health, like dogs snoring and falling asleep sitting up. Always promote healthy animals and body shapes.

3.5.5.3 Prepurchase Advice

Many clients do little or no research before getting a pet (see 3.10 Advising Clients on Selecting an Appropriate Pet). When it comes to breeds, the decision can be an impulse buy. This can be a problem if the breed doesn't suit the family situation but also if the owner is unaware of any potential health problems. Discuss how your practice might reach more potential clients before they get their pet. This could include client evenings, booths (stands) at fun pet shows, social media drives or articles in the local paper. Reducing demand for extremes by education is one of the best ways to influence change. Encourage clients to use contracts that empower them. Talk to clients about how to avoid production farms and third‐party sales. Make sure they know what health tests they should be expecting for the breed they have chosen (see 11.4 Heritable Health Conditions – By Breed).

3.5.5.4 First Visits

First visits can be difficult. The client has possibly spent hours with the breeder and may have been given spurious advice on many aspects of health and preventive medicine. It can be hard to address this in 10–15 minutes. Try and use the team effectively. Consider offering 30–60 minutes with a competent nurse as well as the veterinary visit. This way you can discuss the breed, possible health problems for the client to be aware of and look out for, as well as effective preventive healthcare and pet health insurance (see 10.16 Pet Health Insurance). It's important not to blame the client for poor choices.

Try not to think of “normal for breed.” We should be open and honest about things that may be considered ‘typical” for a breed but are not normal for the species. Examples would be exophthalmos, entropion, excessive skinfolds, narrow nostrils, snoring, or respiratory noise and malformed or crowded teeth. Document all abnormalities and discuss them with the owner.

3.5.5.5 Ongoing Care and End of Life

The level of intervention needed will vary greatly depending on the animal and the severity of the problems. Specialist referral may be required but there will also undoubtedly be times that the client cannot afford the treatment necessary. It can be good to discuss within the practice and with the client possible outcomes and where you might decide it is time to offer euthanasia or signing the animal over if treatment may be possible and appropriate with a new owner or adoption center.

TAKE‐AWAYS

 Extreme conformation is unnatural and can lead to a variety of health issues and suffering, some of which can be life‐threatening.

 The veterinary team should not normalize health problems just because they are common in a certain breed.

 Having a united approach and understanding across the whole practice team is important for client education and consistency of messaging, especially on social media.

 Try to formulate strategies for reaching prospective clients before they acquire a pet. Prepurchase education is key to reducing demand for extreme body shapes.

 Be open and honest with clients about their pets but remember they are not always to blame for poor choices and may have been misinformed by breeders, peers, and the internet!

MISCELLANEOUS

Recommended Reading

1 Gough, A., Thomas, A., and O'Neill, D. (2018). Breed Predispositions to Disease in Dogs and Cats, 3e. Ames, IA: Wiley Blackwell.