RSPCA: Dog welfare report: New panel needed to oversee pedigree health

Thursday, 14 January 2010 12:00 AM

A new report published today (Thursday) has been welcomed by the RSPCA for its recognition that pedigree dog health and welfare is a serious problem and urgent action is needed.

The Independent Inquiry Into Dog Breeding, commissioned by the Kennel Club and the Dogs Trust, is written by leading zoologist Professor Sir Patrick Bateson who concludes that 'dog breeding raises a number of serious concerns about the welfare of dogs'.

He recommends that a new advisory panel should be set up, an idea the RSPCA supports - however we are concerned that the panel won't have the necessary power to push through the real change that's clearly urgently required.

RSPCA chief veterinary adviser Mark Evans said: "The world has woken up to the extremely unpalatable truth that the health and welfare of many pedigree dogs is seriously compromised as a result of the way they are bred. Pedigree dogs need our help and they need it now.

"Some are suffering as a result of what Darwin's disciples might refer to as 'unnatural selection' - survival of the most fashionable rather than the fittest. This report is what we have all been waiting for and we hope that now we can all get on and start working towards meaningful change for pedigree dogs.

"We're delighted that Professor Bateson agrees with the RSPCA that something has to be done, but we are disappointed he hasn't recommended that the advisory panel should be given the appropriate power to be effective. What is encouraging is that, when asked by the RSPCA, Professor Bateson acknowledged that in an ideal world the government would give the panel statutory powers."

We fully support the inquiry's conclusion that information on diseases suffered by dogs should be collected and in fact this was the top recommendation made in an independent report commissioned by the RSPCA, Pedigree Dog Breeding in the UK: A Major Welfare Concern?*

As a result, the RSPCA is already working with the University of Sydney and the Royal Veterinary College on a three-year research project to create a new, electronic, system for collecting, analysing and reporting data on inherited disorders in both dogs and cats. When complete, for the first time in the UK there will be comprehensive data to show the prevalence of inherited disorders in specific breeds. Vitally this will allow the effectiveness of any new breeding initiatives to be monitored.

Mark Evans said: "We agree with Professor Bateson that consumer pressure is the greatest lever for change. The way to solve this is through people power. Changing the industry will take some time, but the public can start to demand better quality animals that are in good health right now.

"We will now study the report in more detail and come up with a full response."

As Professor Bateson has already agreed and the RSPCA has called for, there needs to be an urgent meeting of all relevant stakeholders to review all recommendations in all three reports,* to prioritise them, and to come up with a robust, workable action plan with clearly identified objectives, responsibilities and deadlines. Clearly an important part of this will be setting up some form of independent advisory body to oversee dog breeding and supply in the UK.

-ends-

Notes to editors:

· Two other reports looking at the health and welfare of pedigree dogs have been published previously:

*Commissioned by the RSPCA and published in February 2009, Pedigree Dog Breeding in the UK: A Major Welfare Concern? is a review of the relevant science and was compiled by highly respected scientists, vets and dog welfare experts who also propose 36 possible ways of improving pedigree dog welfare.

These include:

- systematic collection of data on the diseases all dogs suffer from and causes of death

- changes to current registration rules to prevent the registration of puppies born from the matings of close relatives (including grandparents and offspring and half siblings)

- changes to current registration rules to allow new genetic material to be introduced into breeds.

Read more about the RSPCA's work on this issue and download the report at www.rspca.org.uk/pedigreedogs.

A Healthier Future for Pedigree Dogs, the conclusions of an inquiry by the Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare (APGAW), was published in November 2009 echoed the RSPCA's calls for urgent action to safeguard the welfare of pedigree dogs. Download the report at: www.apgaw.org/reports.asp.

· The RSPCA is extremely concerned about the unacceptably high levels of disability, deformity and hereditary disease affecting these animals, as is the public, following the BBC documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed which sparked a national debate on the issue.

Tags: