No Nose, No Thermoregulation = No Welfare

Photo thanks to Kate Price and Olive who stand together, in love and witness.

Professor Gerhard Oechtering, who works in the department of small animal medicine at the University of Leipzig, Germany, is one of the world's experts on brachycephalic breeds, and he recently appeared in Pedigree Dogs Exposed: Three Years On which aired on BBC4. In The Guardian he writes why "Show pedigree breeding is for tulips, not dogs":

Hearing our grandmothers read the story of Little Red Riding Hood we all know why wolves have big noses – all the better to smell you with! But the noses of wolves and dogs are not just for smell; they are an indispensable tool to control body temperature. Dogs are not able to sweat like humans or horses. They need the large mucosal surface of the nasal turbinate and a specific gland producing "water" in hot weather or when internal heat is produced after physical exercise. Vaporising this water on the large intranasal turbinate surface is the cooling principle; the tongue plays only a minor role in canine thermoregulation. This is the reason why dogs are obligatory nose breathers. No nose – no thermoregulation – no health – no animal welfare....

... The current method of breeding show dogs without any serious physical challenge incorporated into the selection process will inevitably lead to damaged health in all show breeds. Veterinary health control and genetic tests cannot redeem the present concept of dog shows.

Read the whole thing!

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