Norway bans breeding of English bulldogs, Cavalier King Charles spaniels

[demmiblue]

OSLO, Norway — Norway is banning the breeding of English bulldogs and Cavalier King Charles spaniels.

In a ruling this week, Animal Protection Norway said the breeding of the dogs went against the country’s Animal Welfare Act, citing the inherent health problems the dogs face.

Evidence has shown that both breeds experience severe breathing conditions, eye problems, skin infections, heart problems, as well as joint problems.

A study by the University of California found that the English bulldog does not have the genetic diversity continue as a breed.

https://www.wxyz.com/news/national/norway-bans-breeding-of-english-bulldogs-cavalier-king-charles-spaniels

[Ocelot II]

1. Good.

[Celerity]

2. Good news from my neighbours.

[phylny]

3. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

A wonderful breed before it was ruined. We got our first Cavalier, Kelly, in 1995. She developed a heart murmur at age 8 and lived till almost 12. Our next Cavalier, Abby? She died at the age of seven in my arms. Heart issues, seizures, inflammatory bowel disease - it was awful. A good friend of mine also had a Cavalier who died around age 7 and she had so many issues: Cushing’s, syringomyelia, luxating patellas. It was just horrific.

Interesting that Cavaliers did not used to be AKC. There was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel club. They fought and fought and fought against the Cavalier being accepted as a breed in the American Kennel Club. They were terrified that this would happen. Money won out, breeders bred bred bred unsound dogs, and this is where we are.

[Hortensis]

4. That is interesting. What a shame this was done to them. nt

[bullwinkle428]

7. My sister-in-law adopted a Cav close to 10 years ago; a former puppy mill

dog. He has a heart murmur as well, and has experienced a couple of seizures some years back. He has some lingering psychological issues too, and I'm sure that's primarily the result of the puppy mill experience.

I adopted a Persian mix kitty from a shelter 3 years ago, and she has a heart murmur too. Interesting stuff about the "breed standards" - apparently, European breeders of Persian cats steer away from the "pushed-in face" look that you typically see with American Persians, which leads to respiratory issues in so many, just like the Cavalier.

[jmowreader]

12. I used to want a Persian cat soooo bad...

Then when I was at the point in my life where I could actually have an expensive cat, the breeders had fixed the "pushed-in face" as the standard for US Persians. There's no way I could bring myself to own such a cat. It would be too cruel to the poor thing.

[Ocelot II]

15. The poor things have terrible times with their almost nonexistent noses and clogged tear ducts.

Cats are much better off with actual noses. The other extreme is the latest version of the Siamese, which looks more like a weasel; and they, too, have been inbred to the point where they have many, many congenital health problems.

[Retrograde]

24. There are a lot of Siamese genes in the general cat population

I've had a few part-Siamese cats: one had tabby points, one had the raucous voice, and my favorite had the skull shape, the long back legs, and the general body shape. But because he was a tabby mix, he also had some working brains and was healthy until he came down with bone cancer at 14.

[Ocelot II]

26. I had a Siamese-shaped gray tabby who had a voice that could curdle gin.

He passed away suddenly during the summer of 2020, but I think he's still haunting my house. I miss that voice, though. He almost certainly had a Siamese ancestor.

[Wicked Blue]

35. Maine Coons usually have fluffy fur

and are wonderful pets. We had one for 15 years that was an absolute sweetheart.

[jmowreader]

38. I had a Maine Coon mix for several years

You’re right. Great cats.

[Ocelot II]

41. The Maine Coon and the similar and possibly related Norwegian Forest Cat

are what's called landraces, not man-made breeds. Their characteristic size and heavy coat developed naturally over many years in response to their cold environment - just plain old evolution. In recent years people have been breeding them, of course; and both breeds carry some genes for certain disorders, but they're pretty healthy and well-adapted to normal cat life in cold climates. I hope controlled breeding doesn't mess them up.

[LisaL]

25. My Persian cat recently turned 18.

He is "doll face" which is a more normal face, not pushed-in. It is still kind of flat, and he lost most of his teeth.
But at 18, he is close to a 100 in human years. Not many humans have all their teeth at a 100 either.

[bullwinkle428]

33. My Persian had lost most of her teeth by the time I brought her into my life.

She's still totally fine when it comes to eating dry kibble, which is the bulk of her diet. She gets spoonfuls of wet food, where she licks up all the gravy and leaves the meat bits behind in the bowl!

She's also nuts about the dry Temptations treats, and more or less just inhales those things! True "kitty crack".

I know that adopting a senior animal is not for everyone, but I fell in love with her, and made the decision to give her the best "retirement home" she could possibly want.

[LisaL]

44. Do you know how old she was when you adopted her?

Mine started losing teeth pretty early, about 7-8.

[bamagal62]

8. I have a lovely cavalier. She's my second. ❤️

The first one had lots of health issues and died at the age of 7 with heart problems.
My cavalier now is 7 and is healthy except for an ear problem she just developed in the past month. We see a specialist about it next week. I hate that they over bred and ruined the breed as they are such sweet, wonderful dogs.

[muriel_volestrangler]

27. All of them descend from just six dogs

To save the King Charles spaniel from extinction it was crossbred with the queen’s favored pug breed, resulting in a flatter nose, an upturned face, a rounded head and protruding eyes. Nearly 230 years later, a group of American breeders took on the challenge of reproducing the original 17th century look of the King Charles spaniel (longer nose, flat head, and almond-shaped eyes). Following World War II (and another phase of near extinction), the American breeders were granted a separate registration status for their burgeoning breed: Cavalier King Charles spaniel, also known by many as “Cavaliers.”

Six surviving dogs became the starting point from which all modern day Cavaliers have descended: Ann's Son, his litter brother Wizbang Timothy, Carlo of Ttiweh, Duce of Braemore, Kobba of Kuranda and Aristide of Ttiweh.

https://www.petinsurance.com/healthzone/pet-breeds/dog-breeds/5-things-you-didnt-know-about-cavalier-king-charles-spaniels/

Nearly all Cavaliers eventually have mitral valve disease, with heart murmurs that may progressively worsen, leading to heart failure. This condition is polygenic (affected by multiple genes), and therefore all lines of Cavaliers worldwide are susceptible. It is the leading cause of death in the breed. A survey by The Kennel Club of the United Kingdom showed that 42.8% of Cavalier deaths are cardiac related.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalier_King_Charles_Spaniel

The whole breed needs to be recrossed with healthy dogs to create something new.

[ForgedCrank]

5. This is the problem with

any purebred line. Maybe not to this extreme, but trying to maintain the physical features that humans find pleasing or cute while ignoring the health issues in the bloodline is criminal in my opinion.
A good old mutt has always been the best pet, and almost always the most healthy. Not to mention, home breeders aren't asking 2 thousand dollars for them. You can generally pick them up for free just like a crummy old cat (yea I know, flame me!)

[Ocelot II]

9. And there are pugs who can't breathe, German shepherds with bad hips,

dachshunds with spinal problems, and cats, too - Persian cats who can't breathe, munchkin cats with inbred dwarfism. Sad and cruel what people do to animals to make them look a certain "attractive" way.

[jmowreader]

39. Bad hips is a serious problem in GSD

That’s why the typical “police dog” these days isn’t a German Shepherd. The cops have transitioned to the Belgian Malinois, which so far isn’t the victim of overbreeding. And fortunately, because those dogs are all business and they’re REALLY expensive, they probably won’t become the next trendy pet.

[JustAnotherGen]

18. Not flaming you

The resident canine here is a Maltese. My husband developed severe allergies in his early 40's.

Uncle Ruckus - no problems. . . other than the fact he thinks he's a polar bear. My first choice was a Beagle brat since I grew up with them - but just walking into the shelters was rough for my husband.

[Disaffected]

19. No flames from here.

I agree completely. I would love to have another Ger Shep purebred but always now choose Shepard crosses as they are much less prone to hip and joint problems. All my later pooches have come from shelters.

Personally, I think dog breeding should be banned unless it is for the health betterment of a particular breed.

[DenaliDemocrat]

28. That's the problem with AKC, not purebreds

The FCI generally has stronger breed clubs that require health testing to be bred. The idea that mutts are free from maladies is false, just another lue told by the rescue industry that has become big money

[ForgedCrank]

29. Yes, it must

be false, I couldn't have any experience showing me otherwise.

[DenaliDemocrat]

30. Your anecdotal experience

Does not equal a scientific incidence of disease.

[ForgedCrank]

32. ok

[Lancero]

36. For some breeds, the deformities are the only reason they're considered cute.

Pugs stand as a great example of that.

[Raine]

6. Good 👍 nt

[ShazzieB]

10. Good for Norway.

English bulldogs make me sad. They're sweet dogs, but they are so deformed that it bothers me to look at them. And they have SO many problems, including this:

Most Bulldogs can’t breed without human intervention, both in the actual mating & birthing process. If it weren’t for this intervention in breeding the Bulldog as it stands now would become extinct.

As many as 95% of Bulldogs are delivered by Cesarean section. Their head has been bred to become larger over the years, and as a result these dogs cannot birth them naturally through the pelvic canal.

https://www.puppyleaks.com/done-bulldogs/

French bulldogs aren't much better off, including in the reproductive area: https://www.countryliving.com/uk/wildlife/dog-breeds/a38535158/french-bulldogs-health-issues/

When a breed gets to the point that the dogs require assistance from humans to produce offspring, you'd think people would figure out that things have gone too far. And reproduction is only the tip of the iceberg.

[Celerity]

11. English bulldogs now so inbred their appalling health problems will not improve (July 2016)

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/english-bulldog-health-problems-inbreeding-pedigree-dog-breeds-breeders-a7160041.html

[peppertree]

13. +1

It's sad how something so cute, can be so flawed.

[Emile]

34. For slobbers they are cute.

[Ocelot II]

14. The breed as it exists now will have to go extinct, or else will be outbred

to the point where the characteristics people desire so much that have made them so defective and damaged are gone. I hope more countries start prohibiting breeding these dogs and some other breeds, but I really doubt the US and the AKC will.

[RamblingRose]

16. The University of Georgia has a great vet school yet their mascot is an english bulldog

My neighbor that went to vet school at UGA breeds them. Disgusting!

[jmowreader]

40. With UGA, what do you expect?

When your football team is named the Bulldogs, you’re likely to have a few around.

[highplainsdem]

17. Good.

[MurrayDelph]

20. We adopted an English Bulldog about a month ago

A friend had her literally dumped on them (I.e. dropped over her fence) a few months ago, and couldn't keep her. She had the appearance of having recently been a mother, but the vet guesses that was not the case; that her previous owner probably tried to breed her, got a false pregnancy followed by no puppies, tried it again to the same result, and chucked her.

She's currently asleep in her crate, which is her safe space, and has forgiven me for the indignities performed upon her a week ago, when we had her fixed.

She's a sweet little spud.

[Ocelot II]

21. Poor thing. Many English bulldogs can no longer either mate or give birth normally

because of all the problems resulting from inbreeding. If your dog had gotten pregnant she probably would have had to have a c-section, so it's especially good that you had her spayed. Thanks for taking her in and loving her.

[liberal_mama]

22. There is a lady on my street with an English Bulldog. This dog is so full of love and happiness. He

gets so excited when he sees someone to love all over. Every time I see him, it makes me want to get a bulldog. It's sad to hear that bad breeders have ruined the breed.

[Ocelot II]

23. Years ago, when they were still normal dogs, a neighbor had one,

and I always got a kick out of him - he was really friendly and he'd come up to you and lean on your legs and nearly knock you over because he was so solid and heavy.

[Emile]

31. Good! They're lousy barkers. All they do is snort, sneeze and slobber when

you bark at them!

[Wicked Blue]

37. I dearly love our 12-year-old Cavalier mix but I wouldn't want a purebred one

precisely because of the many health issues. I'm happy Norway is doing this.

Our Penny is half Cavalier, half American Eskimo. Her snout is long enough to breathe though properly. She has luxating patellas, like many Cavaliers, but they haven't caused problems as far as I can tell. She can still run like a terror to chase deer out of the back yard.

I don't think she has hip dysplasia, another big Cav problem. She recently developed a very slight heart murmur, but, Goddess willing, Penny will be with us for at least another year or two.

[Johnny999r]

42. Lack of genetic diversity

I miss our sweet Bulldog every day since she passed 1.5 years ago. However. what Norway has done is absolutely the right thing to do. After talking to a number of vets, researching the breed, and most of all living with the sadness our Bulldog suffered from a number of auto immune related medical conditions, I came to the conclusion humans were responsible for engineering the poor health of current Bulldog populations.

We spent thousands of dollars seeking medical treatment for our girl over the years, prescribed food alone cost $350 a month. The list of ailments is too long to detail and we wondered many times the regiment of medications she taking actually did more harm than good in some instances. Her last two years were emotionally draining and sad, her last day struck me down to my core.

I have never gotten over the image of her looking into my eyes as her life slipped away when the vet had no choice but to administer a life ending drug when a cancerous tumor on her spleen or liver burst.

She was the sweetest family member pet we ever had and because the Bulldog breed is no longer viable unless the Bulldog community makes a serious effort to diversify their gene pool, stories like ours will continue and become more common.

For this reason, we will no longer have another bulldog.

[canetoad]

43. Good

Couple of examples of how dogs used to look.



German Shepherd was once regarded as a medium sized dog with an average weight of about 55 pounds and now it is considered as a large dog breed. During 1915, German shepherd dogs looked completely different. Now German Shepherds have sloping backs but their ancestors didn’t have it.




Centuries of breeding changed this beautiful dog larger than their ancestors. This made them one of the most unhealthy breeds of dog. The average life expectancy also decreased a lot to about 6 years. The change was only done because they looked scary. But making them cute, ruined their life.

More pix here: http://tailandfur.com/how-100-years-of-breeding-changed-these-popular-dog-breeds/
I'm extremely glad that archaic 'cosmetic' tweaks such as cropped ears and tails have been discontinued however 'show' breeding had ruined some beautiful, healthy animals.