Norwegian's breeding ban on bull dogs....good or bad?
Updated: Feb 4, 2022
The hot topic in the veterinary world at the moment is the breeding ban of British bulldogs and Cavalier King Charles spaniels in Norway.
These two British, iconic breeds as of Monday have been banned from being bred in Norway. The Oslo court ruled that breeding these brachycephalic (flat faced) dogs was in breach of their Animal Welfare Act. The court ruled that the breeding is cruel and produced animals with 'man made health problems'.
This breeding ban does not affect people who already have one of these breeds from continuing to own them.
Back in July 2021 the Animal Welfare Act was amended to say that breeders were responsible for breeding healthy animals, animal rights groups argued that due to constant inbreeding and selective breeding, none of the animals in the country could be considered healthy.
The Norwegian Kennel Club had concerns with the verdict.'Since its still allowed to import and own the breeds, and these are very popular breeds, we believe people will continue to buy them but from irresponsible breeders, and breeders from countries which have lower heath standards than ones connected with the Norwegian Kennel Club and breed clubs in Norway.
For me this is a very valid point. If people want a particular breed a lot will not think twice about obtaining a puppy with no history or papers, it could be imported legally or illegally. This pups may not only have the breed problems but may also be from illegal puppy farms meaning they can have a whole host of other heath conditions and concerns as well.
So the question is will this law stop these breeds from further inbreeding and help stop the large list of heath complaints many of this dogs suffer from? Or will it actually fuel the ongoing crisis of illegal puppy breeding, and irresponsible breeders and actually worsen the problem the new law seeks to improve??
Will we see the breeding of these dog breeds lead to large numbers of unregistered animals with no traceability to breeder or parents and worsen still the impact on health and welfare.
What conditions are we concerned about in these breeds?
British bulldog
Skin infections from excessive wrinkles
Eye conditions such as 'cherry eye'
Deformed spinal bones
Skin allergies
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Heart disease/ heart failure
Syringomyelia (where the skull is too small and pressure put on area of brain)
Dry Eye