Is your dog or cat in pain because of its appearance?

There's a chance you won't be seeing pictures of these types of dogs on Dutch social media any time soon. The newspaper AD reported in January 2023 that the government wanted to ban the breeding of dogs with short muzzles or cats with folding ears. But why? Aren't they super cute?

According to AD, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture states that these animals are constantly bothered by their external characteristics. This is because they have been bred to an extreme and their appearance now hinders their health. The Dutch government wants to draw up a list of harmful characteristics and expand it on the basis of research.

In addition to a ban on breeding these animals, the Dutch government also wants to prohibit the posting of photos of these dogs and cats on social media. This is to prevent people from wanting to buy such a dog or cat.

But about which species are we talking, and is your cat or dog among them? You will find out in the next slides. The following dogs and cats experience health problems because of the way their bodies have been bred.

Short-snouted dogs are also known as brachycephalic dogs. According to the Dutch broadcaster NOS, veterinarians are warning against the purchase of such dogs because they often suffer from breathing problems.

Their skull is shorter than those of other dogs. In fact, there is not enough space for the airways to properly function.

Examples of dogs that have breathing problems because of their muzzle are the French bulldog and the English bulldog.

In addition, dogs such as the Boston terrier, the Pug, and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel also suffer from this problem.

According to the Dutch animal rights organization Dierenrecht, these dogs can suffer from the following issues: snoring, wheezing, shortness of breath, and overheating.

Photo: Mylene / Pixabay

Not only dogs with short muzzles have health problems. 'Cute' little dogs, such as chihuahuas, often suffer from chronic headaches. According to Dierenrecht, this is because the brain is actually too big for the skull.

Not only dogs are bred beyond their limits, but many cats experience health problems and suffer from pain as well. The Dutch news program EenVandaag reports that certain cat breeds have already been banned in The Netherlands but are purchased in other countries anyway.

Photo: Cagdas Demir / Unsplash

EenVandaag claims that the Scottish Fold is a popular breed of cat that suffers from its appearance. The Scottish Fold has a genetic mutation that causes its ears to point forward and lie against the head.

Photo: Dng Ph Chitriu / Unsplash

The cat's ears can cause health problems such as a deformity of the cartilage, infections, and painful arthritis.

Image: Sergey Semin / Unsplash

Another example is the Munchkin. This cat has very short legs and suffers from dwarfism. According to EenVandaag, it is not officially recognized as a breed by most official pedigree cat organizations.

Photo: Dng Ph Chitriu / Unsplash

If you bring this cat into your home, you will have an animal that develops spinal arthritis as a result of its shortened legs. It will lead to stiffness, pain, and movement problems.

Photo: Tran Mau Tri Tam / Unsplash

And then there's Bambino Sphynx, a bald cat with big eyes. These cats can often suffer from skin irritations and are sensitive to sunlight and cold. They also lack whiskers, which makes them incapable of 'normal' cat behavior. Whiskers help a cat define the distance between their head and the objects around them.

Photo: Maksym Diachenko / Unsplash

This cat has very special fur and is completely bald around the eyes and mouth. At some point in its life, all this cat's hair will fall out. The problems caused by this deficiency include sunburn and skin cancer.