杏吧原创

Since humans first domesticated animals, they have been selectively breeding for desirable characteristics.聽To start with, the aims were increased productivity in livestock, size or speed in horses, and better herding or hunting abilities in dogs.

In more recent times, this has expanded to include animals with certain aesthetic qualities, resulting in very deformed examples being lauded as having an 鈥渋deal鈥� look, despite suffering from serious health and welfare problems.聽Now it seems horses are joining the list.

The most obvious examples of this problem are dogs with flat faces 鈥� such as pugs and French bulldogs. These brachycephalic dogs have soared in popularity in recent years, but , often requiring surgery to improve airflow to the lungs, sometimes an emergency tracheotomy due to acute respiratory distress.

As , veterinary columnist for The Telegraph, has pointed out, it would be illegal to smother a dog so it could barely breathe, but it is perfectly legal to breed a dog that collapses, unable to get sufficient oxygen due to narrowed and compressed airways.

Snuffling is not cute

These pets cannot exercise as normal, they struggle to thermoregulate so are predisposed to overheating in warm weather, have eye problems, skin fold diseases, a screw-shaped tail linked to painful spinal abnormalities, neurological problems and cannot give birth without caesarean section.

What is most concerning is that many owners think that the snoring and snuffling noises indicating respiratory difficulties are 鈥渆ndearing鈥� or 鈥渃ute鈥�.聽If a child were making similar noises they would quite rightly be rushed to hospital.

And now the trend for exaggerated facial traits appears to be taking hold in horses as well.

One breed 鈥� Arab horses 鈥� are characterised by having a slightly 鈥渄ished鈥� face.聽In the US in particular, exaggerated examples of this feature are in demand. This week with what looks like a deformed upper frontal bone in its skull giving it an extremely concave head shape.聽While the Veterinary Record journal .

They are worried about this trend because horses are what are known as obligate nasal breathers 鈥� that means they cannot breathe through their mouths.聽In a horse with an extremely dished face, the nasal passages are likely to be significantly narrowed, restricting airflow and therefore capability for exercise.聽This horse is being hailed as 鈥渃lose to perfection鈥� and due to its breeding potential is already rumoured to be worth millions of pounds.

When vets and animal welfare campaigners raise their concerns, they are often aggressively accused by breeders and owners of having no understanding.聽Owners are incensed when it is pointed out that their animals may be suffering, because this state of affairs has been so normalised by society.

So what can be done?

The key is to educate owners, the public and particularly trend-setting celebrity pet owners. It must be understood that breeding for physical characteristics which require medical intervention for the animal to live a normal life is not acceptable.

If a wolf gave birth to an extremely brachycephalic cub, it would rightly be regarded as a mutant and probably euthanised to prevent ongoing suffering, but because these traits have been selected over many generations in pets, the oddness of them is not as apparent.

The British Veterinary Association is doing its part by providing guidelines for the appropriate use of any animal species by advertisers, to discourage unhealthy breeds聽being used to promote or sell products and events.

These trends raise many questions without good answers. Why are pedigree breeds so popular when they all come with a host of medical problems? Why do show winners represent extreme examples of the worst characteristics of that breed? What would be wrong with letting an unhealthy breed simply die out?聽Why do we accept animal suffering as normal to satisfy our desire for 聽having something that looks cute?

Ultimately, a seismic shift is needed in perceptions around companion species.

Danny Chambers is a vet at Langford Vets, part of the University of Bristol, UK, and sits on the British Veterinary Association鈥檚 policy committee