As you would be aware, in recent years there has been a rise in the popularity of certain breeds of dogs, especially the brachycephalic breeds – Pugs, French Bulldogs, British Bulldogs, Boston Terriers – but also other breeds with exaggerated features such as Shar Peis and Dachshunds.
This popularity has resulted in the increased use of these breeds in product marketing and advertising, including products aimed specifically at veterinarians, such as veterinary pharmaceuticals.
Unfortunately, exaggerated features can lead to serious health and welfare problems, which the veterinary community is faced with managing in order to give these animals a more comfortable life. Our President’s column in the September issue of the Australian Veterinary Journal talked about the ‘Love is Blind’ campaign that we have developed in partnership with RSPCA Australia to try and raise awareness of these issues.
Consistent with this, the AVA has made the decision to stop using these breeds in advertising material appearing in our publications. Instead, we have recommended using a range of other healthy breeds to promote products and services. We have been really pleased with the response to this request and thank all of our regular advertisers for getting on board with the campaign.
You can find out more about the ’Love is Blind’ campaign at the 'Love is Blind' page.