No animal species has more distinct individuals than dogs. Some have very long hair, others very short; some get tired before others when exercising; some have a flat or long snout; with bulging or sunken eyes…
It British Brachycephalic Dog Working Group (BWG) has asking the questions we should ask ourselves about elements such as sight, hearing or fur and to find out if our pets have the potential to have more chances of living a healthy life.
The key: breathing, eyes, hearing, hygiene and temperature
Do your nose and throat allow you to breathe easily? Can you sniff the environment? Can you sleep without having to wake up to breathe? These are important questions that we must ask ourselves to identify that our dog does not have any breathing-related problems.
In this case, BWG explained that “A healthy dog’s breathing should be calm and relaxed at rest” and, in addition, they emphasize that those who are constrained by the anatomy of the animal itself, as is the case with brachycephalic breeds, will cause long-term problems and prevent the dog from doing the activities it needs to be healthy.
Regarding vision, we have to ask ourselves if our dog can see clearlyYes your eyelids can close completely to protect the eyes and if they can do it comfortably and without difficulty.
“A healthy dog must have the ability to see clearly, that is, to your vision is not disturbed by hair or skin folds“, they detailed in report prepared. For this reason, special care should be given to long-haired breeds such as the Lhasa apso, Yorkshire terrier or Maltese Bichon and take proper care of the coat so that it does not interfere with their eyesight.
Are your ears clean? Is hair related to deafness? This is the most important question we should ask ourselves about our dog’s hearing. In this case, we must also make sure that the hair does not block the ear canal.
Also, There are several genes that affect good hearing, for example those associated with spots on the skin as in the case of the Dalmatians, for example; or with coloring merlegenetic mutation and it’s linked to deafness.
Another important aspect that we should pay attention to is clean our dog. Is your skin smooth and without excessive wrinkles? There are many breeds that have folds in their skin, so special care should be taken to keep excess moisture and skin impurities from building up.
“Besides, animals must have the body flexibility needed to washi.e. must be able to lick the perineum, anus and genitals,” they explained in the report.
Finally, we should also ask ourselves some questions about our dog’s body temperature: Does its fur allow it to cool off easily? Does it protect you from the sun? and keep you at a comfortable temperature? Do you have a big enough skull? to cool the air you breathe?
“Important presence of a layer that promotes heat retention and loss necessary for homeostasis,” they explain in the report. “A very thick coat or baldness can impair a dog’s thermoregulatory function.”
Second, brachycephalic race, by having a deformed skull, their nasal function is impaired and the cooling of the inspired air is reduced, which is also dangerous for the animal.
This is some signs in sight that we can check and solve quickly if we see that something is not going well, but they are not the only one, their digestion, ability to move and social behavior, are some of the other more complex aspects of detecting irregularities, but they can also show that our dog is not healthy.
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