17.03.26
Did you know that breeding dogs for certain looks over many years has left some of our four-legged friends living with serious health problems?
As a result, some dogs:
- Can’t breathe properly because they’ve been bred to have flat faces.
- Suffer chronic skin issues due to excessive skin folds and wrinkles.
- Cannot bend their bodies to groom themselves due to spinal abnormalities.
- Face painful eye conditions due to drooping eyelids, inward or outward turned eyelids, or bulging eyes.
- Cannot wag their tail and communicate with other dogs and humans because they’ve been bred without one.
- Develop spinal problems and arthritis because their legs are extremely short.
- Struggle to eat properly and live with dental issues due to malformed jaws.
Sadly, these problems come from breeding dogs for extreme physical traits, also called extreme conformation. The physical and psychological toll on dogs living with extreme conformation can be severe, and their owners often face significant emotional stress and high veterinary costs.
A simple tool to help dogs live healthier lives
There is hope of a healthier future for dogs. Vets, scientists and animal welfare groups have been working together to reduce these avoidable problems. One initiative designed to help with this is the Innate Health Assessment (IHA), a new tool launched at the end of last year that aims to help ensure dogs of the future can live without extreme conformation.
What is the Innate Health Assessment?
Developed by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare (APGAW), of which Naturewatch Foundation is a member, the IHA is a 10-point visual checklist to help people identify whether a dog has the basic physical foundations needed for sound innate health.
The assessment focuses on clear, straightforward features, such as whether a dog:
- Has a tail they can wag.
- Has a defined muzzle.
- Has eyes that sit comfortably in their sockets.
- Has smooth skin, rather than wrinkled or folded skin.
- Has body proportions that allow for normal movement.
These may sound like simple characteristics, and that’s exactly the point. By encouraging more moderate body shapes, the IHA aims to reduce the risk of avoidable health and welfare problems associated with extreme conformation.
The IHA:
- Is voluntary.
- Applies to individual dogs, rather than breeds.
- Is based on many years of veterinary research and clinical evidence.
- Has the support of animal charities (including Naturewatch Foundation), veterinary groups and insurance providers.
Importantly, the IHA is not a replacement for other welfare checks. Instead, it can be used alongside veterinary checks, health screening tests and temperament assessments to support responsible breeding decisions.
Why change is needed
Rescue centres are reporting a significant increase in dogs with extreme physical traits being relinquished or abandoned by their owners. Often, this is happening because owners simply cannot afford the veterinary costs associated with caring for a dog with extreme conformation. Tragically, some dogs are arriving at rescue centres in such poor health that the kindest option is euthanasia.
By encouraging healthier breeding practices and better-informed decisions, the IHA aims to reduce these heartbreaking situations and help more dogs stay happy and healthy with their families.
Help give dogs a healthier future
Humans make many of the decisions that shape dogs’ lives, from breeding choices to the types of dogs we welcome into our homes. Through supporting initiatives like the IHA, we can help ensure that all dogs of all breeds and types can do the things they were born to do: breathe easily, move comfortably, wag their tails, run around and generally enjoy life.
If you care about the future health of dogs, we encourage you to visit the IHA website to learn more about the assessment and why it matters. Please also consider sharing information about the tool with friends and family who love dogs as much as you do.
We’re keen to hear from, and work with, others who want a healthier, happier future for dogs, so if you have any questions about the IHA and why we support it, please do email us at info@naturewatch.org.
