Impact of an educational intervention on public perception of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome in brachycephalic dogs

Abstract

Background: The popularity of brachycephalic dogs continues to increase despite inherent breed health problems. Increased education of current and potential brachycephalic dog owners could reduce the desirability of severely affected dogs. Methods: Members of the general public were prospectively recruited to assess their understanding and opinions of brachycephalic breed-related health problems, before and after an educational intervention on brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS). Results: A total of 587 people participated. Before the intervention most participants considered characteristics of BOAS to be normal for brachycephalic dogs. Following the intervention this was moderately reduced. Responses highlighted that defining 'normal' for a breed is difficult. Referring to a trait as 'normal', even in a negative context results in normalisation. 99.7% of participants had an improved understanding of BOAS following the intervention. However, only 53.0% of the total participants and 29.3% of brachycephalic dog owning participants had their opinion of brachycephalic dogs changed. 99.5% of participants believed that potential owners should be more aware of BOAS and 57.3% of brachycephalic dog owners would have liked further information about breed health problems before purchasing their dog. Conclusion: Educational interventions may be beneficial in improving understanding and awareness of BOAS however, normalisation of clinical signs of BOAS remains prevalent. K E Y W O R D Sbrachycephalic, brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS), breed health, public perception, questionnaire

‘All I do is fight fires’: Qualitative exploration of UK veterinarians’ attitudes towards and experiences of pre‐purchase consultations regarding brachycephalic dogs

“…Persistent public demand for dogs with extreme brachycephaly, and empirical evidence of the relative inefficacy of educational interventions targeting public preference towards extreme brachycephalic breeds, 61 suggests that simply providing information alone with the aim of ‘educating’ prospective clients is unlikely to lead to major shifts in purchasing behaviour. This public intransigence to change likely stems from a range of psychological barriers in this current or prospective ownership group that includes cognitive dissonance, motivated reasoning and confirmation bias.…”

Rising ownership of brachycephalic dogs: what can we do to intervene?

“…Studies such as that by Kenny and colleagues, summarised on p 462 of this issue of Vet Record, 19 reconfirm people's attraction to the personality and aesthetics of brachycephalic dogs. Kenny and colleagues also demonstrate that educational interventions highlighting the respiratory problems experienced by brachycephalic dogs can change people's opinions of these breeds.…”

“…of the problems not necessarily translating to behavioural change. 19 Similar studies have also shown that knowledge of breed-related health issues and extreme conformation does not necessarily deter ownership of those breeds, 20 although the likelihood of future ownership or recommendation does decline relative to the number of health issues experienced. 17 We can perhaps consider this population growth to be self-sustaining.…”

Attitude toward brachycephalic dogs is influenced by age, sex, parenthood, education, and personality but not by eye-contact preference or health-awareness

“…The well-being of these breeds could be improved only by changing people's mindsets and increasing the demand for healthy individuals. Although educational interventions may decrease the perception of health issues as normal for brachycephalic breeds among the general public, this seems not to change the positive attitude of brachycephalic dog enthusiasts 53 . For them, education would be important on what they can do for the health of brachycephalic breeds through their purchases.…”