March 2023
Canine Fertility Clinics
This month we will be focusing on the huge business of canine fertility clinics that are popping up all over the UK. Naturewatch Foundation have evidence of 332 clinic operating in the UK as opposed to 37 in 2020 following the growing demand for certain breeds with extreme features. You may have heard about canine fertility cowboys following investigations by the BBC, and the British Veterinary Association have called for urgent enforcement action to clamp down on these illegal activities.
In January 2023 BBC Reporter Sam Poling went undercover to investigate the extreme dog breeding trade. You can watch the episode via your mobile device at the following link - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-64394746
These clinics appear to be respectable businesses with offers of helping their clients to assist breeding when they cannot get pregnant naturally right? Well the answer is no – they work by helping dogs breed with extreme versions such as pocket bullies, fluffy Frenchie’s and pugs, as well as ‘big rope’ Frenchie’s, English bulldogs, micro bullies, XL bullies and more purely for the way they look. Sadly, these breeds struggle to reproduce and whelp (give birth) naturally and are quite literally having to suffer for their looks. Most of the extreme breeds such as exotic bullies will live a short life, burdened with deformities and pain.
So here is the lowdown
What is a Canine Fertility Clinic?
These clinics offer a range of dog fertility and breeding services, from artificial insemination and ultrasound scanning to progesterone testing and semen extraction. They are often operated by people with no veterinary qualifications. They are set up with no veterinary involvement at all and medicines are prescribed illegally. They promote dog owners to breed their dogs with extreme features with most having life-long disabilities and a limited quality of life. They are not regulated. During the BBC 3 investigation, it shows poor animal handling and hygiene and illegally entering a body cavity during artificial insemination. It also showed illegally taking blood from the animals. Canine fertility clinics largely focus on bulldog breeds who struggle to mate and whelp naturally but as it was found during the TV programmes, that there is a sinister side.
These dogs have life-long conditions where they suffer for the rest of their lives. They are kept for breeding purposes so they can be sold on for further breeding. It is concerning to know how far people are prepared to go. This is big business, and you only need to look on social media and the selling sites to see these dogs and puppies for sale.
Are the clinics regulated?
Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) guidance on what falls under ‘veterinary surgery’
Because these clinics are operating with no veterinary oversight, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) can’t regulate or investigate them, but they are supporting other agencies by giving guidance on which procedures fall under the Veterinary Surgeons Act.
Under this legislation ‘veterinary surgery’ is defined as diagnosis and diagnostic testing, advice base on diagnosis, medical or surgical treatment, and the performance of surgical operations. In relation to fertility clinics the RCVS has advised the following:
The taking of an intravenous blood sample for the purpose of progesterone testing cannot be carried out by a lay person. A dog breeder, whether licensed or unlicensed, should not take an intravenous blood sample from an animal.
Transcervical insemination is an act of veterinary surgery and may only be undertaken by a veterinary surgeon in dogs (in addition, surgical artificial insemination is prohibited by UK animal welfare legislation – see RCVS Guidance)
Intravaginal insemination is not an act of veterinary surgery and may be undertaken by suitably competent lay person
Canine fertility clinics are misleading the public by stating that they are perfectly safe, but they are not. Misuse of unlicensed medicines and drugs only prescribed by a vet are common. And when things go wrong, which they often do, Vets must pick up the pieces. To put it into perspective, Vets have many years of extensive training, however fertility courses last only a few days or even a few hours
Picking up the pieces…
Also included within the Panorama expose was a visit to Hope Rescue in Wales. Hope Rescue is often having to pick up the pieces of this type of extreme breeding. Hope is seeing the ‘torture breeding’ side of this world where dogs are bred in the full knowledge that the dog will suffer.
Keanu the Pocket Bully
This is Keanu who was featured on panorama as an example of extreme breeding. Keanu was an 8 month-old Pocket Bully who was surrendered to Hope when his owners could no longer care for him. Keanu had severe abnormalities in his front legs with his paws turning outward at a 90 degree angle. Due to the pain Keanu was living in Hope had to make the heart breaking decision to let him go. Keanu is not a rare case and Hope are pleading with the public not to buy these dogs. ‘The breeders are only breeding what the public demand, and these “torture” breeders are easy to identify with fancy kennel names and the focus being on pretty colours and exaggerated features such as nose ropes, skin folds and muscle’.
The criminal side of these clinics offering services include mutilations such as ear cropping which is illegal in the UK.
Under the Animal Welfare Act cropping dog’s ears is illegal in the UK as it causes unnecessary suffering. Ear cropping is often performed by unqualified people without pain relief, which can be agonising for the dog. Because of the unlicenced nature of the procedure, dogs are likely to catch infections as their painful wounds heal. Aside from inflicting unnecessary pain, cropping removes a dog's ability to communicate how they’re feeling. Dogs use their ears to tell us if they are feeling happy or stressed. When a large part of their ear is removed, communicating their emotions can be difficult.
In 2021 Two Liverpool men who let puppies suffer after the puppies subjected to the 'cruel' and illegal practice of ear-cropping have been banned from keeping animals. https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2021-12-02/cruel-men-let-puppies-suffer-with-mutilated-cropped-ears
The ‘big’ breeders and links to organised crime.
One animal welfare investigator, who appeared in the Panorama episode undercover, told reporter Sam Poling: "It's a massively lucrative trade, a multitude of breeders throughout the UK are linked. The more extreme dog you produce, the more money you get.
“The majority of the ‘big’ breeders are criminals; drug dealers, organised crime gangs, who are driving the market. It's exactly the same business model as selling drugs, but it's dogs."
One of the big names linked to organised crime is the owner of the UK franchise arm of Muscletone Bully’s. The owner of the company is currently serving 6 years in prison after flooding Warrington with crack and heroin.
On Muscletone’s website you will see them boasting of interbreeding their dogs to create a freak of dog, They openly advertise puppies that’s are product of direct interbreeding between brothers and sisters. To buy a Muscletone bully puppy you will expect to pay anything from 7k to 250K. Studs fees from their dogs are in the range of 4-7K, this highlights how lucrative this market is and without regulation and laws to protect the animals there is currently no deterrent to this unethical type of breeding.
The BVA says a new investigation exposing the links between extreme dog breeding and organised crime should be “a wake-up call” for ministers to act. The president of British Veterinary Association (BVA), Dr Justine Shotton said there was a huge spectrum of clinics, from those operating with complete veterinary oversight to those operated by people with no veterinary qualifications, and even some that are fronts for organised crime networks involved in activities such as puppy smuggling.
The Government states these clinics must comply with the animal welfare and veterinary law however they are not taking any action. We need to keep up the pressure to crack down on these ‘cowboy canine clinics’
How can you help?
If you are thinking of buying a new puppy now or in the future, then please ensure you find a reputable breeder who is knowledgeable in good breeding and welfare practices so that you do not buy a puppy with genetic disorders. And never buy on impulse online as you may be unwittingly supporting the demand for puppies bred inhumanely on puppy farms or bred purely for a certain look rather than health.
If you are considering breeding your four-legged family member, please seek advice and support from your vet. It is important to remember that if you opt for a fertility clinic and there is no vet oversight, and the clinic is offering anything more than transvaginal insemination than you are more than likely dealing with an unethical clinic.
Finally, remember when choosing a future canine family member, it’s far more important to find a dog with the right temperament than it is the right appearance!
https://www.naturewatch.org.uk
https://www.hoperescue.org.uk/