Book From Welfare Campaigner Emma Milne Aims To Help Owners Prioritise Health Over Breed
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Posted
5th December, 2018 09h14
Vet and welfare campaigner Emma Milne has published ‘Picking a Pedigree?’ a book which gives prospective pet owners the science-based information they need to make an informed choice when choosing a new pet.
Despite the congenital health problems suffered by many popular breeds of dogs and cats becoming more well-known, brachycephalic dogs, including pugs and French bulldogs, and ‘designer’ cats, including hairless cats and munchkin cats continue to grow in popularity. To help owners understand the implications of selecting some pedigree breeds, Emma Milne’s book guides them through the evolutionary background of dogs and cats and describes the typical inherited diseases and deformities attributed to certain breeds. These include breathing problems, excessive hair, heart disease, skin problems and back problems. The book concludes with practical advice to help owners buy a healthy puppy or kitten and to avoid the risk of supporting puppy farms.
Emma Milne explains: “I’ve been campaigning on this issue for twenty years and, if anything the conformational issues and inherited disease problems in dogs and cats, are getting worse with some breeders striving for ever more extreme body shapes.
“Selecting a pet with inherited defects can cost thousands in vet bills and cause anguish for family members. It also creates a relinquishment problem for animal shelters as they have to take in abandoned pets with health problems. While awareness is certainly increasing, too often prospective pet owners are still unaware of the health implications of the pet they are buying and it is difficult for my veterinary colleagues to criticise the choice of a client’s puppy or kitten once it has been bought. All too often though they are left to pick up the pieces.”
She continued: “Education is the key. It is vital that prospective owners understand why different body shapes could be detrimental to health and how far removed from nature some of our breeds now are. If we can encourage them to stop choosing the quirky extremes in some breeds, demand for them will soon fall. My message is simple – we should all prioritise health and temperament way above what animals look like.
“I hope that responsible prospective pet owners will find Picking a Pedigree? an enlightening read and that it will inform their choice of a new family member. I also hope that it will be a useful resource for vets and nurses to be able to recommend to reinforce their pre-purchase advice.”
Notes to editors
Emma Milne is a TV Vet, author and animal welfare campaigner. She appeared in all eleven series of Vets in Practice and has been a guest on numerous TV and Radio Shows, including BBC Breakfast, This Morning and Radio 5 Live. Emma lives in France with her husband and their two daughters.
Picking a Pedigree? is now available to buy at the RRP of £19.95. You can find out more about Picking a Pedigree? at www.5mbooks.com/picking-a-pedigree.html.
For author interviews or a review copy please contact [email protected].
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