Brachycephalic explosion?

[Floofbunny]

Hi,
So I swear "normal" rabbit breeds used to be popular back in the day.

But now it all seems to be mini lops, Netherland Dwarf or Lionhead all the time.

But I don't understand,
These breeds are the unhealthiest and few people have time to groom a dog or cat, let alone a lionhead.

They're sweet, but the majority of the market? Pushing poor Dutch to the side?

So why the sudden surge in popularity?
Are they as unhealthy as people say they are?

Do you think it's a fad that will die down or be banned like pug or frenchie in the future?

I'm just so confused 😕

[InspectorMorse]

https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/charitie...health-issues/

https://vetsagainstbrachycephalism.com/

https://news.vin.com/default.aspx?pi...mVINNEWSASPX=1

https://mdpi-res.com/d_attachment/an...ion=1569499936

“Brachy” means short, “cephaly” refers to the head. In veterinary medicine we refer to animals with brachycephaly as having shorter skulls. We see this widely in dogs and cats; think of your bulldogs, pugs and Persians, but we are also seeing this bred for trait in rabbits.

Over time, breeders have selected a shorter, “cuter” face shape for our pets, but the results are disastrous and lead to a host of health problems and can affect quality of life. Examples of affected rabbit breeds include Netherland dwarf, lop-eared breeds and lionheads.

The shorter face means that the lower jaw is longer than the top one and dental malocclusion frequently results. This leads to tooth elongation, chronic pain, tongue and cheek lacerations, abscesses and in some cases euthanasia. Like in cats, the tear duct is often abnormal and leads to chronic tear overflow. Lop-eared breeds are also faced with an additional predisposition to middle ear infections as their ears do not stand up straight like their wild counterparts.

We love all our patients, but it can be heartbreaking when these breeds present consistently for health problems that could have been prevented if their anatomy was normal. It would be great if we can recognize this in our pet rabbits and perhaps appreciate the wild-type breeds that have been selected less and are less inbred.

[Shimmer]

There are an awful lot of lop eared rabbits around. I don't think new owners appreciate the dental issues that are more likely with genetic skull modifications in rabbits, and the effect it has on quality of life.

A lot of cat breeds are very short faced as well now. Plus the popularity of hairless breeds of cat, guinea pig, rats, etc. These need really specialist care, probably more than the exeptionally fluffy ones. Scottish Fold cats are also much more readily available, although there have been attempts to ban the breed in the past due to the abnormal bone development in many, plus other inherited conditions. The folded ears are not really an issue - it's the other genetic effects of achieving the 'cute' feature that cripple the animal.

[bunny momma]

I had dwarf bunnies for many years without dental issues, yet find more and more bunnies in recent years have dental issues. Irresponsible breeding of rabbits who knowingly have dental issues to produce solely for looks IMO.

[InspectorMorse]

This is a Breed Standard being aimed for

[mini lop1]

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[TheBee]

I've owned mini lops for 25 years. Had some with dental issues. But the labeling of them ALL being unhealthy by welfare groups I find unfair. There are many healthy rabbits of this breed. And as I've said elsewhere in many posts any breed can suffer from illnesses whether it be dental etc.
Larger rabbits are more prone to heart disease and athiritis at a younger ages.
Rexes more prone to suffer sore hocks
I don't think mini lops are more popular now to when they where 25 years ago when I got my first mini lop Mitzi, they seemed more popular back then well that's how I saw it anyway.
If they are bred not to the extremities they can be healthy pets.
I've seen so many more being abandoned since welfare campaign group rwaf started against the breed. Despite not being against other breeds like giants, mainly because the editor of magazine owns and loves giants. It's one rule for them and another for everyone else

I don’t think more lops have been abandoned since the RWAF campaign than any other time. And that’s sort of the point, that they ARE bred to extremities - interbred time and time again and us rescues then have to try and scrabble together the funds, and put all our time and energy and love into trying to fix these poor animals.

[mini lop1]

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[TheBee]

I have a mini lop now he is very spoilt and not a poor animal.
I also help rescues by donating and have done for years.
It's rabbits bought on impulse as children's pets my main concern and sold on pets shops like pets at home selling misexed rabbits which then have accidental litters

I also have mini lops within my rescue, currently. There is barely a single one who doesn’t have health issues. Why people are continuing to breed and support these breeds purely because they look cute is beyond me. It absolutely is an issue.

[mini lop1]

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