Eurogroup for Animals acknowledges the recent scientific opinion released by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). However, we observe that the perceived absence of scientific evidence supporting straightforward approaches hinders the progression of welfare enhancements.
In the intricate realm of feline and canine care, a compelling narrative emerges, weaving together threads of housing dynamics, health considerations, and the nuanced terrain of painful surgical interventions. At the heart of this discourse is the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), whose discerning insights illuminate the welfare of our four-legged companions.
Dwellings of Distinction: A resounding stance echoes through the corridors of evidence: the breeding elite, our cherished cats and dogs, should not be subject to the protracted captivity of crates, boxes, or cages. Such confinement not only jeopardizes their physical well-being but unfurls a tapestry of aberrant behaviors and distress.
EFSA extends an invitation to explore the necessity of endowing breeding dogs with outdoor havens for daily frolic and socialization. The call for research resonates, acknowledging that these needs should be a daily ritual, though the canvas of conclusive findings awaits additional brushstrokes.
Temperature, an elusive maestro, orchestrates the ideal housing conditions for adult felines at 15 to 26°C. Yet, for their canine counterparts, a symphony of breeds and types complicates the pursuit of the perfect temperature. The chill of scant research blankets young kittens, pregnant bitches, and playful puppies, leaving the ideal housing temperatures shrouded in mystery.
Amid the well-established choreography of light’s role in physiological harmony, EFSA contends that scientific evidence is an elusive dancer in asserting daylight’s impact on the welfare of breeding dogs and cats.
Harmony of Health: EFSA’s report casts a spotlight on the well-being overtures tied to reproduction and breeding frequency, underscoring a cautionary note against commencing breeding before skeletal maturity. Advisably, the overture of assessing body condition scores and overall health orchestrates a symphony of prevention against exhaustion. Queens over six years and bitches over eight merit the attentive gaze of veterinary scrutiny.
In the elusive labyrinth of breeding age standards and whelping intervals, size emerges as a critical refrain for dogs. Small breeds, akin to a finished sonnet, find full growth at 18 months, while their larger counterparts necessitate a prologue of evaluation.
Surgical Serenades: A chapter unfolds on the delicate art of surgical interventions. Cosmetic endeavors, whether the delicate declawing ballet for cats or the canine choreography of tail docking, ear cropping, and debarking, are reserved for moments of imperative health.
The Eurogroup for Animals applauds EFSA’s nod to the evident compromises in dog and cat welfare during these surgical symphonies and the enduring harm of prolonged confinement. Yet, a note of concern echoes, lamenting the dearth of scientific backing for intuitive approaches that could breathe life into the quest for improved living conditions.
In this narrative, the call for harmonious coexistence between humans and their four-legged counterparts is not just a melody; it’s an evolving composition where the ink of knowledge continues to script the tale of compassionate care.