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issue > puppy/kitten mills > harm to animals
KEY MESSAGE: Animals can suffer physically and psychologically in puppy and kitten mills. This pain and suffering has been documented through inspection reports, cruelty investigations, animal rescues and veterinarian reports, and general research.
Physical pain and suffering Physical suffering is the easiest to see or prove. Examples: Some breeding facilities house dogs or cats in cages or pens with excessive feces and urine. This poor sanitation results in matted hair, skin infections, parasites and the spread of disease between animals — and pain and suffering to the animals. (Strong ammonia odors from excessive urine can also contribute to disease and discomfort for the animals.) High-density caging and over-crowding combined with inadequate or poor quality food and water also creates stress in animals which reduces animal immune systems, making them more susceptible to disease or other debilitating conditions. Examples of these diseases common to puppy mills include eye lesions, deafness, cataracts, epilepsy, retinal degeneration, hip dysplasia, dislocated kneecaps, glaucoma, cognitive issues, mammary tumors, and periodontal disease. As noted above, one common ailment with puppy mill dogs is “dislocated kneecaps.” Animals who are kept for long periods in cramped cages with little or no exercise and poor nutrition can develop wobbly kneecaps due to insufficient muscle growth. The wired cages can also cause physical harm to the animals’ paws and legs, as they struggle to stand on the wire and keep their legs from falling through and getting caught or mangled. Another example: Ventral Lid Bilateral Entropion, a painful condition where a dog’s eyelids turn inward so that his or her lashes scratch the corneas. If not corrected, the dog could go blind. A dog may have this condition but look perfectly healthy. Due to cost (surgery is an estimated $275-$350 per eye), profit-driven breeders may not consider it worthy of correcting and so deny an animal veterinarian care. The Wisconsin Puppy Mill Project has profiled Max the Boxer, who had this condition. Physically "damaged" animals may be sold at auction (though injured or deformed, they’re still considered viable for breeding) or killed if medical expenses are too high. Puppy mills also cull puppies with ‘defects.’ These defects could include a dog that has too short of a tail, a sparse coat, undescended testicles, an umbilical hernia, or is just too small or too large. Other defects due to captivity and inhumane conditions include animals with loss of limbs or bones, deformed or broken legs from overcrowded wire cages, abscessed feet or hyperflexion.
Breeding dog, Minnesota breeder convicted of cruelty Psychological suffering Anyone who has been in a puppy or kitten mill or at a backyard breeder has witnessed dogs, puppies, cats and kittens cowering in the corner, afraid to approach humans or show affection. The psychological and emotional well-being of an animal is as critical as the physical well-being. Because standards, inspections and enforcement of breeding conditions are minimal (by the USDA) or inadequate based on the needs of the animal and breed, psychological problems develop with the animals, such as trauma, extreme fear, kennel shyness, stress and aggression. Scientific reports confirm this. To cite a few reports:
Improper breeding and care practices of the adult females also creates suffering, where females are kept in cages or pens their entire lives and bred each heat cycle. These breeding females are known as “brood bitches.” The males, too, are subjected to excessive confinement and use for repeated breeding, which can result in suffering. The Internet has numerous stories describing these dogs. HSUS profiles one breeding female named CJ, typical of a brood bitch: “The dog, who became known as CJ (short for Calamity Jane), bore all the symptoms of a puppy-mill breeding female. She not only had the blank expression and frail, bald body of a perpetually neglected animal, but also had untreated sarcoptic mange, ringworm, skin infections, dermatitis, ear infections, arthritis in her back legs (from years of close confinement), and early cataracts. What’s more, she had lost many of her teeth … due to poor care and nutrition.” Emotional distress with adult dogs, including mental breakdowns, has been documented. This is why “environmental enrichment” — creating a physical environment that promotes the overall psychological well-being of the animal — is a priority for many animal welfarists and advocates. The MN Commercial Breeders Licensing and Enforcement law (passed in 2014), requires breeders (who meet the definition of the law) to provide daily enrichment and positive physical contact as per Minn. Stat. sec. 347.59:
The MN Board of Animal Health, who administers the law, is responsible for ensuring that these requirements are met for each animal in the kennel. Local governments, when granting conditional use permits, may not consider psychological (or physical) factors as they have not been trained in animal welfare, the care of this species and the type of conditions needed for proper animal health and well-being in mass production facilities.
Breeding dog, Minnesota breeder, kennel closed
Studies and research describing harm to puppy mill dogs Dr. Franklin McMillan, a board-certified specialist in veterinary internal medicine and leading expert on emotional pain in animals, has conducted considerable research on the behavioral challenges in dogs and puppies from commercial breeding establishments (CBEs), including the mental health and emotional well-being of animals who have experienced psychological trauma from abuse and neglect. Dr. McMillan's work has led him to conclude: "The psychological trauma to both the adult dogs and the puppies from their confinement in these commercial breeding establishments is extensive, severe, and long-lasting ... [Today's] laws haven't come close to keeping pace with the advances in scientific knowledge about the nature of canine well-being." Dr. McMillan is known for his research on breeding dogs and puppies from high volume breeding facilities. One of Dr. McMillan's studies, based on evaluations of 1,159 dogs from mass commercial breeding establishments (CBEs), was published in 2011 in Applied Animal Behavior Science. This study provided the first clear quantitative evidence that "dogs confined in CBEs for breeding purposes demonstrate impaired mental health and, as a result, diminished welfare." What the study found:
Another study by Dr. McMillan, published in 2013 in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, focused on puppies and compared the psychological and behavioral characteristics of 413 adult dogs that were purchased as puppies from pet stores with adult dogs purchased as puppies from small-scale, private breeders. What the study found:
PUBLICATIONS
Videos Video below shows unwanted animals in pounds or shelters due to mass production of unwanted animals, resulting euthanasia. Links below deal specifically with puppy mills throughout the United States, as well as documentation of dog auctions and pet store conditions. Many links contain graphic images. Below is a small sample of videos.
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