Dr. Gert ter Haar, a specialist in short-muzzled animals at the AniCura veterinary hospital, widened her nostrils and performed other procedures to improve her breathing. Dogs are being bred for their looks, but people tend to forget about their health, said Ter Haar, who recommended potential pet owners should consult a vet before buying. On many, many organs", Dr. Ter Haar said. Dr. Ter Haar said pugs and French bulldogs are mostly affected, although larger dogs such as boxers and chows can also suffer from overbreeding. Dutch Minister of Agriculture and Nature Piet Adema has drafted a legal change to ban harmful characteristics after a transitional period during which owners of overbred pets will be exempt.

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Persons: XXL Pablo, Read, Katja, Ilia, Abby, Gert ter Haar, Ter Haar, pugs, Nature Piet Adema, Charlotte Van Campenhout, Bart Biesemans, Anthony Deutsch, Barbara Lewis Organizations: French bulldogs, Agriculture, Nature, Thomson Locations: Utrecht, UTRECHT, Netherlands, Dutch