The Kennel Club is seeking the expertise of breed clubs as it prepares to launch the 2014 Pedigree Breed Health Survey, which if successful will give the most wide-ranging insight into dog breed health to date.

 

The survey, which is being developed in collaboration with Animal Health Trust’s quantitative geneticist Dr Tom Lewis, will follow up on the Kennel Club’s 2004 Purebreed Dog Health Survey. It will aim to improve our understanding of the current health of all dog breeds, as well as highlighting positive progress in the breeds since 2004.

 

The Kennel Club’s breed health and information manager, Aimee Llewellyn, said: “This is the first time that a project has been undertaken on this scale, and across so many different breeds, and we hope that it will provide invaluable insights to vets, scientists, breeders and all those with a concern in improving dog health.”

 

Breed health coordinators are currently being asked for their input, which will enable the survey to be tailored to tackle breed specific issues, as well as more general dog health issues.

 

Aimee continued: “In the first phase of this project we are calling on the expertise of breed health coordinators, who can coordinate with their breed clubs and feed back to us with any breed specific conditions that they have seen emerging or affecting their breed and that they feel should be reflected in our survey. Their expertise and experiences are vital to ensuring that this survey is as accurate and detailed as possible.”

 

Once breed specific information has been gathered, the survey will be sent to 385,000 Kennel Club registered dog owners, and to members who have subscribed to Kennel Club emails. 

 

Breed specific feedback from breed club health coordinators should be given to the Kennel Club by August 1, 2014 by email.