The Kennel Club is engaging with Breed Health Coordinators over a new health initiative to be launched later in the year, which will give breeders and puppy buyers a clear, evidence-based guide to health testing priorities within their breed.
Breed Health Coordinators and Assured Breeders have been the first last week to receive information about the upcoming Health Standard, which is an exciting breed-specific approach to health testing, developed using The Kennel Club’s world-leading health data – an initiative which supports The Kennel Club’s strategic aim to safeguard the future health and well-being of pedigree dogs.
The Health Standard uses a standard protocol to prioritise health tests based on scientific evidence collated from The Kennel Club’s unique Breed Health & Conservation Plans (BHCPs) – developed over many years, in conjunction with Breed Clubs, and through the review of over 4,000 pieces of scientific literature. The standard takes into account published literature, prevalence data, and – in a first – genetic diversity, in order to categorise and prioritise health tests within every Kennel Club registered breed.
Once launched, the Health Standard will be available on The Kennel Club’s website and in a hard-copy booklet. Supporting information about each test will be found on the Breeds A to Z via The Kennel Club’s website. This will be the first time that The Kennel Club has published formal guidance for all breeders and puppy buyers, which currently only exists for Assured Breeders, under the recommendations and requirements of the scheme.
The Assured Breeders scheme recommendations and requirements will remain unchanged for those on the scheme for the time being, until the Health Standard ultimately becomes the formal set of guidance for all breeders registering with The Kennel Club.
“The Health Standard will be our most robust and thorough review of health testing to date and will be a clear guide for breeders at all levels of experience and puppy buyers wondering how to navigate and prioritise the range of health tests out there, using the deep understanding we have gained over the last decade about breed health,” said Charlotte McNamara, The Kennel Club’s Head of Health.
Whilst breeders will be strongly encouraged to undertake all the health tests listed for their breed, each test has been categorised into what breeders are advised to consider ‘essential’, ‘advisable’, or ‘other’. The categorisation given to the health tests takes into account the clinical evidence about a condition and its prevalence within a breed based on our data – as well as the genetic diversity within the breed itself – to determine if it should be considered advisable or essential. Tests are categorised as ‘other’, where data is still required, but with the clear advice that parents should still be health tested before breeding.
The Health Standard will not be a mandatory requirement of registration when published – but is a clear statement about the importance and prioritisation of health testing, which aims to help encourage natural adoption – and will sit alongside plans to look at how breeders and puppy buyers can be encouraged and incentivised around the use of health testing in the future.
Charlotte added: “Our aim is for all Kennel Club breeders and puppy buyers to use this resource to clearly see all of the testing appropriate for their breed and to encourage them to health test for the health conditions listed. For puppy buyers this resource should help them in shaping questions to breeders on health. We already offer a number of health screening programmes including our world-leading breathing scheme for BOAS (RFG scheme) and our DNA Health Testing Services bundles aim to help take the hard work out of selecting and using DNA health tests.
“However, the Health Standard recognises the pragmatic reality that many breeders don’t ’health test for everything, or in many cases at all, both within The Kennel Club registered population and those outside of our influence.. The number of tests can be overwhelming for novice breeders – and we know that 42% of litters registered with us are from first-time breeders – so the Health Standard will send a clear message about the importance of health testing, and acts as a practical tool for prioritising health testing in the best possible way, based on robust scientific criteria. We want to remove the hard work from doing the right thing, and make decision making as easy as possible, whilst being pragmatic about where people are at currently when it comes to health testing.
“In creating the protocol for the Health Standard, we have considered not just the prevalence and relevance of a condition for each breed, but also how genetically diverse a breed is when assigning health tests a status – as in some cases difficult choices need to be made about how to balance health testing results with the need to keep a viable, genetically diverse population, and this tool has been developed to improve breed health in the round.
“The Health Standard is rooted in science and so, as new data and trends emerge, so will the categorisation of the tests, which will be subject to ongoing oversight and comprehensive regular five yearly review.
“This is just one vital step in our journey to providing better information, education and incentives to breeders and puppy buyers, so that we can increase the natural demand for and uptake of health testing and other responsible breeding tools.”
The Health Standard will be launched formally – after digital development and engagement with Breed Health Coordinators, Breed Clubs and Assured Breeders – later in the year, where further details will be given.
FURTHER INFORMATION & CLARITY RELATING TO THE HEALTH STANDARD