For many years, responsible breeders have been engaging in health screening programmes to ensure the best possible likelihood that the puppies they breed are healthy and free from hereditary disease. So why do we still see so many dogs with problems?
There are many litters bred that are never Kennel Club registered; of these many come from breeders who have only ever bred one litter, and it is these casual breeders who are often not well informed about screening and need to be educated about health issues and of the tests that are available and that help produce ft and healthy puppies. While the Kennel Club is able to communicate with breeders once they have registered their puppies, the ideal time to talk to breeders is well before litters are even planned, and it is often veterinary nurses that have access to these individuals.
Informed breeders, such as those who are members of the Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme, members of the 750 plus Kennel Club registered breed clubs and many of those involved with showing dogs, are fully aware of which health issues affect their breed and have been tackling these issues for many years. Veterinary nurses play an important role in helping casual or first time breeders understand the important steps to take when breeding.
I am not only a veterinary nursing assistant but a Kennel Club Assured Breeder too, and so I have first-hand experience in dog breeding and a vested interest in it. People underestimate the time, money and effort that goes into breeding dogs responsibly, and as a result may end up breeding unhealthy dogs.
A nurse-led ‘breeder clinic’ is an idea I came up with several years ago to help serious and responsible breeders, such as those within the Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme, who carry out health testing as a matter of routine. By having numerous health tests available in one place, we can offer significant cost savings to breeders and also communicate the importance of health testing and the hard work involved in dog breeding to clients visiting the surgery and those thinking about breeding.
We have to get in at the bottom level with new owners and potential breeders. I often find myself trying to put more people of breeding than encouraging them, but making potential breeders aware of the effort involved in dog breeding and the importance of health checks can only have a positive effect on the future health of dogs. Making it easier and less expensive for breeders to carry out health checks may also encourage those who breed dogs without undertaking health checks to change their ways.
I have bred German Shepherds and Miniature Bull Terriers and so I know what is involved. I run these clinics with this knowledge in hand and would advise anyone thinking about setting up a breeder clinic to ensure they have a knowledgeable breeder on board to help.
Lakeview Veterinary Centre offers most of the commonly required tests — clinical eye testing and hip scoring and elbow grading run under the KC/BVA schemes — and will also collect samples for a wide range of tests including UP/C (kidney function) and various DNA tests which are then forwarded on to the relevant laboratories around the world. In addition certificated heart testing by electrocardiogram (ECG) trace and auscultation, and certificated PKD kidney scanning are offered and more tests will be available in the future.