Taking action — educating dog breeders

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.