Canine Health Schemes Review - British Veterinary Association

Main Category: Veterinary
Article Date: 01 Apr 2009 - 0:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

The BVA/Kennel Club Canine Health Schemes (CHS) have been branded and re-launched following a review that commenced in March 2006 and saw the formation of a joint management committee to oversee their development.

Commenting on the review BVA President Nicky Paull said: "With the recent publicity over pedigree dogs the re-launch of the CHS is timely. The dedicated 'health zone' at Crufts earlier this month provided us with a perfect opportunity to raise awareness and encourage uptake of the schemes to breeders and the imminent British Small Animal Veterinary Association Congress provides an equally ideal environment for promoting the schemes to the profession.

"In response to concerns expressed by both breeders and vets we are currently looking into investing in equipment to read digital submissions, increasing access to health screening and looking to develop new schemes including one to address heart problems and another for syringomyelia.

"There are a number of initiatives currently being developed, not least those being explored by the BVA Animal Welfare Foundation, to identify practical solutions to the problems associated with breeding in dogs. The BVA/KC CHS are, however, already in place but, in many breeds, underused. Our message to both breeders and the veterinary profession is quite simple - the CHS are here and by using them you can assist in identifying, sometimes painful, inherited defects in dogs."

The Canine Health Schemes serve to provide dog breeders with the option of testing for certain inherited diseases - currently hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia and eye diseases - to enable them to breed only from dogs which have fewer or no signs of inherited disease and thus help to reduce the incidence of these diseases.

British Veterinary Association
7 Mansfield Street, London W1G 9NQ

• Additional
• References
• Citations