Breed health concerns spark review

3:10pm Tuesday 7th October 2008

Britain's main governing body for dogs announced it would be reviewing every pedigree breed in the UK amid concerns about genetic diseases.

The Kennel Club review follows a BBC documentary which claimed the breeding process used to produce pedigree dogs had resulted in a high incidence of inherited genetic disease.

The club, which organises Crufts, decided to act after the programme showed a prize-winning Cavalier King Charles spaniel which was suffering from syringomyelia, a condition which occurs when a dog's skull is too small for its brain.

It also showed Boxers suffering from epilepsy, Pugs with breathing problems and Bulldogs who were unable to mate or give birth unassisted.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: "The groundswell of public attention on the very important matters surrounding dog breeding is a welcomed momentum that will enable us to drive through, with added urgency, new and extended initiatives that will help to safeguard the health of our pedigree dogs.

"We have been listening and agree with the general public's view that more needs to be done. We have also been encouraging people to use the health schemes available for dogs."

The Kennel Club is releasing the first of a new set of breeding standards, the first of which will be applied to Pekingese dogs. This is set to radically improve the health of the pedigree which for nearly a hundred years was bred to have a flat face, a feature which has led to severe breathing problems in many cases.

The club is also calling on the Government to give it statutory powers to make its Accredited Breeder Scheme compulsory throughout the country - a system that would make it illegal for non-members to produce or sell puppies.

Breed clubs are also required to join the Kennel Club's code of ethics, which includes a clause that forbids the culling of healthy puppies.

A spokesman for the RSPCA, which announced last month that it was pulling out of Crufts over concerns about the welfare of pedigree dogs, said: "We welcome the (Kennel Club) review of breed standards and hope it will make a difference for pedigree dog health and welfare in the future."

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