Conservation Plan

The Kennel Club will start development of a Breed Health & Conservation Plan for Whippets during the first quarter of 2019.

The purpose of the Breed Health and Conservation Plans project is to ensure that all health concerns are identified through evidence-based criteria, and that breeders are provided with useful information and resources to support them in making balanced breeding decisions that make health a priority.

The BHCP will include information about both inherited …and complex conditions, conformational concerns and population genetics.

The first stage of the plan is compiling an evidence base. The Kennel Club have asked that any research that has been done already is submitted to them by the end of this year. They then hope to complete the evidence base for Whippets by September 2019. It will brought back to myself for discussion with Breed Council and then collaboratively develop a breed action plan.

This is an exciting opportunity and one I believe we must very much make the most of. We now have over 500 heart test results and this is going to form a big part of the evidence that I present.

I am now making an appeal for those that had significant murmurs detected at a group testing session to get in touch with the further diagnostic reports, surgery details etc. PLEASE think about the health of the breed as a whole going forward. We will be missing a huge opportunity if we do not present the information we do have. It is no good to the breed to keep it to yourself.

I will be submitting my report to the KC at the start of December – I have a demanding job and family and I need you all to work with me and get the information in asap.

If you have test certificates, vet reports etc that haven’t been submitted already, please send to our cardologist Mike Holgate. mikeholgate@btinternet.com

In relation to the Whippet Breed Health Conservation Plan; please send me details of any cases of the following. Either by pm or to joclarewhitehead@yahoo.co.uk

KC name, age of diagnosis and outcome.

I have had a fantastic response from the pet community in a matter of hours. Please, please submit your data for the future welfare of the breed.

At this point – just info on these specific conditions required.

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Jo Whitehead 23/01/19