I don’t have a lot to report since the last meeting in October, but I will summarise the year in terms of breed health. There has been some great support for group heart testing sessions from our breed clubs; The Whippet Club, SYWC, and MWC all hosted well-supported clinics during 2023 that ran alongside their shows. NWA ran the heavily subsidised Doppler session for the bargain price of £99. They are able to offer this due to the fantastic fundraising through the Sarah Pirie Heart Fund. MWC also ran the first eye testing clinic we’ve seen at a Club show. I sincerely thank all the clubs that have hosted testing sessions – you are making testing accessible and affordable for all and it has been particularly refreshing to see some non show people attend too. It of course continues to assist in raising awareness too.
We also had the Kennel Club Doppler testing session that was run at Stoneleigh in October. 53 tests were done, at no charge to the owners. I am yet to receive any communication from the Kennel Club in terms of any findings. In the summer of 2023, we finally received a heart testing statement from the Kennel Club, which I have previously shared with you. I had been chasing this up for a considerable time.
Looking ahead, SYWC is hosting an auscultation testing session at their back-to-back open shows in February. There is good support for this session with a handful of places remaining. NWA has confirmed that they will be running another £99 Doppler session on 27th April. The primary focus is on dogs that have already been diagnosed with a murmur and require more extensive testing. At the time of typing, only two places remain! NWA is also hosting auscultation testing at their Championship show in May. It looks like we have good opportunities for the first half of 2024 but I would encourage a club with a show in the latter part of 2024 to host a session, please. As stated before, I am happy to do the admin for you before and on the day.
I have had recent communication with cardiologist Emily Dutton. Her practice may well be able to assist with some research/data gathering for the breed. Emily wants to get a sign-off from the KC lead cardiologist, Hannah Stephenson in the first instance. Both myself and Jan Wood have attempted to communicate with Hannah since November 2022 to no avail. I clarified with the KC that the cardiologists work for them on a voluntary basis.
You will be aware that it was my position that we had not had a Breed Health Conservation Plan from the Kennel Club. This is because I had rejected the drafts that had been sent to me. However, the Kennel Club thought the plan had been signed off in 2022. This categorically was not the case and communications are ongoing to rectify this. At the very minimum, I want the heart testing statement included in the plan.
I have previously asked the Kennel Club about taking on the record-keeping of heart data. However, to date I have received no assurances of how this would be managed, how they would chase up further investigation results, how patterns/info would be shared with the breed etc. Just to confirm – any eye test results are uploaded onto the Kennel Club website as it is an official BVA scheme.
Our Vice Chair, Roger Perkins, has communicated with the Kennel Club in relation to some of the issues we have had with health matters. They have agreed to meet and this is in the process of being arranged.
Jo Whitehead
February 2024