Kennel Club and Veterinary Cardiovascular Society commit to five-year cardiology programme

Following more than five years of collaboration between the Veterinary Cardiovascular Society (VCS) and The Kennel Club to improve canine heart health, the two organisations have committed to a five-year programme for six pedigree dog breeds at risk of heart disease problems.

The Kennel Club and VCS have made significant progress in improving canine heart health, including launching The Kennel Club Heart Scheme in 2019 for the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. This official screening scheme aims to detect heart disease in Cavaliers and provide guidance to breeders on how to lower the risk of producing puppies affected by mitral valve disease (MVD). In 2023, 41.5% of Cavalier King Charles Spaniel litters had at least one parent heart screened.

Last year, The Kennel Club and VCS also conducted exploratory heart testing sessions for Whippets (with 53 dogs auscultated and doppler screened), and earlier this year, for Chihuahuas (with 49 dogs auscultated and doppler screened). These sessions aimed to provide a 'snapshot' of cardiac health and offer support on potential next steps for each breed via their Breed Health and Conservation Plans.

The Kennel Club remains committed to collaborating with the VCS for the next five years, and together the organisations have identified the need for further research into the following breeds to better understand their heart health:

• Boxer
• Dobermann
• Irish Wolfhound
• Great Dane
• Newfoundland
• Bull Terrier

The organisations will be offering discounted heart testing opportunities for these breeds over the next five years, as well as surveying owners, aiming to gain further insights into overall heart health.

Whilst this will not necessarily lead to the immediate development of a formal screening scheme, The Kennel Club takes insights from research which feeds into its Breed Health and Conservation Plans, so that it can work with breed communities to give information and guidance about how to improve dog health and address breed-associated health issues in pedigree dogs. These plans, which enable The Kennel Club to track progress and make meaningful changes to breed health, have been developed as a result of reviewing more than 4,000 health research papers, making the project the most comprehensive review of pedigree health data anywhere in the world.

The Kennel Club encourages participation in the upcoming exploratory sessions which will focus on the above six breeds. These sessions are scheduled for Tuesday 1 and Wednesday 2 October 2024 at The Kennel Club building in Stoneleigh, Coventry. For more information or to register interest, please contact health@thekennelclub.org.uk.

Charlotte McNamara, Head of Health at The Kennel Club, commented: "The Kennel Club is committed to improving heart health and identifying and addressing breed-associated issues for these wonderful breeds and hopefully others in future. We are extremely pleased to be able to offer this opportunity for discounted testing as we know cardiology appointments for owners can be at great cost. We look forward to working alongside the cardiologists, owners and breeders to help collect data and improve heart health."

Hannah Stephenson, cardiologist at the VCS, said: "The VCS are delighted that further progress is being made to identify heart disease in different pedigree dog breeds. As a society, we are keen to reduce the incidence of canine heart disease and look forward to our continued collaboration with The Kennel Club."

It is also the last chance to participate in The Kennel Club's online survey which aims to improve understanding of the prevalence and types of heart disease affecting different pedigree dog breeds. The results will be used to direct new research to areas requiring further attention. To date almost 6,000 people have participated; The Kennel Club hopes to reach 10,000. The survey, open to any owner of any breed, can be completed here.

Additionally, The Kennel Club will be holding a freely accessible and educational heart webinar in February 2025 which will explore a range of heart problems found in dogs, open to owners and breeders of all levels of experience. More information about this will be available on The Kennel Club website in due course.

Further information about heart disease in dogs and support for owners and breeders can be found at thekennelclub.org.uk/heartdisease.