Dates: October 2010 - 2013

Aims: To estimate the prevalence of disorders recorded across purebred and crossbred cats and dogs attending primary-care veterinary practices in England in order to assist prioritisation of disorders of greatest welfare impact.

Relevance of project: Although associations between purebred dog-breeding and health disorders have been reported for over half a century (Hein 1963, Hodgman 1963, Knight 1963, Willis 1963), the purebred dog health issue was catapulted into the public consciousness in August 2008 when the BBC aired the Pedigree Dogs Exposed documentary that alleged major health problems in modern pedigree dogs (BBC 2008). Three subsequent landmark reports concurred that purebred dog breeding practices did impose welfare costs on dogs but that a lack of reliable prevalence data was constraining efforts at effective reform (APGAW 2009, Bateson 2010, Rooney 2009). The reports universally concluded that primary veterinary practice clinical records were the optimal data source for disorder information that was representative of the general population of dogs (Nicholas 2011).

This PhD study, supported by the RSPCA, aimed to develop VetCompass as a companion animal health surveillance system and to report the prevalence of common disorders affecting cats and dogs in England. This information would increase our understanding of the priority disorders of cats and dogs, both overall and at a breed level, and would inform evidence-based strategies for the use of limited resources to improve dog welfare.

Funding body: RSPCA

Academic Collaborators: Prof Paul McGreevy and Assoc Prof Peter Thomson (University of Sydney

Current project status: This study has now been completed and the PhD degree has been awarded.

References

APGAW (2009) A healthier future for pedigree dogs. The Associate Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare, London

Bateson, P. (2010) Independent inquiry into dog breeding. University of Cambridge, Cambridge

BBC (2008) Pedigree Dogs Exposed

Hein, H. E. (1963) Abnormalities and defects in pedigree dogs-II. Hereditary aspects of hip dysplasia. Journal of Small Animal Practice 4, 457-462

Hodgman, S. F. J. (1963) Abnormalities and defects in pedigree dogs–I. An investigation into the existence of abnormalities in pedigree dogs in the British Isles. Journal of Small Animal Practice 4, 447-456

Knight, G. C. (1963) Abnormalities and defects in pedigree dogs–III. Tibio-femoral joint deformity and patella luxation. Journal of Small Animal Practice 4, 463-464

Nicholas, F. W. (2011) Response to the documentary Pedigree Dogs Exposed: Three reports and their recommendations. The Veterinary Journal 189, 126-128

Rooney, N. J. (2009) The welfare of pedigree dogs: cause for concern. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research 4, 180-186

Willis, M. B. (1963) Abnormalities and defects in pedigree dogs—V. Cryptorchidism. Journal of Small Animal Practice 4, 469-474