Guest post by Ian J Seath, Chairman, Dachshund Breed Council
The Dachshund Breed Council was founded in 2008 following many years of “informal” cooperation in the
form of the UK Dachshund Clubs' Forum and, before that, the Annual Secretaries'
Meeting.
In recent years much of the
discussion at meetings of Clubs has been devoted to health and welfare. This has continued to dominate the work of
the Council and we have a committed H&W Sub-committee, plus a number of
other Club officers who “take the lead” on particular topics. There are typically three strands to our work
on any health issue: firstly evidence gathering, to establish more than
anecdotal information about a potential problem; secondly education of breeders
so they can make informed decisions about their stock and thirdly, working with
the KC, AHT and others to establish the most appropriate approach to
health-testing and breeding strategies.
The most significant health
condition affecting Dachshunds is Inter-vertebral Disk Disease (IVDD) and over
the past couple of years we have been reviewing the research evidence to see if
it might be possible to establish a UK screening programme. Although an X-ray screening approach has been
adopted in Scandinavia, the advice we have received from UK experts is that it
would be preferable to look for a DNA-based test. That is where we are focusing our current
efforts.
Another significant and
distressing condition is Lafora's Disease.
This is a form of late onset epilepsy that affects between 5 and 10% of UK
Miniature Wires. A DNA test is available
and the Wirehaired Dachshund Club is currently working towards implementing a
full UK scheme which will be approved by the Kennel Club. Anyone thinking of buying a Mini Wire should
ask the breeder if they have participated in the screening programme which was
launched in 2010.
By comparison with these two
conditions, the cord1 Retinal Degeneration (PRA) problem found in all three
varieties of Miniature has a far lower impact on the health of our
Dachshunds. Nevertheless, responsible
breeders of these three varieties should be commended for the positive approach
they have taken to screening for cord1 and for the success they have had in
reducing the prevalence of this mutation.
However, just because a DNA test exists for cord1 doesn't mean we should
ignore other possible eye conditions for which regular clinical examinations
are still appropriate (in all six varieties).
A major initiative of the Council
at the end of 2009 was the launch of a dedicated Health Reporting website. This provides the facility for owners to
report any health problems, or the cause of death of their Dachshund,
confidentially, so we can build a more evidence-based view of current issues
and identify emerging trends.
The
website (
http://www.dachshundhealth.org.uk)
also provides access to health information for owners and vets. I know lots of DIL members also participated
in our Dachs-Life 2012 Breed Health Survey, so thank you for helping us get
such an amazing response rate. The data
are immensely useful to us in developing our plans for health improvement.
Can I make two requests?
1. If
your Dachshund is ill, or dies, please submit a report on our Health website
2. If
you're on Facebook, please “Like” the Dachshund Breed Council's page and then
you can stay up-to-date with all our news
And finally, I'd like to thank
Lisa and all the DIL members for their support of the Breed Council and our
work.
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