Saluki Health - Sharing Knowledge

Breed Expert David Steel from the The Saluki or Gazelle Hound Club, UK writes...

"Here in the UK, we have a relatively small Saluki population, and so surveys to understand the health of the breed are of limited value. With a low population we also struggle in the discussion and understanding of specific breed health issues at times as well."

"There are many different perspectives, issues and importantly, solutions that are all focused on preserving the health of Salukis. The new Saluki Breed Forum would seem a good way to broker creation of a shared knowledge base, to reduce duplication of efforts, and to offer breed health coordinators the opportunity to get some scale for focus on issues that can't be attacked nationally. A good illustration of how an international effort can potentially impact the Saluki breed's health management is in DNA marker development - Salukis are down the priority list due to their low numbers in each individual country but ...a globally based focus and efforts could potentially lead to improved tools for breeders. 

As the numbers of Salukis moving between geographies grows, the logic for creating an international health forum for the breed increases. I hope you agree."

A forum group for discussion has been created for the Saluki - The Saluki Breed Experts Forum. The Forum is for Breed Health Committee Chairs, Breed Health Coordinators and others in the Saluki breed whose work is focused on breed health management concerns. If you wish to participate in the Saluki Breed Experts Forum, please join DogWellNet as a member - when filling in your profile, please indicate the Saluki club you represent and if you are serving on a health committee, breeding council or in another health-focused role. 

If your passion is Saluki health ...we hope you will ♦ Join DogWellNet ♦ as a Saluki Breed Expert.

What can you expect to find in the Forum?

In the Saluki Breed Experts Forum the DogWellNet team and David have posted a few documents to aid understanding of Saluki health issues. Among the documents are the Agria Veterinary Care Insurance data and health surveys from the Saluki or Gazelle Hound Club, UK. We will be adding more supportive documents and analysis over time.

What we are hoping for - sharing of resources and informative discussion

• health threads/conversations to be started that would develop a shared knowledge base on various topics;
• understanding breeding strategies employed in various countries i.e. English translation summaries of Swedish RAS and Finnish JTO documents for Salukis;
• increased attention to ongoing or new research opportunities;
• increased knowledge of effective approaches to population management strategies, genetics, behavior, practical veterinary involvements;
• materials reflecting club's focuses on breed education;
• improved awareness of owner, breeder and club successes and challenges in serving the breed's best interests.