The Norwegian Kennel Club’s Anti-Doping Rules

http://www.nkk.no

2-2022 - NKK documentation

NORWEGIAN KENNEL CLUB'S ANTI-DOPING RULES
Approved by the NKK Board 11. December 2013, valid from 1. January 2014

1. BACKGROUND

Doping and medication in competitive sports is a well-known problem. In horse sports, doping and medication control has been supervised by authorities as well as the horse organizations for a long time. Our knowledge of the occurrence of doping in dog sports is limited, but there is reason to believe that doping occurs in dog sports as well as in other sports.

Surgical correction of conformation, called «faking» (artificial improvement of appearance, «make up») is not included in the doping rules, but is regulated by NKKs show regulations:

3.8 Doping and faking is forbidden

Doping is understood as the use of medicine or other remedies that stimulate, calms, reduces pain, affects behaviour and/or in any other way alter the dog's performance or quality. NKKs anti-doping rules can be found at www.nkk.no. It is forbidden to show a dog who has been subject to procedures with the intention of improving the dog`s exterior and/or performance. Examples of such procedures are braces, tattooing to change nose colour or pigmentation and surgery to correct misplaced testicles including testicular implants. It is not permitted to treat the skin, coat or nose with any products that can change its colour or structure. This includes dye, chalk, hairspray etc. Normal brushing, plucking and trimming required for the breeds is permitted. So is washing/bathing with regular dog shampoo and conditioner, as well as blow drying. At the show grounds it is only permitted to use water in the fur. No other remedies are allowed. Organizers of the show may confiscate equipment such as bottles or the like if there is doubt about the contents and use thereof.

Regulations for various competitions are found at: www.nkk.no.

Medication, doping and other methods that affect behaviour, conformation or achievement has consequences for both animal welfare and ethical standards. The Norwegian Kennel Club (NKK) works for excellent animal welfare, high ethical awareness and promotes fair play in dog sports.

2. PURPOSE
The purpose of these rules is to prevent dogs from competing whilst medicated, e.g. in shows, trials and tests (official or unofficial) arranged by the NKK and member clubs.
The rules are made to promote:

• Animal welfare - sick or injured dogs are prevented from competing, regardless of whether they are under medical treatment or not
• Fair play
• That evaluation and selection of breeding animals is based on the dogs' inherent traits, without artificial stimulation.

3. GENERAL
It is prohibited to compete with a sick, injured, or otherwise impaired dog if the competition may compromise the dog's welfare. The ban of competing with unhealthy dogs is valid regardless of whether the dog is under treatment to relieve symptoms or shorten healing time, or is left untreated. The owner (and handler) is responsible for the current assessment of whether the dog is physically and mentally capable of competing.

4. PROHIBITED MEDICATION AND DOPING
It is the owner's responsibility that the dogs have not received any medication or other treatment that makes it illegal to compete. Responsibility may also apply to handler(s) and/or others involved, if the investigation reveals that this is relevant.

Substances forbidden at all times are defined in the List of prohibited substances/methods and withdrawal times (PSWT, Appendix 1). It is forbidden to compete with a dog that has received medication or other treatment within the defined withdrawal times, regardless of whether the substance is given to the dog in order to improve the dog's achievement(s), or as treatment for a medical condition. The term "treatment" here also includes nonprescriptive drugs and other substances given in order to increase achievement(s) or hide/relieve illness or injury.

It is forbidden to compete during the withdrawal time, and the withdrawal time starts from the last treatment incident/time of last medication. The withdrawal times are to be regarded as minimum time limits, and the elimination time in each individual dog may vary. If a forbidden substance is detected, the sample is regarded as positive regardless of whether the withdrawal time is expired.

There are no withdrawal times after vaccination, except those described by the vaccination rules, and no withdrawal time for antiparasitic treatment with substances registered in Norway for use against endo- and/or ectoparasites in dogs. The recommendation is to vaccinate well before competition, to ensure good protection of the dog and avoid undue stress directly after vaccination.

5. WITHDRAWAL TIMES FOR TREATMENT METHODS
It is illegal to compete with a dog which has received treatment with acupuncture, chiropractic, or other methods (including laser, ultrasound treatment, electrotherapy, radiation therapy, or transcutaneous nerve stimulation) to hide or relieve illness or injure, until the effect has ceased. These methods have a withdrawal time of four days. An exception is shockwave therapy, which has a withdrawal time of 14 days. Shockwave therapy should be performed by veterinarians only – the method is forbidden to perform by non-veterinarians on competition dogs. On the day of competition (until performance/evaluation is ended), only manual massage is accepted (only by hand - no use of treatment equipment).

Manipulation of blood volume or composition, or "blood doping", is banned.

6. IDENTIFICATION
The participant/handler is responsible for ensuring that the competing dog is identical with the dog registered in catalogue or other list of participants. The competition management (or person appointed by the management) may control the dogs' identification at any time.

7. SAMPLING
Samples may be taken of blood, urine, hair, skin surface, or other biological material, or of equipment which may have been used for illegal medication/doping (see also point 6.2). Sampling procedures are described in Appendix 2. Medication and doping control, included identification control described in point 7, may be done routinely by the NKK or arranging club. When a dog is appointed for doping control, the dog's identification (microchip number) must immediately be scanned and recorded. The dog's identification must also be scanned and recorded immediately after the sample is taken, as described in Appendix 2.

Samples may be taken before, during, or after performance/evaluation, and at any time while the dog is at or by the competition/show ground. For substances banned at all times (Appendix 1), samples may be taken within 24 hours after evaluation. If there is doubt regarding a dog's medical treatment, the NKK may request to see the dog's medical journal. The owner is obliged to comply this at request. If owner/other responsible person refuses/denies that a doping sample has been taken, refuses to cooperate during sampling procedures, or denies access to the dog's medical journal, the doping sample will be regarded as positive. The same is the case if a participant/owner refuses to make suspicious items (e.g bottles or other containers) available for examination/sampling, as described in point 6.2 and 8. Manipulation that may obstruct the chance to analyze doping samples, or masking of illegal substances (contamination, pouring out of sample material etc), is banned.

8. EXCEPTION
A written exception from the anti-doping rules may be given for dogs with certain conditions that require long term treatment. Exceptions may be granted for conditions/diseases specified in Appendix 3. The application for exception should be written in the specific form (Appendix 4), with enclosed medical journal and other relevant documentation. The following must be fulfilled for an exception to be granted:

a) The treatment must be regarded as necessary from a veterinary medical evaluation
b) The application must be written in the specific form (Appendix 4)
c) Full veterinary record describing the work-up that led to the diagnosis (included results of examination, test results etc).
d) The medication the dog receives must be specified, including dosages etc.
e) Evaluation of the application is done individually for each case.
f) For exception to be granted, the minimum is that the dog appears clinically healthy and shows no symptoms of disease while on medication. The health and welfare of the dog must not be compromised by competitions or training for competitions.
g) In order for the application to be evaluated, the owner must enclose a written description or medical record from the veterinarian, describing the diagnosis – this document will be submitted to the breed club.
h) Exception must be granted for each type of competition if the dog is supposed to compete in more than one kind of sport.
i) Exception may be granted for a specific period of time, or unlimited.
j) If the dog's condition or medication changes (including dosages), this must be reported to the NKK. If treatment with additional substances is required, a new application must be submitted.

9. VIOLATION OF THESE RULES
Violating these rules may lead to loss of achieved results/titles, and cases are investigated and evaluated by the NKK's Disciplinary Committee to decide penalties in each case. In cases when violence of public legislation is suspected, the incident will be reported to the authorities (Norwegian Food Safety Authority) or the Police.

 CLICK TO OPEN ATTACHED FILE: The Norwegian Kennel Club Anti-doping-regulations 2015.pdf