DogWellNet Digest: Issue #35 - 11 December 2020

News & Highlights

Highlights of News Coverage from 2020:

• We're compiling a list of media stories and articles posted by IPFD Partners and other contributors helping to spread the word on IPFD's Call for Collective Actions for Health and Welfare of Pedigree Dogs.

• Moving from Information and Collaboration to Action: Report from the 4th International Dog Health Workshop, Windsor in June 2019 was published in the journal Canine Medicine and Genetics.

• IPFD's Harmonization of Genetic Testing for Dogs (HGTD) resources are mentioned in several media stories, including pieces on international research that has documented the molecular basis of the Australian Labradoodle.
   

Blogs

• IPFD CEO Dr. Brenda Bonnett has been busy in 2020 posting informative and insightful entries in her blog. In her latest post, Brenda reports on an online event, 'Reframing Discussions - What is needed for progress?', hosted by the All-party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group (APDAWG) on December 1st. In case you missed it, a video of Brenda's presentation is included in the article.
• Have some free time over the holidays? Be sure to also check out posts from the past year in HGTD & Genetic Testing, New Research, and Ask Aimee.

Breeds Resources

★ This Month We Feature Breed-Specific Heart Conditions★

Cardiac disease, in many variations and forms, is frequently cited as being a condition of concern across different purebred dog breeds – and it is also a common clinical problem in dogs in general, including mixed breeds. Concern should not be surprising, given the likelihood for life-altering or fatal consequences of cardiac conditions. Clinical exams by primary care veterinary practitioners to detect the presence or absence of a heart condition are essential in management of dogs. Just as in the case of human heart defects/diseases, depending on the specific type, treatment protocols that can extend length and quality of life exist for management of some heart conditions in canines.

A new article on DogWellNet.com for owners, breeders, breed club health managers, and veterinarians covers some highlights of breed-specific heart conditions. Cardiac Disease - Breeds, Screening and Genetic Testing – It’s complicated! covers Breed risks of general and specific conditions; Health programs, pre-purchase and pre-breeding highlights/reminders; and Breed specific examples by country.

Key points addressed in the article include:

• Heart Disease Overview 
• What do Caretakers Need to Know?  
• What does the 'data' say about risk and prevalence in purebred breeds? 
• Health Statistics
• Heart Testing Statistics
• Breeding Strategies – selected breed examples  
• Example – A Kennel Club Heart Evaluation Health Program – Purebred Dog Breeds
• Cardiac Disease and Genetic Testing – It’s complicated!
• Breed-specific genetic tests currently available

Our 2020 Breeds of the Month features included links to breed profiles in our Pedigreed Breeds Database and links to other content on DogWellNet.com:

Australian Shepherd | Saluki | Dachshund (Miniature, Standard) | Cardigan Welsh Corgi | Field Spaniel

Follow the links to previous Digest issues from 2020 (listed later in this issue) to view the Breed of the Month features.

Breeds Listings

• We added seven new breeds (American Bulldog | American Akita | Pembroke Welsh Corgi | Cardigan Welsh Corgi | Azawakh | Field Spaniel | Frisian Water Dog) to our Pedigreed Breeds Database in 2020, and a review of content and updates on many other breeds is ongoing.

Globally Relevant Integrated Health Profiles (GRIHPs)

IPFD is creating a series of articles on the 'Big Picture' of health and welfare within breeds as resources for veterinarians, owners, caretakers, breeders and others who want to understand the key issues for individual dogs and breed populations, internationally, under the 'Get a GRIHP!' initiative. Creating the GRIHP profiles involves not only working with our existing resources (Agria data files and RAS/JTO) but also included consultation with breed specialist collaborators as well as collection of data available via IPFD Partners' tools and resources. Use of KC tools from several countries allowed us to create a more 'global' view of breed-specific health profiles.

• Since their introduction in August of 2020, there are now five breeds (Welsh Corgis | Dachshunds | French Bulldogs | Australian Shepherds | Salukis) with GRIHPs on DogWellNet.com.
• GRIHPs are referenced in our WSAVA Meet the Breed features (see Partners in Action section below).

IPFD Partners in Action

• IPFD Collaborating Partner, The World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), has recently published the latest edition of Dog Breeds: What You Need to Know, a regular feature in their online news section (and in the WSAVA Bulletin) that highlights IPFD resources on a particular breed with a focus on breed-specific diseases.
  
  In this issue: Breed statistics for heart disease – clinicians’ perception of risk.

You can also view previous editions of Dog Breeds: What You Need to Know in
our archive article here on DogWellNet.com.

• IPFD contributor Ian Seath looks at constructive ways to approach conversations among divergent positions across a range of dog health and welfare issues in his latest blog post, Polarising conversations: how can we bridge the gaps? – “Best of Health” article – December 2020. In the piece, Ian references IPFD's recent Call for Collective Actions for Health and Welfare of Pedigree Dogs.

Be sure to check out our Partners in Action features from all 2020 issues of DogWellNet Digest (links provided to previous issues in the Spotlight below).

Harmonization of Genetic Testing for Dogs (HGTD)

2020 brought a number of new resources, tools, and developments in HGTD. A development to our breed-specific information, the new Breed Relevance Ratings (BRR) support evidence-based usage and application of genetic tests. BRRs are a way to capture current research, and expert opinion on breed-specific tests, as well as many crossbreeds. Canine health specialists, as well as dog owners, can use BRR to more easily identify tests that may be important to consider in health and breeding decisions.

Complimentary to BRR, the information gathered in producing BRRs has added significantly to our phene database, providing more breed-specific research links, contributions from Breed Clubs, researcher commentary, and test application recommendations.  

Despite only launching this year, we are thrilled that more than half of the almost 2000 breed-specific phenes have been assessed for a Breed Relevance Rating. This represents hundreds of hours searching and reviewing research papers, liaising with international researchers and experts, and cross-referencing with external research groups and databases. Significant contributions for review and inclusion have come from breed experts representing years of experience as breed health liaisons, health advocates, and breed clubs and councils.

A new blog, HGTD and Genetic Testing (see below) highlights features of the HGTD database, and discusses many practical and interesting aspects of genetic testing in dogs.

We were pleased to see that, despite the many challenges of the global pandemic in 2020 the vast majority of our Genetic Test Providers (GTPs) renewed or extended their participation in HGTD. We now offer three levels of participation: Sponsor, Supporter, and Participant (and Academic Participant). Each level is provided with a digital emblem to indicate their continued participation in HGTD.

This year also saw a major change in our HGTD page display, showing not only all breed-specific tests, but also tests available to all dogs, in one easy search. For those breeds who do not currently have any breed-specific tests available, they are linked to closely associated breed options. Four major database reviews were undertaken to improve and update gene and mutation information, links to our research collaborators and peer-reviewed publications, and accommodate the expanding breed-specific information.

HGTD & Genetic Testing Blog
We published 12 entries in the HGTD & Genetic Testing blog this year, providing regular updates on our rapidly expanding genetic testing resources. It currently features regular input from Brenda Bonnett and Aimee Llewellyn-Zaidi, but be sure to look out for future posts from special guests!

• See Aimee's latest post, How Breed Relevance Ratings (BRR) are estimated for cross-breeds and ALL dogs.

Ask Aimee

Our HGTD Project Manager, Aimee Llewellyn-Zaidi, provides answers to your questions on canine genetic testing in Ask Aimee. If you’d like to submit a question to Aimee, please email her at aimee.llewellyn-zaidi@ipfdogs.com.

Get Involved in HGTD!
We welcome additional participant GTPs, more collaborators from any stakeholders concerned with dog health and welfare, the advice of experts, the participation of breed clubs and other consumer groups. We stand ready to provide more information to ongoing discussions.

Please feel free to contact us as we work together for healthy dogs and to support those who breed and own them: IPFD CEO, Dr. Brenda Bonnett and/or HGTD Project Manager, Aimee Llewellyn-Zaidi.

DogWellNet Digest: Keeping You Informed

We published seven issues of DogWellNet Digest in 2020:

• Issue #35 - 11 December 2020 | Spotlight: 2020: A Year Like No Other
• Issue #34 - 12 November 2020 | Spotlight: An Update on IPFD's Call for Respectful Dialogue, Collaboration, and Collective Actions
• Issue #33 - 20 October 2020 | Spotlight: Reframing Current Challenges Around Pedigree Dogs A Call for Respectful Dialogue, Collaboration, and Collective Actions
• Issue #32 - 18 September 2020 | Spotlight: Actions Around Brachycephalic Dogs: Reports, Research, and Legislative Developments in Several Countries
• Issue #31 - 26 June 2020 | Spotlight: 'Pandemic Puppies' and COVID-19: How to Navigate This Complex Issue
• Issue #30 - 1 May 2020 | Spotlight: 2019 IPFD Annual Report: A Growing Voice
• Issue #29 - 18 February 2020 | Spotlight: Every Step We Take...

DogWellNet Digest is available free to all, but IPFD Members receive an email notification for each new issue. If you haven't already done so, register now to join our community and get the most out of DogWellNet.com.

View all past issues of DogWellNet Digest here