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Charlotte McNamara, Head of Health and Breeder Development at The Kennel Club is joined by Dr Alison Skipper, Veterinary and Research Advisor, who explains her research on the history and development of closed breed registers within The Kennel Club.

Crossbreeding Bryson, G.T.; O'Neill, D.G.; Belshaw, Z.; Brand, C.L.; Packer, R.M.A. (In Press) Comparing undesirable behaviours between ‘designer’ Poodle-cross dogs and their purebred progenitor breeds. PLOS ONE.

Crossbreeding New data indicate that popular ‘Doodle’ breeds have equivalent health to their purebred parent breeds, but have significantly worse behaviour, particularly Cockapoos. Bryson, G.T., O'Neill, D.G., Brand, C.L., Belshaw, Z. and Packer, R.M.A. (2024) 'The doodle dilemma: How the physical health of ‘Designer-crossbreed’ Cockapoo, Labradoodle and Cavapoo dogs’ compares to their purebred progenitor breeds', PLoS One, 19(8), e0306350

Youens, E.; O'Neill, D.G.; Tivers, M.S.; Belshaw, Z.; Neufuss, J. and Packer, R.M.A. (Submitted) A solution right under our nose? Exploring the effects of crossbreeding on the health, behaviour and dog-owner relationships of extreme brachycephalic dogs. Animal Welfare.

Conformation; Brachycephaly Youens, E., O'Neill, D.G., Belshaw, Z., Mochizuki, S., Neufuss, J., Tivers, M.S. and Packer, R.M.A. (2025) 'Beauty versus the beast: The UK public prefers less-extreme body shapes in brachycephalic dog breeds', Veterinary Record, n/a(n/a), e5671

Public perceptions of crossbreeds Crossbreeding brachycephalics: "New data indicate substantial health gains of crossbreeding Pugs with other purebred breeds (Beagles/JRTs), and that the public are attracted to less extreme brachycephalic conformations that can be achieved by crossbreeding. However, attitudes to crossbreeding are mixed, with concerns about introducing new health problems, lack of formal recognition of these breeds, and loss of ‘purity’." [Packer, R.M.A.] Youens, E., O’Neill, D.G., Belshaw, Z., Neufuss, J., Tivers, M.S. and Packer, R.M.A. (2026) '“You could get the best of both breeds or the worst of both”: UK public attitudes towards crossbreeding in dogs - with a specific focus on brachycephalic dogs', PLoS One, 21(1), e0336661, available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0336661.

Supply and Demand Dale FC; O'Neill DG; Brand CL; Belshaw Z; Merritt BL; Pegram C; Packer RMA (In Press) Sold a Pup? Impact of purchasing practices, owner and dog demographics, and puppy early life experiences on later canine health outcomes in the UK. Animal Welfare.

Supply and Demand Belshaw Z; Packer RMA (2025) Knowledge of UK Residents About Importing Puppies from EU Countries. Animals. 15 (15), 2193; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15152193

Supply and Demand Puppy smuggling bill (Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill) receives Royal Assent.

Supply and Demand Belshaw, Z., Youens, E., Lord, M. and Packer, R.M.A. (2025) '“A Dog Brings Benefits No Matter Where It’s from”: UK Residents’ Understanding of the Benefits and Risks of Importing Puppies from Romania to the UK', Animals, 15(15), 2192.

Bianchi, M., Dahlgren, S., Massey, J., Dietschi, E., Kierczak, M., Lund-Ziener, M., Sundberg, K., Thoresen, S.I., Kämpe, O., Andersson, G., Ollier, W.E., Hedhammar, Å., Leeb, T., Lindblad-Toh, K., Kennedy, L.J., Lingaas, F., Rosengren Pielberg, G. : A Multi-Breed Genome-Wide Association Analysis for Canine Hypothyroidism Identifies a Shared Major Risk Locus on CFA12. PLoS One 10:e0134720, 2015. Pubmed reference: 26261983. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134720.

First published description of the causal variant. Pettigrew, R., Fyfe, J.C., Gregory, B.L., Lipsitz, D., Delahunta, A., Summers, B.A., Shelton, G.D. : CNS hypomyelination in Rat Terrier dogs with congenital goiter and a mutation in the thyroid peroxidase gene. Vet Pathol 44:50-6, 2007. Pubmed reference: 17197623. DOI: 10.1354/vp.44-1-50.

First published description of the causal variant. Fyfe, J.C., Kampschmidt, K., Dang, V., Poteet, B.A., He, Q., Lowrie, C., Graham, P.A., Fetro, V.M. : Congenital hypothyroidism with goiter in toy fox terriers Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 17:50-7, 2003. Pubmed reference: 12564727./

First published description of the causal variant. Boretti, F.S., Breyer-Haube, I., Kaspers, B., Reusch, C.E. : [Clinical, hematological, biochemical and endocrinological aspects of 32 dogs with hypothyroidism] Schweizer Archiv fur Tierheilkunde 145:149-56, 158-9, 2003. Pubmed reference: 12741092.

First published description of the causal variant. Barker, E.N., Dawson, L.J., Rose, J.H., Van Meervenne, S., Frykman, O., Rohdin, C., Leijon, A., Soerensen, K.E., Järnegren, J., Johnson, G.C., O'Brien, D.P., Granger, N. : Degenerative Encephalopathy in Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers Presenting with a Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder. J Vet Intern Med 30:1681-1689, 2016. Pubmed reference: 27717189. DOI: 10.1111/jvim.14575.

Recommended pre-workshop reading for each Breakout Theme and other 6th IDHW sessions Recommended pre-meeting reading materials (if applicable) will be posted on the corresponding Theme pages shown below. All participants are welcome (and encouraged) to read the pre-meeting materials for all four themes. Scroll down this page for additional reading materials provided by our Speakers, Theme Leaders, and the IPFDogs team. Additional Pre-Workshop Activities/Reading Reports from the 5th IDHW in Helsinki and June 2025 Virtual Dog Health Forum: 5th IDHW Report.pdf Virtual Dog Health Forum 2025 Report.pdf More information to follow. Quick LinksWorkshop Overview Registration 6th IDHW Schedule Bios for Speakers, Theme Leaders, and Moderators Pre-Workshop Reading Poster Presentations Tabletop Exhibits Call for Award Nominations Our Co-Host: Ente Nazionale della Cinofilia Italiana (ENCI) 4th FCI World Congress for Show Judges and 2026 World Dog Show Contact Us for Sponsorship Opportunities

First published description of the causal variant. Baranowska, I., Jäderlund, K.H., Nennesmo, I., Holmqvist, E., Heidrich, N., Larsson, N.G., Andersson, G., Wagner, E.G., Hedhammar, A., Wibom, R., Andersson, L. : Sensory ataxic neuropathy in golden retriever dogs is caused by a deletion in the mitochondrial tRNATyr gene. PLoS Genet 5:e1000499, 2009. Pubmed reference: 19492087. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000499.

First published description of the causal variant. Bannasch, D., Safra, N., Young, A., Karmi, N., Schaible, RS., Ling, GV. : Mutations in the SLC2A9 gene cause hyperuricosuria and hyperuricemia in the dog. PLoS Genet 4:e1000246, 2008. Pubmed reference: 18989453. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1000246.

First published description of the causal variant. Bader, HL., Ruhe, AL., Wang, LW., Wong, AK., Walsh, KF., Packer, RA., Mitelman, J., Robertson, KR., O'Brien, DP., Broman, KW., Shelton, GD., Apte, SS., Neff, MW. :An ADAMTSL2 founder mutation causes Musladin-Lueke Syndrome, a heritable disorder of beagle dogs, featuring stiff skin and joint contractures. PLoS One 5:, 2010. Pubmed reference: 20862248. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0012817.

First published description of the causal variant. Three diverse mutations underlying canine xanthine urolithiasis. E. Furrow, N. Tate, K. Minor, J. Mickelson, K. Peterson, and J. Lulich. ACVIM Research Report, 2016.

First published description of the causal variant. Hytönen, M.K., Arumilli, M., Lappalainen, A.K., Owczarek-Lipska, M., Jagannathan, V., Hundi, S., Salmela, E., Venta, P., Sarkiala, E., Jokinen, T., Gorgas, D., Kere, J., Nieminen, P., Drögemüller, C., Lohi, H. : Molecular Characterization of Three Canine Models of Human Rare Bone Diseases: Caffey, van den Ende-Gupta, and Raine Syndromes. PLoS Genet 12:e1006037, 2016. Pubmed reference: 27187611. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006037.

First published description of the causal variants. Ref: Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2013 Jun 15;153(3-4):279-88. doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2013.03.012. Epub 2013 Mar 30. "Abstract Lymphoma is one of the most common forms of cancer in dogs as it is in humans but, unlike humans, the cure rates in canines are still very low. Despite the fact that high grade B-cell lymphomas are considered to be chemotherapy responsive, almost all treated dogs ultimately relapse and die due to the residual malignant lymphocytes, namely minimal residual disease (MRD). It would be extremely valuable for clinicians to detect, monitor and quantify MRD for risk group stratification, effective treatment intervention and outcome prediction. The PCRs targeting the Ig gene rearrangements constitute one of the most reliable tools to this end. We have recently validated a method which exploits hairpin-shaped primers for quantifying MRD. In the present study, that method is conveniently used for retrospectively monitoring MRD in the peripheral blood of 8 dogs diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma who underwent chemotherapy. All dogs attained complete remission. The median disease-free interval was 254.5 days (range 63-774) while the median survival time was 313.5 days (range 143-817 days). At admission, all dogs, except one which had already been treated with prednisone, had circulating neoplastic cells. All dogs attained complete remission (CR) which was almost always matched with a complete MRD response. The persistence of MRD despite apparent CR indicated a worse prognosis and a short duration of CR. Finally, the relapse is consistently anticipated by the reappearance of MRD in the peripheral blood. The study confirmed the suitability of an MRD monitoring assay as a clinical decision-making tool. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved."

Hédan et al. (2020). Advances in the knowledge of the genetic bases of histiocytic sarcoma and the development of the genetic risk test SH and the online tool HSIMS.

Genetic test specific information from GTP Antagene. Publication : Hédan et al. (2020). Advances in the knowledge of the genetic bases of histiocytic sarcoma and the development of the genetic risk test SH and the online tool HSIMS.

First published description of the causal variant. Awano, T., Katz, ML., O'Brien, DP., Taylor, JF., Evans, J., Khan, S., Sohar, I., Lobel, P., Johnson, GS. : A mutation in the cathepsin D gene (CTSD) in American Bulldogs with neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. Mol Genet Metab 87:341-8, 2006. Pubmed reference: 16386934. DOI: 10.1016/j.ymgme.2005.11.005.