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Kennel Club Health Survey Results 2006


The Kennel Club (English) has recently completed a Purebred Dog Health Survey for many pure bred breeds including the Samoyed. The full survey for all breeds included can be seen on the Kennel Club Site on  http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/download/1620/hssamoyed.pdf  Some breeds are not there due to insufficient data being made available. 

Precis of the Results
The average response from pedigree dog owners overall was 24%, but the response from Samoyed owners was excellent at 40.7%. This makes the results more meaningful. 356 live dogs and 223 deceased dogs were included in the report. The depth of the study is not greatwith many questions we have remaining to be answered and some of the data vague.

How Long do Samoyeds Live?
While the average age of Pure Bred dog is 11 years and 3 months, Samoyeds exceed this with an average age at death of 12 years and 6 months.

What are the biggest killers of Samoyeds?
As all other pedigree breeds, Cancer is the biggest killer. The last survey that the Breed Liaison Council undertook showed this as well.
The second biggest killer was ‘Old Age’ and the third a Combination of several diseases; there is no clue as to what these might be and it would be worth contacting the authors of the report to see if it can be better summated.
The next biggest is ‘Musculoskeletal’ which covers arthritis and hip dysplasia. As in themselves these are not fatal, I interpret this as dogs being put down with these problems to stop them having further pain.

What are the most Common Health problems in Samoyeds?
I will list the six most common problems as these I feel have the most statistical importance.

1.       Reproductive. Again, this seems to be the same throughout the Pedigree breeds. Whilst it covers problems with pregnancy and whelping, it also covers Cryptorchidism, a problem in the males.
2.        Musculoskeletal. This includes arthritis, cruciate ligament rupture and hip dysplasia.
3.        Occular. This has surprised many breeders and includes Corneal ulcers, cataracts, distichiasis and epiphora. There is some speculation that the ulceration might be related to immune related problems which have been recognised in other countries but not to date in the UK.
4.        Dermatalogical. Fading nose pigment (it doesn’t say if this is the same as ‘zinc responsive dermatitis’ - again, this might be immune related), pyotraumatic dermatitis (commonly called ‘Hot Spots’), Mites (Sarcoptic mange is mentioned) and Dermatitis.
5.        Urologic. Cystitis, incontinence after spaying and cystouroliths (crystals in the urine) are mentioned. These I think are not new news to older Samoyed fanciers.
6.        Gastrointestinal. Foreign body obstruction is the first thing mentioned here and this is a common problem in the Samoyed. It relates to the very bad habit that Samoyeds have of acquiring and eating things they shouldn’t! Also listed are bacterial overgrowth, colitis, diarrhoea, pancreatitis and vomiting. There are known instances of Glutin intolerance which isn’t specifically referenced here, but I am assuming (perhaps wrongly) this comes under one of these items.


Will my Samoyed stay healthy?
Of the 368 live dogs in the survey, 54 % were healthy and 46 % had at least one of the problems listed with a total of 310 conditions among them. This compares to a health figure of all breeds of 62.6% with 37.4% having at least one condition.

The survey has numerous graphs which tell you at what age any particular disease may strike. It also says how many of the dogs and bitches surveyed were neutered; there were considerably more spayed bitched than neutered dogs. This perhaps ties up with the number one problem in the breed being reproductive. Spaying is the surgical option for many reproductive disorders.

This is my interpretation only of a document that is not very reader friendly. If there are any questions you have of either the report or my view of it, please email me on Smiliesam@aol.com

Hazel  Fitzgibbon
October 2006.





The Samoyed Breed Council held a Health Seminar in October 2004
CANCER
Mr Malcolm Brearley, one of only five Oncology Specialists in Europe, spoke about Cancer in the Dog. He informed the meeting that 1 in 4 dogs would get cancer, often before old age. A Charity called The Animal Cancer Trust was started to effectively give education and information about Cancer to owners and veterinary surgeons, and to offer treatment to pets. Research is also carried out here, which is important to improve our understanding of Cancer.
The Trust is dependant on everyone to raise funds. Further details are available from their website
www.animalcancertrust.org.uk

, one of only five Oncology Specialists in Europe, spoke about in the Dog. He informed the meeting that 1 in 4 dogs would get cancer, often before old age. A Charity called The Animal Cancer Trust was started to effectively give education and information about Cancer to owners and veterinary surgeons, and to offer treatment to pets. Research is also carried out here, which is important to improve our understanding of Cancer.The Trust is dependant on everyone to raise funds. Further details are available from their website

DIABETES
Brian Catchpole talked about his research into diabetes at the Royal Veterinary College. It was discovered that samoyeds were 12.9 times more likely to develop diabetes than any other breed of dog. The aim at the RVC is to try and predict which dogs will go on and develop diabetes later in life and so develop a genetic test for this.
Brian and his team have set up the UK Canine Diabetes Register and vets have been sending blood samples to him. He asks for all owners of diabetic samoyeds to attend their own veterinary surgery, requesting that a blood sample can be taken and forwarded to Brian at the Departmant of Pathology and Infectious diseases at RVC, North Mimms, Herts. Email bcatchpole@rvc.ac.uk to authorize this.
A form can be found on this site
 http://www.rvc.ac.uk/Hospitals/QMH/Referrals/ClinicalTrials/Documents/Diabetes_Study_1_submission_form.pdf

HIP DYSPLASIA
Hip Dysplasia (abnormal development of the hip joint) is a condition which can be found in Samoyeds. It can cause lameness & pain in severe cases or produce no noticeable symptoms in minor cases. HD does not have a simple pattern of inheritance (it is a polygenic condition meaning it is controlled by several different genes) and whether an animal will develop HD is also influenced by external factors such as diet and exercise. Our Code of Ethics advise breeders to X-ray all breeding stock and have them scored by the BVA so a true picture of HD in the breed can be assessed. More information on the Kennel Club/BVA Hip Scoring scheme can be found at www.bva.co.uk/public/chs/hip_scheme.asp

MRSA
MRSA - the deadly hospital superbug can affect dogs and cats as well as humans. The following link explained what happened to Jill Moss’s samoyed ‘Bella’ when she contracted MRSA. www.pets-mrsa.com


SURVEY
The Samoyed Breed Council ask owners to complete a ‘Cause of Death’ questionnaire to enable them to monitor the causes of death within our breed. We would appreciate your help. Forms ,in PDF format, can be downloaded HERE.for printing out.

The Samoyed Breed Council ask owners to complete a ‘Cause of Death’ questionnaire to enable them to monitor the causes of death within our breed. We would appreciate your help. Forms ,in PDF format, can be downloaded .for printing out.

 

     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
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