Reporting conformational changes and caesareans to the Kennel Club guidance

Veterinary surgeons should report all caesareans and conformational changes on KC registered dogs to the Kennel Club.

Reviewed: 2012
Publisher: Kennel Club
Number of pages: 2
Format: PDF

Background

A condition of Kennel Club (KC) registration is that all dog owners report the correction of any defect which alters the natural conformation of the dog, or any caesarean operation carried out on their bitch, to the Kennel Club.

It is also a condition of registration that the dog owner consents to the veterinary surgeon reporting the same procedures to the KC. Currently, the level of reporting by owners far exceeds that done by the veterinary profession.

BVA and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) support this reporting process as it should help correct some problems associated with dog breeding.

Benefits of reporting to the Kennel Club

The consent of the owner releases the veterinary surgeon from the professional obligation to maintain confidentiality. The information collected:

provides details of breeding lines appearing to perpetuate certain defects
helps to deter breeders from breeding from animals displaying evidence of hereditary problems, or whose natural conformation has been altered, or where breeding routinely relies on caesarean operations
assists dog show judges to be sure that they are not being called upon to assess dogs with hereditary defects which have been so well corrected by surgical intervention that these cannot be detected.