THE STAFFORDSHIRE BULL TERRIER BREED COUNCIL
OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NOTHERN IRELAND .
HEALTH SEMINAR
SUNDAY 9 TH MAY 2010
The Kennel Club Building at Stoneleigh Park was the venue of the above seminar. The Breed Council Breed Health Lead Co-ordinator, Dr. Archie Bryden, welcomed in excess of 120 people for what promised to be an informative day. We were lucky enough to have sponsorship for this Seminar, namely a Stafford enthusiast, Fulcrum Direct Limited and Pet Centrum Limited (Pet Supplies), who were duly thanked by Dr Bryden.
The impressive list of speakers included, for the morning session, David Grant MBE, B.vet.Med., FRCVS, Ralph Abercromby, BVMS CertSAO MRCVS RCVS, Dr Cathryn Mellersh BSc (hons), PhD from the Animal Health Trust and Jeff Samson Bsc DPhil from the Kennel Club. For the afternoon session the speakers were David Grant, The West Midlands Police, and Bill Lambert, Health and Breeder Services Manager for the Kennel Club.
David Grant is probably best known for his media appearances on Animal Hospital in his role as Chief Vet at the Harmsworth RSPCA Hospital in Finsbury Park , north London , but chose to speak today on the subject of “Itchings and Scratchings”. He spoke at some length on Atopy – Canine Atopic Dermatitis - the main causes being fleas, contact and food allergies and yeast infections, brought about by a disorder of the dog's immune system. He explained that incidences of this were particularly high at Harmsworth as he frequently deals with animals that have been bred mainly for profit, with very little or no knowledge and no apparent care for their animal's welfare. Atopy causes excessive scratching that can result in excessive hair loss and is an inherited condition. The skin becomes red and very hot to the touch, causing the animal great distress. Diagnosis of allergies is done through exclusion and can be successfully treated or managed with steroids, clyclosporine or antihistamine. Fatty acids (omega 3 and 6) may be beneficial as may topical desensitisation.
On the subject of mange, which is seen at lot at Harmsworth due to indiscriminate breeding, puppies can inherit this from their mothers within the first two days of life. Mange may be localised or generalised. Localised mange occurs on certain parts of the dog's body, mostly the feet, ears, and the face. Demodectic mange is also called Red Mange and is caused by mites. This is most common in puppies aged around four to nine months old. Often puppies that have acquired the disease can spontaneously recover from it as they mature and their immune systems get stronger. Sarcoptic mange is again caused by mites, cauding extreme itchiness, reddening, and inflammation. Dogs with this disease tend to scratch a lot, chew on the affected parts of their body or rub themselves against abrasive objects. Mange can be identified from skin scrapings. It is a T cell deficiency but can usually be cleared with the appropriate treatment.
The second speaker of the morning session was Ralph Abercromby who gave a very detailed and interesting presentation on “Cruciates and Patellae”. He gave as an example that in 1050 surgical procedures to repair cruciate ligament damage within his practice in Surrey, only 34 were on Staffordshire Bull Terriers, the problems being mainly associated with the larger breeds and he therefore concluded that it was not a breed problem for us.
Cruciate disease in dogs is the commonest cause of hindlimb lameness . It is caused by trauma but needn't always result in surgery, very often rest and restricted movement over a period of time results in recovery. The advancement in treatment and surgical methods has been very progressive over the years, the current preferred method being tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO). T he audience was shown very comprehensive slides of joints and surgical procedures.
Patella luxation is more common in the smaller breeds, but higher incidences are being noted within Mr Abercromby's practice in the Labrador . Dogs with a low grade luxation do not always need surgery. Clinical diagnosis can be made via manipulation as well as through Xray, for which the dog must be carefully positioned to be able to detect the knee out of place. Detailed slides were then shown of surgical procedures.
Dr Cathryn Mellersh from the Animal Health Trust at Newmarket gave an updated report on the genetic DNA testing for HC and L-2-HGA together with samples update on PHPV/ PPSC.
HC: some 4210 dogs have been screened world wide for early onset HC, 1710 of those being in the UK . Dr Mellersh felt that if a DNA test is doing its job then there will be evidence of decline of the numbers testing as dogs are subsequently born hereditarily clear if breeders are testing and abiding by the results.
L-2-HGA: 6,000 dogs tested worldwide, with 3,279 of those being in the UK , the outcome being as above. She did advocate the inclusion of carriers in breeding programmes with the resultant offspring being tested, so that clear animals could be indentified for possible future breeding.
Only small numbers of samples have been provided for PHPV/PPSC and it is hoped that more would be forthcoming to enable for research to commence.
With the advancement in genetic tests it is now possible for breeders to eliminate problems that exist within their own breed. Inbreeding has led to some alarming situations in some breeds, which has resulted in the Kennel Club taking a look at their registration database. Prof Jeff Samson from the Kennel Club gave the audience an overview on the Kennel Club's new Mate Select programme. It is recognised by the Kennel Club that currently around 85% of litters registered are bred by what Prof Sampson refers to as hobby breeders. The Kennel Club are working towards educating breeders via the BVA schemes, Breed Clubs and vets. Ideally all breeds that are tested for genetic conditions should have this information on the KC database to equip breeders to identify better breeding stock. To enable the Kennel Club to convey this to the general public when the Mate Select programme becomes available breeders will be encouraged to post health data for their own dogs on the new database (this will be verified by the owner's own vet). The programme will enable those breeders who are more knowledgeable to make more informed choices for stud selection, based on health data and taking into consideration the EBV (estimated breeding value) or any given mating, whilst those less well informed breeders, who currently don't put too much effort in to correct stud selection, to make better informed choices, often mentored by the more experienced and responsible stud dog owners.
After the lunch break David Grant took the floor again; this time the topic was “Man's inhumanity to dogs, experiences in the front line.”
With his experiences of the work he undertakes at the Harmsworth RSPCA hospital in North London , he was able to give the audience a frank and often very harrowing account of the way some of the dogs he sees are treated.
He explained the difference between ‘fashion accessory' type dogs in which he included the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and ‘status dogs', which are the larger type of dogs, including amongst others the pit bull, Bullmastiff, Rottweiler, Husky, Dogue de Bordeaux and various crosses. Unfortunately for the Stafford it is often one of the breeds used in cross breeding. He explained that predominantly the type of person who owns the latter has very little understanding of the responsibility of dog ownership, and very often the dogs he sees are as a result of this lack of understanding i.e. emaciation, untreated skin complaints, overbreeding, mastitis, gunshot wounds, untreated open sores etc. Their owners essentially come from poorer backgrounds, are uneducated, often used to violence and have very little or no parental guidance. The majority are gang members and see their dogs as a status symbol. They often fight the dogs, using them to intimidate and for protection, which they see as a means of gaining respect. More often than not if the dog does not come up to scratch they are often abused and abandoned.
Mention was made of overbreeding, often seen as a way of making money, with very little or no regard for the dogs. It was at this point that he showed the audience some of the most harrowing pictures.
Understandably David Grant feels an enormous frustration at the continual wave of neglect he sees, but on the occasions that he was able to pass matters over to the RSPCA, it can result in prosecution for the dog owner. However, some owners will register the dog as belonging to a third party (often a girlfriend) to avoid prosecution.
So what is the way forward to try and stem this flow? David Grant suggested a multi-agency approach with animal welfare and social agencies needing to target specific areas. He would like to see them reviewing tenancy agreements and working together to ensure that those in social housing can only keep dogs in controlled circumstances (i.e. limit the number of dogs allowed and not allow breeding) Can anything be done to try stop back street breeders? This is difficult without Government intervention. In his various interviews with the media David attempts to educate them to the problems faced. It is an enormous task and perhaps worth mentioning that most people have very little idea of the scale of the problem. On the positive side, the DEFRA paper is on-going, a strong lobby has been established with the whole of the DDA under discussion.
On a final note David warned that the situation would decline before it gets better. Meanwhile as a result of the misrepresentation of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier that he sees David feels our breed then has the associated problem of abandoned dogs not being rehomed through the various rescue charities as the general public perceive them as ‘dangerous'. To counter this he and his Harmsworth staff make every attempt to show the Staffordshire Bull Terrier in it's true light and to promote it as an ideal pet.
The second talk of the afternoon was from the West Midlands Police Dangerous Dog Unit. In light of the preceding talk, we were now able to look at the other side of the problem: how the police manage the Dangerous Dog situation. They stressed that at all times they are bound by and have to act within the law.
Their main concern when seizing dogs was one of identification; we were shown separate pictures of a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and a pit bull, which is where confusion can arise as the pit bull is included as an illegal breed under Section 1of the DDA. The physical differences were highlighted but difficulties can arise where a poorly bred Staffordshire Bull Terrier could be seen to have more similarities to a pit bull than a Staffordshire. If a dog has 40% or more of the characteristics of a type of banned breed then it is deemed to be of that type.
The officer then explained the procedure for the seizure of a dog. This can only be done by a dog handler and that dog remains the property of the owner until such time as an outcome is decided by the court.
We were then given two examples: in the first example if a puppy is purchased thinking it is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and the dog turns out to be a pit bull, then it is deemed a banned dog under Section 1 of the DDA, irrespective of temperament. If the person owning that dog has no criminal record, is deemed to be a responsible owner, the dog is of good temperament and the property is secure with no young children, then subject to a court hearing that dog could be returned to its owner. It would be subject to conditions being imposed to neuter and micro-chip the dog, it must always be muzzled in public, insured via the Dangerous Dogs Index, given an exempt dog number and always walked by an adult on a lead. This is all at the owner's expense and is allowed under Section 4B of the DDA.
In the second example if a dog is seized where the owner is the subject of criminal investigation, then the court has again to decide the outcome of that dog. If the dog is returned post-conviction, the same restrictions as above would apply.
Unfortunately it is not always the outcome listed above, and with the ever increasing numbers of illegal dogs about, we were told of the large numbers of dogs in kennels awaiting their fate. For dogs belonging to irresponsible owners or those convicted of serious offences (drugs, firearms etc.) the only option is for the dog to be humanely destroyed as a Section 1 dog cannot be rehomed.
So what next? Education once again is the way forward and the police are actively pursuing this across the board, starting at grass root levels, with all the authorities involved pooling their information to try and start to resolve this terrible problem.
The last talk of the day was given by Bill Lambert about the Kennel Club's Accredited Breeder Scheme. Members of this scheme must follow the Kennel Club's best Code of Practice and adhere to the requirements as laid down. All members of the public who are looking for a puppy should feel confident that by buying from an Accredited Breeder they are buying a happy healthy well adjusted Kennel Club Registered puppy that has all the health checks relevant to their breed. The scheme awards an accolade to those breeders who have experience of breeding five or more litters, who belong to a Breed Club and who have bred dogs that have gained three or more KC Stud Book numbers. There is also an Accolade of Excellence which can only be nominated by a Breed Club, for a member that has bred five or more Champions within that breed.
The Kennel Club is actively seeking ways to improve this service, by looking to be self regulating thus removing the need for outside legislation, e.g. the ADGAW Report, RSPCA report, Independent review (Bateson), and the Dog Advisory Group. They are aware of the public perception that all dog breeders are the same – puppy farmers – with very little heed for their stock, and are doing their best to change this viewpoint.
Currently any applicant who breeds four or more litters per year is visited before being accepted on to the scheme. Plans for future policing of the Accredited Breeder Scheme include a pre-application check. New applicant details are published in the Kennel Gazette. The scheme currently has fourteen advisers: five hundred breeders have had visits to date with another five hundred visits planned for this year. Ultimately it is planned to increase breeder advisor visit to include all members. The ABS always follows up on any complaints received and following these investigations there have been one hundred suspensions from the scheme with three hundred resignations. The ABS puppy packs include a feedback form for new puppy owners to return to the Kennel Club. These are sometimes followed up with a call from an advisor to ensure that the puppy buyer is satisfied with the service they have received from the breeder.
Among new developments that are planned is UKAS accreditation for the scheme. The Kennel Club is seeking to appoint mentors within each breed to offer advice to novices – these will be people who have contributed to the breed over many years but who are no longer actively breeding. The Kennel Club is keen to work alongside the Breed Clubs to promote the scheme and will be launching marketing campaigns involving vets and local authorities to point new puppy buyers in the direction of buying from an Accredited Breeder.
The seminar finished with a vote of thanks to all the speakers at about 4.45pm .
Veronica Brown,
Public Relations Officer,
Staffordshire Bull Terrier Breed Council
Of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .
There will be a DVD available for purchase. Please contact Veronica Brown on wildlilybrown@aol.com for further information.
In addition a fuller version of all the technical talks will be published in the next edition of the Stafford Magazine. For further information please contact the editor@thestafford.co.uk
