Whippet Health
a resource for whippet owners & breeders
Health Testing
As the Kennel Club moves forward on health matters testing of pedigree dogs for conditions such as heart and eye disease are becoming more routine even in breeds such as the whippet which have a relatively good record in these areas.
Some breeds are running surveys in conjuntion with organisations such as the Animal Health Trust in endeavours to find inheritance patterns and to map the genes for many devastating diseases. As yet the whippet is not one of these breeds.
Kennel Club Health Testing
A look at the KC website will show you a myriad of screening schemes for many breeds. Currently the whippet is not a part of their screening programme.
KC statement:
As you are aware, some breeds of dog (and crossbreeds too) can be susceptible to inherited disease. DNA tests for diseases in purebred dogs are available for some conditions in some breeds.
Whilst there are not a large number of such tests as yet, more are being developed on an increasingly regular basis as scientists gain a fuller understanding of canine genomics. There are also a number of other clinical veterinary screening schemes that dog breeders can use to increase the probability of producing healthy puppies
American Whippet Health Foundation Testing Clinics
The American whippet club runs a wide ranging programme of tests at its annual National Championship show including heart, eye, deafness, myostatin deficiency, and a DNA profiling.
