Free Webinar Examining Heart Disease in Dogs.

In partnership with the Veterinary Cardiovascular Society (VCS), The Kennel Club’s Health team is hosting a series of free webinars – open to owners and breeders of all levels of experience – to explore heart problems in dogs.

The first webinar will be an introduction to congenital (present from birth) and acquired (developing later in life) heart disease. It will take place from 7-8.30pm on Wednesday 12 February and will be led by specialist veterinary cardiologist, Dr Hannah Stephenson. Those interested in attending this webinar can register here.

The webinar will enable participants to learn more about possible causes, clinical signs, methods of diagnosis, treatment options, and opportunities for future research. It will include a one-hour presentation followed by a 30-minute question and answer session, giving attendees a chance to put forward their queries and experiences for discussion (questions can also be pre-submitted at the time of registration).

The development of heart disease in dogs is influenced by various factors, including age, genetics, lifestyle, and other health conditions. While it is not fully understood how heart disease is inherited in the majority of dogs, it involves multiple different genes and environmental factors, and the hereditary component of heart disease is part of ongoing research.

The VCS and Kennel Club have launched an online survey which aims to improve understanding of the prevalence and types of heart disease affecting different pedigree dog breeds. The results will be used to direct new research to areas requiring further attention. To date, approximately 6,000 people have participated, but the organisations hope to reach 10,000. The survey, open to any owner of any breed, can be completed here.

Further information about heart disease in dogs and support for owners and breeders is available on The Kennel Club website here.

The Kennel Club’s health-focused webinar series has so far explored other canine conditions such as bloat, epilepsy, colour dilution alopecia, osteosarcoma and haemangiosarcoma, as well as the science of DNA testing for health, with experts, researchers, owners and breeders. The webinars aim to raise awareness of various canine health concerns, explore research and future studies, improve diagnosis and outlook, and support dogs affected with the condition, and their owners. Past webinars can be watched on The Kennel Club’s YouTube channel.

The Kennel Club takes insights from its health data and feeds them into its Breed Health and Conservation plans, so that it can work with breeders to give information and guidance about how to ensure the future health of pedigree breeds. These plans, which enable The Kennel Club to track progress and make meaningful changes to breed health, have been developed as a result of reviewing more than 4,000 research papers, making the project the most comprehensive review of pedigree health data anywhere in the world.