Paper not required – submit online to our Canine Health Schemes

About the Canine Health Schemes

There are four essential health screening schemes; Hip Dysplasia Scheme, Elbow Dysplasia Scheme, Eye Scheme and Chiari Malformation Syringomyelia Scheme.

Our mission is to improve dog health and welfare by reducing the incidence and severity of inherited diseases. Together with the with the BVA and Kennel Club, we aim to:

• Enable breeders to make informed decisions
• Educate the public on the importance of health testing
• Support the veterinary profession in dog health screening
• Contribute to research projects with a focus on dog health and welfare

I joined CHS in 1990 as a member of their expert panel of Hip and Elbow Dysplasia Scrutineers. CHS have been screening for Hip Dysplasia in dogs since 1975 and Elbow Dysplasia since 1997. I have scored more than 84,000 dogs and while our data shows a reduction in the incidence and severity of the two conditions in breeds that have a high number of submissions, (clearly demonstrating that responsible breeding supported by testing can aid in reducing inherited disease), there is still a lot of work to do.

Canine Hip and Elbow Dysplasia have been identified as significant problems in many breeds, with potentially debilitating conditions that seriously compromise the health, welfare and behaviour of the dogs.  

It is, therefore, important for small animal veterinary practices to encourage any client, who is thinking about breeding from their dog, to use the relevant Canine Health Schemes. The CHS team are striving to make this as easy as possible for you.

Online submissions

To ensure that even the busiest practice can offer the schemes to their clients we have launched online submissions for the Hip and Elbow Dysplasia Schemes, making them more accessible and easier to use.

The new submission process means submitting practices can upload images and enter the relevant information online, replacing the current paper submission form posted to BVA with the CD or analogue film.

The benefits of online submissions

Time saving

The new submission process allows you to complete all the submission information including the submission of digital images online via an online portal, making the process more user friendly and ensuring the information is received by the CHS team in a timely manner.

The online system will also allow the CHS team to process the submissions and get the results back to you and your client more quickly. Finally, the results will be published on the Kennel Club website sooner.

Cost saving

You will no longer have the cost associated with posting CDs and paper forms to the CHS team.

Data collection

Data can be more efficiently collected to create breed statistics and Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs). This data can also contribute towards research on dog health and welfare.

Track submissions

You will now be able to track the progress of your submissions allowing you to update your clients on the status of their dog’s submission.

Video resources to help you submit

For those who have not yet made a Hip or Elbow Dysplasia submission through the new online portal, you can watch our “ How to submit” film for detailed advice and information on the new submission process.

We have also produced comprehensive visual how-to-guides for radiographic positioning for the hip and elbow dysplasia schemes. The videos include information and tips on how to produce the perfect radiograph and how to avoid issues like tilt or rotation, poor centering, over or under exposure, the use of grids and image artefacts.