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Scottish vet wins prestigious canine health award
Dr Hamilton will use her prize to analyse spinal X-rays of French bulldogs and establish a dtaabase of scores from the results.
Dr Laura Hamilton honoured for work to improve the health and welfare of French bulldogs.

A pioneering vet from Scotland has been named winner of a prestigious award for her work to improve the health of French bulldogs.

Dr Laura Hamilton, a full-time veterinary surgeon from Tranent, East Lothian, will receive a 2022 International Canine Health Award in the Breed Health Co-ordinator category during a ceremony in London (28 September).

Dr Hamilton has been clinical director and breed health coordinator of the French Bulldog Club since 2020, through which she has been instrumental in updating the breed standards, following careful analysis of responses to an extensive health survey.

She has worked tirelessly with various stakeholders as a member of the Brachycephalic Working Group, and spent much of her own time travelling across the UK to promote and increase accessibility of The Kennel Club’s Respiratory Function Grading Scheme.

Now in its tenth year, the Canine Health Awards are organised by The Kennel Club Charitable Trust and include substantial cash prizes from the Vernon and Shirley Hill Foundation to go towards new or continued research.

Laura plans to use her £5,000 prize to analyse spinal X-rays of French bulldogs and establish a database of scores from the results. The information will be used to monitor the dogs throughout their lives to identify correlations between spinal scores and health outcomes. 

Dr Hamilton said: “I am truly honoured and thankful to The Kennel Club Charitable Trust on being selected as the winner of this award, and to those who nominated me for this prestigious award. I love my role as Breed Health Co-ordinator where I work with the breed clubs and The Kennel Club to improve the health and welfare of our wonderful breed.

“I am looking forward to continuing our work using the generous prize to further research key issues in the French bulldog, such as spinal issues, and BOAS. We plan to make health testing more accessible by providing owners funded health testing with the French Bulldog Club of England health scheme and the University of Cambridge/Kennel Club Respiratory Function Grading Scheme."

She added: “At a time when we are seeing a huge rise in indiscriminate breeding of French bulldogs, especially for exaggerations and fad trends over health and welfare, it is more important than ever that we focus on improving awareness and uptake of health testing.”

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Webinar to explore history of KC breed registers

News Story 1
 A free webinar exploring the development of the Kennel Club's registration system and the evolution of closed breed registers has been announced.

Hosted by Dr Alison Skipper, veterinary and research advisor at the Kennel Club, the webinar will delve into the development of the registry and how the changing landscape of scientific knowledge has shaped breeding practices. It will also look at what this means for the future of pedigree dogs.

The session will culminate with a look at The Kennel Club's ongoing and future engagement in this area, with a chance for attendees to put forward their thoughts and questions for discussion.

This event takes place on Microsoft Teams on Tuesday, 10 June at 7pm. To learn more, visit events.teams.microsoft.com  

Click here for more...
News Shorts
UK's BSE risk status downgraded

The WOAH has downgraded the UK's international risk status for BSE to 'negligible'.

Defra says that the UK's improved risk status recognises the reputation for having the highest standards for biosecurity. It adds that it demonstrates decades of rigorous animal control.

Outbreaks of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease, have previously resulted in bans on Britain's beef exports.

The UK's new status could lead to expanded trade and better confidence in British beef.

Christine Middlemiss, the UK's chief veterinary officer, said: "WOAH's recognition of the UK as negligible risk for BSE is a significant milestone and is a testament to the UK's strong biosecurity measures and the hard work and vigilance of farmers and livestock keepers across the country who have all played their part in managing the spread of this disease.