The Danish Cairn Terrier Health Committee

In 2002, a Health Committee was formed by the Danish Cairn Group with the purpose of working to improve and ensure the health and well-being of the Cairn Terriers in Denmark. The Committees primary project is to collect and catalogue data about inherited defects and serious illnesses in the breed. By registering with this project, problems can be monitored which allows the Committee to quickly act if a problem should arise.

This is a voluntary registry for all breeders who are concerned about the overall well-being of the breed. If breeders choose to join the project, they commit themselves to follow the guidelines of the Health Committee and to submit health information on each puppy they breed and every dog they own. As a benefit, breeders in turn may obtain health information on other dogs in the registry.

What is in the registry and what is the information used for?
The following information is stored in the registry: the registered name of the dog, sex, id-number, date of birth, parents, and the illness reported and if it has been cured. Personal information about the breeder or owner is neither collected nor stored in the database. 
The above information is intended for research purposes. The aim is to give breeders access to vital health information prior to the use of any registered Cairn in breeding.

Dissemination of information Ç the secondary charge of the Committee
The secondary focus of the Committee is to collect and distribute information about relevant illnesses seen in the breed, both inside Denmark and elsewhere. 

Every year, statistics will be published in the TERRIER NYT magazine together with information on the health status of the breed.

Who can join the project?
Anyone who is a member of the Danish Terrier Club may join. There is a small administrative fee and new members must sign a form stating their willingness to send data to the project in exchange for the right to receive information in return. Membership also entitles the member to use the projects logo.

Health forms
In order to assemble a solid base of statistical information, the Health Committee collects health forms. Every buyer of a puppy bred by a member of the registry project is to send in a health form issued by a certified veterinarian when the puppy is approximately one-year old. It is very important to collect as many health forms as possible in order to get a good statistical base. This is especially vital if the puppy is perfectly healthy.

The health form is normally filled out at the same time as the first re-vaccination. The form is sent to the breeder who collects forms for the whole litter and then sends them to the Health Committees veterinarian. The veterinarian first verifies that the information is correctly filled out and in good order and then forwards the health forms to the Health Committee for entry into the registry database.

The forms are also a valuable tool for breeders to evaluate their own breeding programs in order to adjust for future breeding combinations that would produce healthy, happy and good-looking Cairns for puppy buyers.

Private owners may send health forms directly to the Committee if their breeder has not joined the registry program. 

If a serious problem or sickness should arise in either a dog belonging to one of the members or in a dog bred by one of the members, a veterinary certificate is sent to the Committees veterinarian, who then verifies the given information and then sends it onto the Health Committee.

The Purpose - AGAIN
Remember, the Health Committees purpose is to collect information about dogs, illnesses, and inherited defects in the breed and, if need be, take action before it becomes a problem for the breed in general. The purpose is NOT to condemn breeders, owners or anyone else on a personal level.

DOWNLOAD HEALTHFORM IN ENGLISH (PDF)

Health Committee contacts:

Head: 
Registry: 
Financial: 
Secretary: 
Veterinarian Consultant: