The MDBA Inside Out Program Overview
What it is
The MDBA Inside Out Program operates is an initiative by the MDBA Health and Wellness Department.
Our aim is to:
- Reduce the prevalence of canine health issues and genetic diseases within MDBA registered dog breeds
- Provide guidance and support to our members so they can make informed decisions about their breeding program
- Establish control programs
- Provide services to members at a discount price
We will achieve this by:
- Collecting canine health data from our members
- Collating this data into health-specific databases
- Analysing this data to identify health and genetic conditions that impact canine breeds
- Determining the prevalence of any identified health conditions in specific breeds using pedigree analysis
- Disseminating our analysis of the data to our members
- Developing breed-specific strategies to reduce the incidence of health and genetic conditions that impact specific canine breeds
- Encouraging our members to adopt our breed-specific strategies to help increase the likelihood of breeding normal, healthy dogs for work and family pets
- Monitoring progress in the reduction of identified health and genetic conditions
- Promoting our breeder members who are working towards breeding healthier dogs
- Working in collaboration with canine health service providers who provide discounts to our members
How we will collect and use the data
When we receive health information from our members or their puppy buyers, we will record this data in the appropriate MDBA Inside Out databases. As we collect more data our analysis will become more accurate.
We undertake surveys to assess the state of the breeds of dogs in our gene pool. This data is collected from our members and their puppy buyers. This allows us to identify any health-related issues and the number of dogs affected by health issues in each breed. This data allows the MDBA to see emerging health trends within our gene pool, which can help reduce the incidence of breed-specific issues. Data and information gathered during the survey can be used for research and strategy development.
The information needed to design effective strategies to decrease the incidence of a disease in any breed relies on:
- Our ability to collect reliable accurate data related to the MDBA gene pools.
For example, knowing the incidence of a disease in a specific breed with worldwide data does not tell the MDBA if this disease is prevalent in our gene pool. Whilst this data is an important consideration in our approach, it has limited value in informing us about the prevalence or urgency of the issue in MDBA-registered dogs. - Breeders and owners of MDBA-registered dogs providing the MDBA with both the good and bad results of X-rays, health checks, DNA, and test results enables us to calculate the frequency of the problems presenting in our dogs of the breed. There is a radically different approach when designing a Genetic Action Plan between a disease that shows up in 5% of dogs tested in a breed in comparison to one that shows a 50% incidence in a breed.
- We will determine the mode of inheritance of diseases which underpins our strategy to tackle reducing the incidence of the disease. The strategy for managing diseases with a recessive mode of inheritance are very different than the strategy for diseases that are dominant or polygenic disease.
- We will collect data on conformation, diet, exercise, and environmental variables to be able to identify and to better understand any possible causation and correlations in health related conditions.
We analyse the data by looking for health trends within specific breeds. If we determine that a health issue is prevalent in a breed we calculate the frequency of the issue.
We use pedigree analysis to determine the mode of inheritance of the disease.
We collate this data to inform our strategy development, with the aim of reducing the incidence of the disease within that breed.
How we develop our strategies
All our strategies are science-based. We use our collated data as a basis to investigate current scientific research about the disease, consult professionals, and talk to dog owners who have dogs affected by the condition.
By doing this, we gain a realistic view of the disease and design appropriate strategies that will improve the health of the affected breed.
Inside Out Databases
There is no charge for entering data into any of the MDBA databases as it is crucial for the MDBA to collect as much health information as possible.
The following databases are the current databases the MDBA is maintaining for dogs registered in our gene pool:
- MDBA Veterinary Health Checks
The MDBA requires all breeding dogs to have a health check, and the results are sent to the MDBA for entry into our databases.
MDBA dog owners are encouraged to send us their own dog’s health checks so that their data can also be entered into our databases. The MDBA provides our breeders with form for the veterinarian to fill out. This form covers full basic health checks and also collects the measurements of particular body parts which enables us to determine ratios that are important in building a complete picture of a dog of any breed.
- DNA
The MDBA maintains a database of DNA test results obtained directly from approved laboratories, our breeder members and our smart dog owners.
- Radiology
The MDBA maintains a database of radiology results. MDBA members can submit their dog’s x-ray results from any recognised organisation or specialist radiologist, or they can send their x-rays to the MDBA Health and Wellness Department, which will send the x-rays to the Radiologists attached to the MDBA Inside Out program, which will read the x-rays and submit the results to the member and the MDBA.
We accept radiographs for assessment of normal or abnormal ratings on puppies as young as 4 months of age for evaluation of hip stability and conformation.
Having this data enables the MDBA to examine contributing factors in research projects that may be causative or correlated with joint disease in dogs as they age.
Ophthalmology database
The MDBA maintains a database that records information about eye diseases within our gene pool. This is a useful tool for breeder to use when planning their breeding program. Breeder members can enquire if the dog they are planning to use in their breeding program is in the database and what the status of their eye health is. Data must be from a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist.
Cardiac database
This database contains data regarding cardiac health. The data must come from a board-certified professional. All members are encouraged to submit their evaluations, whether normal or abnormal, to assist in the analysis of patterns of inheritance in important canine congenital heart disease.
Examination of dogs for heart disease aims to identify and classify phenotypic abnormalities. Heritable aspects of heart disease cannot be addressed unless suitable genetic studies have been conducted.
- Preliminary evaluation—Dogs under 12 months of age can be evaluated for the owner’s information. The most opportune time to gather this data is at 8–10 weeks of age, prior to the puppy’s release to the new owner.
- Examination and classification of cardiac disease and adult-onset cardiac disease examined and classified by a veterinary cardiologist.