The club maintains a position of health co-ordinator to monitor the health of the breed and make recommendations to breeders.
Health Co–ordinator
The current coordinator is Mrs Margaret Deuchar
General Health & Hereditary Problems
Generally speaking the Buhund is a remarkable healthy breed and most will only visit the vets for injections.The Norwegian Buhund Club of the UK work hard with Breeders to protect the integrity of the Breed. They do have the occasional ear or eye infection and some tend to be more accident prone than others. Properly cared for, the Buhund should live an active life well into their teens.
Until 1985 it was thought that, unlike most other breeds, the Buhund was not affected by any hereditary diseases. However, it has been discovered that there is an incidence of Hereditary Cataract in the breed. In most cases the dog’s sight is only minimally affected, if at all, but as it is possible that a dog with very small cataracts can produce puppies which are far more seriously affected, no Buhund with cataracts should ever be bred from. The Norwegian Buhund Club is actively involved in trying to eliminate this condition from the breed, but as the number of Buhunds is comparatively small, this will inevitably take a number of years.
The condition can only be correctly diagnosed by specialist vets who will examine the eye while the pupil is fully dilated, so that the whole of the lens of the eye can be seen. Most owners would not be aware that their dog has this condition without this specialist examination. In the Buhund, the condition is caused by a recessive gene, so it is not possible to guarantee that any dog is genetically clear of the condition at the present time. If you buy a puppy from a member of the Norwegian Buhund Club, you should expect to see a copy of the dam and sire’s current clear eye certificate under a recognised eye scheme. When a dog has been proved to have cataracts they should not be used in a breeding programme. Meanwhile, the vast majority of Buhunds who are affected by cataracts live normal lives and suffer no ill effects from this condition.
Any cases which are discovered should be reported to the Breed Health Co-ordinator
Since Buhunds were introduced into this country more than sixty years ago, there have been a small number of cases of epilepsy and a few of hip dysplasia. If considering buying a Buhund, the Club would recommend you ask if both parents have been hip scored. The total score for breeding stock should not be more than 18 in total. But any dog producing or found to be suffering from any of these conditions should not be bred from. Any cases which are discovered should be reported to the Breed Health Co-ordinator so that the situation can be monitored and steps taken to ensure that these diseases do not become widespread in the Breed.
The Buhund is fortunate in that the main problems within the Breed are not life-threatening to the dog and it is because breeders have tried to ensure that they breed an un-exaggerated dog that it remains a basically fit, healthy and intelligent breed
Hereditary Cataracts & Hip Dysplasia
Norwegian Buhunds are regularly screened for hereditary cataract and hip dysplasia before being used for breeding, using Kennel club linked hip and eye schemes.
Results of these tests are available on the Kennel Club website. You will need to know the registered name, or number (registration or stud book) of the dog.
Ataxia
On 4th December 2017 the AHT (Animal Health Trust) published the following.
‘GENETIC CAUSE OF HEREDITARY CEREBELLAR ATAXIA IN NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS IDENTIFIED AND DNA TEST LAUNCHED
In order to protect this small breed from the threat of affected puppies, DNA testing can now be used to promptly eliminate this neurological disease. Genetic researchers at the Animal Health Trust (AHT) have discovered a genetic mutation for cerebellar ataxia in Norwegian Buhunds.This disease affects dogs as young as 12 weeks of age, with uncoordinated movement and head tremors. There is currently no effective treatment and the disease is progressive, worsening over time. Affected animals are often euthanised on welfare grounds.The causative mutation was identified by geneticists at the Kennel Club Genetics Centre at the Animal Health Trust (AHT), in collaboration with the AHT’s Neurology unit. A DNA test was then available from the AHT from Monday 4 December 2017 to help breeders identify carriers and prevent the birth of affected puppies’ We of course tested all breeding stock and now are in a position to say that all the breeding stock are ‘Hereditary Clear’ as both parents are clear, although it has been suggested that several generations down the line it might be a good idea to test again to make sure nothing had crept in. Any dog coming in from abroad must be tested before it is breed from and any offspring from AI semen from abroad must also be tested before breeding. The Laboklin UK does the DNA test and although sadly the AHT closed on July 31st 2020 all the samples were transferred to The Canine Genetic Centre in Cambridge who still do the DNA testing.