Studies help owners ask better questions
A breed study describes a defined group of dogs observed with a particular method. It cannot tell an owner what will happen to one puppy or adult dog. We retain the country, study years, sample, denominator, age information when available, ascertainment method, and important limitations.
Measurement types are kept separate
Recorded period prevalence
The percentage of studied dogs with a condition recorded during a defined period. It can include conditions that began before the period and can miss disease that was not recognized or entered in the record.
Annual incidence
New cases during a year using the source’s eligible population or time-at-risk denominator. It should not be relabeled as prevalence or lifetime risk.
Lifetime owner-reported history
What owners reported that their dogs had experienced before a survey. Dogs are different ages, histories may not be medically verified, and the result is not completed-lifetime probability.
Insurance-claim frequency
Claims or affected insured dogs relative to the source’s denominator. Enrollment, policy wording, deductibles, and claim behavior influence what is observed.
Screening-test results
Findings among dogs submitted for testing. Submitted dogs are not automatically representative of every dog in the breed.
Odds ratios and relative risks
Comparisons with a stated group. An odds ratio is not a percentage and should not be described as an individual dog’s chance of future disease.
What we say when frequency is unknown
We use the statement “Frequency not established in the sources reviewed.” That does not mean the condition is absent or unimportant. We do not turn screening recommendations, small case series, registry submissions, or anecdotal statements into breed-wide percentages.
Source hierarchy
We prioritize original peer-reviewed studies and the authority responsible for a screening recommendation. Important source groups include the Royal Veterinary College VetCompass program, the Dog Aging Project, original Agria breed-profile materials when reuse and denominators are clear, the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, CHIC, national parent clubs, veterinary universities, and clinical references.
Central source registry
The editorial project stores one central bibliographic and reuse record for each source URL. Breed evidence rows reference that source ID and retain their own breed-specific denominator, table locator, population, and interpretation. This prevents the same paper from acquiring conflicting titles, dates, or rights notes across multiple pages.
Interactive 3D profiles are not medical evidence
The site currently contains 30 complete breed guides and 27 additional interactive 3D dog profiles. The 3D models are educational visualizations supplied by the site owner. They are not veterinary scans, diagnostic tools, anatomical measurements, or evidence that a particular dog has a health condition.
General care prompts on an interactive profile remain separate from source-tracked breed health findings. A model-only profile is labeled as an interactive profile, stays on its own publication allowlist, and is not converted into a complete breed health guide until the research and review workflow is completed.
Screening does not equal prediction
A screening recommendation does not mean every dog will become ill. Some tests inform breeding choices, while other evaluations are used clinically when signs or family history justify them. A CHIC number confirms completion and public disclosure under the applicable protocol, not normal results on every test.
Publication workflow
- Evidence is extracted with the original measurement type and denominator.
- The source, arithmetic, citation, and reuse notes are checked.
- Automated validation confirms that source IDs resolve and required fields are present.
- A veterinarian reviews medical interpretation, clinical signs, and screening language.
- An insurance reviewer checks coverage language, disclosures, and product neutrality.
- Desktop, tablet, mobile, accessibility, link, and structured-data testing are completed.
- Only then is the breed added to the publication allowlist and sitemap.
Insurance and expense language
We do not promise that a condition will be covered. Coverage depends on the policy, enrollment date, medical history, waiting periods, exclusions, limits, applicable law, and the insurer’s claim determination. Treatment prices are not published without a dated, geographic, itemized source and a clear explanation of what the range includes.
Corrections and review dates
“Source checked” means the editorial team reviewed the cited source and extraction. It is not a veterinarian’s approval unless a named reviewer, credentials, date, and scope are displayed. Each record contains publication status, review fields, verification gaps, and a change log.
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