Hi

I wonder if anyone has had to get permission to carry on showing your dog.

To cut a long story short.
My 10 month old pup when to have a baby tooth removed on vets advise, during the operation i got a phone call from the vet to ask which tooth did i want removing. I said the baby tooth, which she replyed that he didn't have one. He had a tooth which was very close to another, so she said she'll remove that one. Unfortunatley it was adnormal adult tooth. Any way she saidd she would have to informa the kennel club about this, which she didn't mention before..

Anyway i recieved a letter from the kennel club last week and i'm not to sure weather i should ask for permission to continue or not.

What breed of dog is it?

He is a CKCS

Well I guess since they already know the details of the operation you can only ask if you want to show him. I'm afraid I have only asked for permission to show after neutering and that was fine - they just sent a letter back saying OK. It depends on the nature of the operation and whether they consider it alters the natural appearance of the dog - I guess with teeth it might well. In which case they would refuse and you couldn't show him. But what did the KC letter say?

I have never had a vet report anything to the KC - when she said she "had to" - what does that mean? Surely there is no legal requirement?? I doubt my vet could if she wanted to as she has
no idea of the registered names of my dogs... (not that they have had any "reportable" procedures apart from the neutering - in case the KC
is listening in! ;) )

Thanks for your response

All the letter basically says is
They are in receipt of a vet report concerning my dog of kennel name, which unfortatley they got wrong, i have informed them, underwent dental surgery. Plus should i wish to continue to show him in future Kennel club events, i should ask for permision

I think you may have to ask for permission - although if they have
got the wrong kennel name I am not sure how they would police it if you didn't!
Not sure what the chances of them saying yes are - but if it is any help I have just looked in some back issues of Kennel Gazette and dental work seems to be approved generally - though they often seem to require a vet certificate - not sure what that needs to say. Hope someone else will chip in on that.
Best of luck - let us know what happens

Not at all sure a vet should report your business with them to anyone. I know if you ask the KC for permision to show the KC may well then contact the vet for the details of the op, but I would be a little cross if the vet, whom I was employing, took it upon themself to give details of the work they had done for me, to a third party, without my permission. Ja:)kie

my gsd broke a tooth and he went to the vet to have it repaired, but the vet said nothing about having to report it to the kennel club and i told him that i showed him.

I suppose I am going to be in a minority when I say I think it is a good thing if vets report anything they think appropriate to the KC ;) Not speaking personally about Lols case of course but in general terms I don't see any benefit in people, breeders especially, in being secretive about their dogs health matters.

You may be right, but you as a client have a personal relationship with your vet and I can't belive that it is right for them to tell any other person about your business without your permission. What happens if your vet tells a third party something which on further investigation proves to be incorrect. I would loose all faith in any professional I may consult if I thought that the consultation was not private. How would you feel if your doctor, bank manager or solicitor passed on something they learned in a professional capacity. I agree it would be better if all breeders were totaly honist but being part of the human race there is not a lot of hope for that, all we can do is keep pluging away and hope that we make some difference, but lets not let the vets opinion rule our lives, they are human and not always right. Jackie

As I understand it, a vet is required now to notify the kennel club if an operation is performed on a KC reg dog. It includes things like tooth removal, castration, spaying, ear correction, that sort of thing. I think most vets play it by ear, but some are real sticklers for doing things " by the book"

What i do think is very unfair, is the fact that I am sure lots of people show spayed bitches without permission from the KC, but in the case of a male, the fact cant be hidden can it?

According to the RCVS:

Disclosure of Information: Client Confidentiality

The veterinary surgeon/client relationship is founded on trust, and in normal circumstances a veterinary surgeon must not disclose to any third party any information about a client or their animal either given by the client, or revealed by clinical examination or by post-mortem examination. This duty also extends to associated support staff.

In circumstances where the client has not given permission for disclosure and when the veterinary surgeon believes that animal welfare or public interest are compromised the RCVS should be consulted before any information is divulged.

Permission to pass on confidential information may be express or implied. Express permission may be either verbal or in writing, usually in response to a request. Permission may also be implied from circumstances, for example in the making of a claim under a pet insurance policy, when the insurance company becomes entitled to receive all information relevant to the claim and to seek clarification if required.

Registration of a dog with the Kennel Club permits a veterinary surgeon who carries out surgery to alter the natural conformation of a dog, to report this to the Kennel Club.

I read this to mean "... a veterinary surgeon must not disclose to any third party any information about a client or their animal ..." unless its to an insurance company, the Kennel Club and any other Tom, Dick or Harry as long as the RCVS says its OK.

I can only imagine how the GMC/BMA would react if this one was tried on doctors, but obviously the RCVS has different standards :-(.

>>>Registration of a dog with the Kennel Club permits a veterinary surgeon who carries out surgery to alter the natural conformation of a dog, to report this to the Kennel Club.<<<<

Sharon I think this actually means that the fact the dog is registrered with the KC then the vet has permission to tell the KC. It is I think possible a small print thing that by registering you dog with the KC you are giving the vet permission to tell the KC..

Words words...riddles..

I actually see both sides of it.

I think I would certainly like to know if I had bought a possible show dog and theat either of the parents had to have corrective surgery as naturally your new puppy can have these faults..

Pam

Pam, just looked at a litter registration form and you are right. I can see another side with the KC too (not in relation to insurance companies), but all sorts of problems ensue once confidentiality is compromised - and the RCVS seem to have chucked it right out of the window.

It says something to that effect on registration documents! I suppose a lot depends on whether your vet registers your pet in it's official or call name. the ones here tend to register a dog as fido smith, and that means if they wanted to pass on info to the KC then they would need to ask for the details, unless of course they already have hip score and eye test results on file.

Well thats it really by registering our dogs we are agreeing to this information being disclosed, if we don't like that idea our option is not to register......... or register with the Dog Lovers JOKE JOKE :D

Required by whom to be an informant, not the client, unless requested and that is who is paying the wage. If I have such an op then I will ask the KC for permission to show not my vet. This must be a data protection matter. Very irritated that any vet would even consider such a thing without informing the person involved. RCVS have totaly passed the buck. Perhaps, when we as dog owners look for a new vet, we should ask about their confidentiality policy. Jackie

Jackie
When you first registered the puppy with the KC (if you bred it), or when you transferred the puppy into your name with the KC, you sign that you agree that any Veterinary Surgeon may report an operation to the KC. Therefore it does not come under the Data Protection Act as you have already agreed to the disclosure. I think it would be courteous of the vet to inform you that he/she intends to report it but doubt if they are legally bound to do so.

Joan
Take the rough with the smooth

I think you may have to ask for permission - although if they have
got the wrong kennel name I am not sure how they would police it if you didn't!

I think the Kennel Club are capable of banning all dogs registered under your name until you inform them of the correct dog!

Joan
Take the rough with the smooth

Sounds like a typical sledgehammer approach!

Still think that the vet, whom I employ, is duty bound to deal with me in confidence and if any vet of mine contacted anyone with regard to the treatment of my dogs without informing me, they would be my ex-vet. The only exception would be notifiable desease, and I would still expect to be told that they had to inform the ministry. Sorry about spelling. Jackie

Jackie, completely agree! Any professional/client relationship depends on trust. I hadn't read the litter registration/puppy transfer forms closely - you just sign these things - and I'm irritated but not surprised that the KC has taken this approach, and really annoyed that the RCVS has so little respect for the people who pay its members. I have to take Finn up for his second vacc next week and intend to ask my vets if they 'notify' the KC without bothering to tell the animal's owners', but knowing their attitude to the KC, I'll be amazed if they do.

BTW, its not just the KC. When I started to look this up I came across a couple of references to the RSPCA/SSPCA exhorting vets to inform them - they of no legal status - in cases where they suspect cruelty. That's a difficult area I know, but I was really shocked by one article where the SSPCA had been encouraging vets to 'inform' them, the police, doctors, social workers and Heaven knows who else if they supsected a child was being cruel to animals, because the child could then go on to be a psychopath.

We all heaved a small sigh of relief when !984 passed without Big Brother but maybe we should have looked for him a bit harder!