The Polish Lowland Sheepdog Club of Wales and the West of England
Official UK Kennel Club registered breed club
Breed Health
Generally this is a healthy, hardy breed. Like all dogs they need to be fed and exercised correctly, be kept clean and groomed, and mentally stimulated.
The health of the breed has always been at the forefront of the Club's committee and its members. Every effort is made to promote responsible ownership and responsible breeding. Since its inception, the Club has incorporated within its rules a breeding code of ethics. This addresses issues such as health results, welfare and conditioning.
The Club has an appointed Breed Health Officer (Terrie Cousins-Brown) who monitors any issues or concerns through the annual Breed Health Survey. As with all dog breeds, PONs can be affected by generic diseases such as cancer and diabetes but the breed is not considered to suffer from any hereditary health problems. We do however, continue to remain vigilant.
Health Update 2025 - the new Breed Health Standards
- The Kennel Club have announced a new evidence-based approach to health testing, the Health Standard.
Good Practice schemes and tests
We strongly recommend that breeders, at a minimum, conduct these tests before breeding, as evidence indicates these conditions are a significant concern in the breed.
• Prioritising genetic diversity
The COI tool on the Kennel Club's website can help with this.
Best Practice schemes and tests
These tests address conditions that are still significant for the breed, though they may not be as critical as those listed under Good Practice. They might be less common or newly identified, and research is ongoing to determine their full impact.
To support the breed’s health, responsible breeders should ensure they complete all tests in both categories. Following our Best Practice guidelines means completing both the Good Practice and Best Practice tests for your breed.
• Eye testing using the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme
• Hip testing (for hip dysplasia) using the BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme
We have given feedback to the Kennel Club as part of the consultation process. As a club we are of the opinion that hip scoring, DNA testing for PRA-rcd4 and eye screening should all be best practice for the breed. We are in agreement that best breeding practices to minmise inbreeding (due to small population size) should be utilised and have provided members with written advice regarding the use of popular sires, co-efficient of in breeding tools and information on how to access health test results online. Read our code of ethics.
Hips
It is recommended that all PONS that are considered for breeding should have be Hip Xrayed under the BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme. Most breeders try their utmost to ensure that they breed from healthy stock thus giving puppies the best start in life, so do ensure that you always buy a puppy from a reputable breeder who should be able to answer any concerns you may have and will continue to be there to help with any queries you may have.
We do not yet know the incidence of Hip Dysplasia in PONS but it appears to be low. Whilst many dogs can live a totally normal life with this disease in its lesser degree, some may have a painful existence and a few may need operating on for any chance of a decent life. There is no way to eradicate CHD, it is polygenetic and can occur even if both parents have low hip scores, but the occurrences can be minimized by regular testing using the BVA Scheme. Management of diet, exercise and the environment can also impact on a dog's hip score, as well as genetic factors.
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has a comprehensive scoring system. An x-ray is taken of the dogs hips, and they are scored by a panel of vetsat the BVA. Each hip has it' own score, and the two are added together to get the total.
In the UK, each hip can score between 0 to 53, 0 is the best score and 53 the worst. When these are added together to get the total, this is the score used by BVA to calculate the 'Mean' score for each breed. The club accepts scores from official oversea's schemes.
The breed average for each breed of dog will vary, and at the time of writing the breed average for the PON is 16, the 5 year mean average for the last 5 years was 12.
Obviously, with a small gene pool in the UK, other factors may allow the use of a dog with a higher score . For instance, If the dog is bringing in new lines to our gene pool, is of very good character and good breed type and also comes from lines with good hip scores, then consideration may be given to put it to a dog/bitch here that has a low score.
In a numerically small breed sense has to be used to maintain the overall health and vitality of the breed. When considering hip scores in breeding, if the score of the proposed dam is over the breed average then the breeder must use a sire with a score under the breed average.
Eyes
It is recommended that all PONS that are considered for breeding should have an ophthalmic eye examination by an eye specialist within 12 months of siring or whelping a litter. When the breed was introduced and following routine eye testing a small number of dogs showed signs of CPRA (RPED) and these were not included in the breeding programme.
Through a better understanding of this condition and regular eye testing, it is rarely seen today and the breed is no longer included on schedule B. Poor diet and/or Vitamin E deficiency have recently been associated in the development of CPRA, however it is still important to screen for general eye health.
More recently a number of concerns have been raised over PRA-rcd4, Late Onset PRA (LOPRA). Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) in dogs is characterised by the degeneration of the photoreceptor cells of the retina, resulting in vision loss and eventually complete blindness.
The condition affects more than 100 dog breeds and is known to be genetically heterogeneous between breeds. Around 14 mutations have now been identified that are associated with PRA in around 49 breeds, but for the majority of breeds the mutation(s) responsible have yet to be identified.
The club is working with the KCGC to send genetic samples for research of all dogs, clear and affected, over the age of 10 years old and will continue to fund free eye testing for dogs aged 8 and over.
The KCGC have added the PLS to the breed list for the PRA-rcd4 DNA test and offer it via the testing service CAGT (Canine Genetic Testing | Reliable DNA testing for dog breeders. (cagt.co.uk))
Is your PON's eyesight failing?
It would be highly beneficial to the breed if routine eye examinations continued throughout a dog's life. If anyone with a mature PON, whether used for breeding or not, would be willing to take part in the research programme then please get in touch with our Breed Health
Officer, Terrie Cousins.
If your dog has failing vision it may be due to ageing but there may also be an underlying eye condition, it would be really helpful to the breed for us to find out so that we can recommend breed strategies that will breed out blindness from LOPRA in future generations. Please email Terrie if you have any questions about your PON's failing eyesight.
General Health
We are requested by The Kennel Club to conduct breed health surveys, offer advice and produce reports on the health of our breed. We are hoping to complete a Database of all PONS in the UK and in liaison with the PLSC to Complete a yearly health status report.
Our numbers are small and in statistical terms the data is of limited value . Our surveys have shown the PONS to be a very healthy breed. Giving and collecting information is the best way we can help maintain the health of the PONS
The Polish Lowlands do not suffer from any particular breed related health problems but like all dogs, they are susceptible to general canine disease. In general terms, the Polish Lowland is a very robust and healthy breed with an expected life-span of 12 - 14 years and more.
The goal in dog breeding is to breed functionally healthy dogs with a construction and mentality typical to the breed, dogs that can live a long and happy life for the benefit and pleasure of the owner and the society as well as the dog itself. Breeding should be carried out in such a manner that it promotes the health and well-being of the progeny, as well as the welfare of the bitch.
Knowledge, honesty and cooperation, both on national and international level, is basic in healthy dog breeding. Breeders should be encouraged to emphasize the importance of the genetic combination of dogs as well as selection of the individual dog to be used for breeding.
We actively work with overseas breed clubs and educational establishments to further our knowledge of the health of the breed. The Polish Kennel Club's representative to the FCI breeding commission shares information with us and we publish health updates, articles and reports in our newsletters and on the website.
We will post details of our next survey here.
If you are a PON owner and have any concerns about your dog's health or can share any details of illness or causes of loss of life with us, we would value the information. It all helps to build a bigger picture of breed health. If you have any questions or concerns please get in touch with our
Breed Health Officer,
Terrie Cousins -Brown
