Agria Breed Profiles 2016-2021

According to the Novus survey conducted in 2020/2021, a total of 94% of the registered dogs in Sweden were insured and Agria insured approximately 43% of these. Of all dogs in Sweden (registered and unregistered), 92% were insured, and of these, Agria insured approx. 39%.

Of course, the percentage of insured dogs can vary by breed, but it's hard to know for sure. Comparing the registration numbers of certain breeds, reflects that a large percentage are insured with Agria and the statistics are likely to be very representative of those breeds in Sweden. As of ABP 2011–2016, the proportion of insured dogs with a registration number and the proportion of dogs without a registration number are reported. If there are 10% or more unregistered/missing registration numbers, chart 12 also shows a comparison between registered and unregistered dogs.

Newly insured dogs may not have entered a registration number directly and for breeds with a younger-than-average population, the registration percentage may be an underestimate of the true value. Information about whether registration numbers are present or missing has been added to ABP as there has been great interest from many breed clubs who want to know if the unregistered dogs may have more health problems than the registered dogs.

The statistics are correct regarding the dogs insured with Agria; the conditions described occurred in the frequency indicated in these dogs. Before discounting the statistics from Agria's data, it is important to think "is there any plausible reason to believe that the dogs insured at Agria are very different (that is, much more or less healthy) than dogs insured elsewhere?" Most of the time this is unlikely.

However, there are restrictions in certain breeds where there are few dogs in the database (see the next FAQ).

In general, if there are a large number of dogs it generates more years at risk, and for these breeds the statistics are the most accurate/representative.

For breeds with fewer dogs but high risk of morbidity (VVH) or mortality (deaths), the rates can be assumed to be correct.

For breeds with fewer dogs and low risk of morbidity (VVH) or mortality (deaths), the results must be interpreted with caution, as few individuals can have a strong influence on the data.

For a diagnosis to appear in the profiles, at least 8 dogs must have had an event/received a diagnosis within a diagnostic category; otherwise, no data is presented for that category.

We have noted in the profiles where the reader should exercise greater caution when interpreting the material.

The reader must understand that the ABP is a tool used to understand the incidence of illness/injury and death in dogs along with other information, knowledge and experience. Common sense must be used to interpret the material and to apply the information about the breed.

Breeders and breed clubs are often optimistic that health-related problems can improve quickly. Based on a scientific understanding of disease, populations and experience, it is unlikely that health status will change significantly over relatively short periods of time.

As described in the ABP, the data is affected by changes in insurance terms, veterinary and owner practices along with other factors, especially over time. However, it is reasonable to believe that most changes would affect most breeds similarly. To reduce misinterpretation or over-interpretation, it is assumed that comparisons of each breed in relation to ‘All Breeds’ provide the best picture of diagnostic behaviour with the least risk of misunderstanding.

To minimize the risk of misinterpretation or misinterpretation, it is assumed that a comparison between the individual breed and ‘All Breeds’ gives the best picture with the least risk of misunderstanding.

Relative Risk (the frequency in the breed divided by the frequency in ‘All Breeds’) is presented numerically and is interpreted as how much lower or higher the probability is that a dog of the breed would experience the condition compared to ‘All Breeds’.

Instead of focusing on exact numbers or small changes in risk over different time periods, common sense is required and the reader focuses on general trends and comparisons.

Most often, this is because they suffer from the same types of diseases or injuries, or that there are too few dogs in the breed/variety for a separate profile to be developed.

There is no way for us to know the type or activities of a particular dog. In many breeds, working and show dogs may come out of the same litter, so their genetic predispositions may be similar. In ABP, therefore, no distinction is made between type or area of use.

On a case-by-case basis, it may be possible to provide some information, such as a list of causes of illness or death within the breed. However, this information is not quantified or adjusted and must be interpreted/used very carefully. Email your request to agriabreedprofiles@agria.se.

Here are some ways breed clubs can gather additional information:

• Use the Internet and other sources of information. Has the condition been reported previously or elsewhere? Have clubs in other countries looked at the problem area?
• Get help from a researcher/veterinarian. Do they have additional information regarding the problem in your breed, or perhaps the same or similar problems in other breeds? Are they interested in helping you find out more?

Note: Agria-SKK Research Fund has financed many breed-specific projects and researchers are welcome to apply for research funds. For more information see: https://www.skk.se/sv/Agria-SKK-Forskningsfond/

Consider doing a survey of your breed club members/owners of your breed to gather your experiences. Remember that the methods used to conduct and interpret a survey have a major impact on accuracy. Get help to find an appropriate method to increase the likelihood of receiving valuable and useful information. Contact SKK, which has survey tools adapted to the needs of breed clubs.

In our database there is a registration number listed for approximately 70% of dogs included in All Breeds, in many individual breeds the figure is even higher, up to 80% to 90%. The registration number entered is not checked against any kennel club, but there is no incentive for a dog owner to enter a fictitious registration number on their insurance.

In the Swedish dog population, there is a high proportion of purebred dogs. In 2020-2021 we saw an increase in registered dogs, but after that the registration numbers drop again, similar to how it looks in many other countries.

It is quite likely that even if a particular dog is not registered, it may have come from a purebred background and its health issues therefore reflect the breed.

In practice, there is no gain or incentive for an owner to falsely report their dog as purebred if it is a mixed breed when applying for insurance.

The diagnostic register used in the database is the same used by all veterinarians. For the updates in the ABP, some summary categories have been created and organised to improve understanding and to reflect the most important problems in dogs.

As explained in the ABP, an individual is counted only once within a given diagnostic category during the specified period. General causes are organized either by body system or disease type. For example neoplasia (tumour diseases) or stomach/intestine.

There may be "overlap" between body system and disease type. For example, a dog may be diagnosed with an ear problem and a skin problem, but it may ultimately be determined that the dog has an allergy. In this way, a dog is counted in both categories (ears and skin) in general causes.

As another example, dogs may have non-specific symptoms and be diagnosed as "sick". When the vet continues to investigate, he can indicate a more specific diagnosis. If this occurs and the receipt documents are submitted at the same time, it is the most specific diagnosis that is recorded.

All cancerous or neoplastic conditions (both benign and malignant) are included under neoplasia, regardless of site or body system.

Injury has been separated from diagnoses that deal with the locomotor system, so-called locomotor problems. Injury includes, for example, fractures, traffic injuries and other diagnoses of a generally traumatic nature that may be more common in a specific breed due to its area of use or activity, but likely not due to any hereditary risk (Charts 3,4,5,6, 7,8).

In the musculoskeletal system's own diagrams (9 and 10), the diagnoses are presented in the form of general categories linked to the various parts of the musculoskeletal system.

In these general categories, both disease and trauma diagnoses are included - what governs is which part of the musculoskeletal system is affected by disease or injury.

Locomotor problems are those that affect muscles, bones, joints, tendons and ligaments. Note that cruciate ligament injuries are included in locomotor rather than injury as many breeds have an increased risk. This is due to a degenerative change in the knee joint that can lead to traumatic cruciate ligament rupture.

Most dogs have veterinary insurance and many also have life insurance. Veterinary care insurance is often kept when the animal gets older, or until the dog passes away and therefore generates more years. The life insurance is sometimes removed by the pet owner when the dog gets older, or is automatically terminated when the dog turns 8, 10 or 12 years old - 10 years is the most common age at which life insurance ends. This together generates lower AUR.

The dog may have been insured before the beginning of the measurement period and had a veterinary visit (VVH), or that you have taken out insurance for an older dog with previous veterinary care visits. The dog's first noted VVH underlying the material is not necessarily the dog's first veterinary visit (VVH) - just the first in the ABP data.

If the breed has fewer than 10% unregistered dogs insured, diagram 12 is not shown. Diagram 11 shows how the shares are distributed between registered and unregistered dogs in the breed.

Yes. When comparing between breeds, be sure to note the scale in each chart. The scale is chosen by the computer program based on the actual values of the breed data, so it is important to note the numbers on the scale.

The way we present Relative Risk is a standardized way of presenting Relative Risks. You do not start from 0 because 0 is "nothing", you start from 1 so as not to get negative numbers at a lower risk.

For example, if one breed has a morbidity rate of 1,425 per 10,000 years and ‘All Breeds’ have 1,641 per 10,000 years, the relative risk is 1425/1641 = 0.87. The breed thus has a lower relative risk than all breeds. If the breed has the same Relative Risk as ‘All Breeds’, the Relative Risk is 1.0.

Most of the terms for diagnoses or body location are self-explanatory (at least to those familiar with common problems in dogs). As can be seen from the statistical material, it is always recommended that breeders and breed clubs work with a veterinarian who can provide further explanations and insight into diagnoses, the diagnostic process and health issues in general.

Table 1: Diagnosis and definitions