Breed health registries that collect and share health data across populations enable evidence-based breeding decisions that can systematically reduce inherited disease prevalence and improve welfare at breed level.
Health registries represent a systematic welfare infrastructure that enables improvement at the breed population level rather than just the individual breeding pair. When breeders consistently register health test results — including unfavorable ones — the resulting data provides the evidence base for selection decisions that progressively reduce inherited disease burden. The welfare limitation of most current registries is voluntary participation, which allows breeders with poor health outcomes to simply not register, distorting population-level statistics. Mandatory registration requirements backed by breed club or kennel club enforcement would dramatically improve registry completeness and welfare impact.