Welcome to the new ABA Health & Research pages.

At present, the Health and Research Committee is conducting a survey to determine the health issues that Bullmastiff fanciers find most pressing. Once that is completed, we will have a direction for our fund-raising efforts, and we will work closely with the AKC Canine Health Foundation to ensure that the funds are targeted to those diseases that Bullie owners consider important. The survey is being distributed at large shows, in club newsletters, and via e-mail on the Bullmastiff list. A copy is also available here. We are already seeing quite a few responses, and our efforts have just begun; the results will be published when distribution of the survey is complete.

We are also working in a number of other areas:

1. We are networking with other breed organizations, many of which have quite comprehensive websites with links to disease-specific research organizations, forthright discussions of health issues facing the breed, health certification awards programs, etc. There are many very active breed organizations that have made a strong commitment to health and research, and we are hoping that the Bullmastiff community will soon be counted among them.

2. We would like to begin organizing health clinics at our regional and national specialties in an effort to provide such things as cardiac exams, CERF, and thyroid panels in a cost-efficient manner.

3. We have started to develop an overview of some of the most prevalent diseases in our breed, and we will soon be featuring some articles relating to those areas that most concern Bullmastiff owners.

4. We are developing an awards program linked to our tax-deductible fund-raising efforts.

Overall, our goal is to involve ABA members, potential puppy buyers, and anyone else with an interest in the breed, in a quest to improve the health and longevity of the dogs we have chosen to share our lives. We welcome any ideas, comments and suggestions you may have.

Please be patient while we develop these pages. We’d like to offer a link to the Bernese Mountain Dog site and the Mastiff Club of America site as examples of what can be done if the membership is truly committed (select HealthLinks).