The last decade of open communication and supportive community has brought a multitude of Kishu Ken owners from around the globe together to share their dogs online - in public forums of the earlier 2000 and 2010s and social media websites such as Instagram and Facebook, we can speak with others across the globe in the palm of our hands. In a rare breed with geographically distant ownership, this is has been invaluable for sharing anything from cute dog pictures to critical health information.

In the last handful of years in particular, health issues in the Kishu Ken are becoming better known. For decades since their introduction to the USA (the first breeding pair in the USA was born in 1991, our current data suggests), very little information on breed health had been known. 

Because of this openness and sharing, we now know that allergies and skin conditions are commonplace in the breed.

But sometimes, skin issues aren't as simple as allergies and the cause has far deeper roots and can mean something much more nefarious for your dog.

At current, we know of the following autoimmune illnesses in Kishu Ken:

• Autoimmune Thyroiditis: the most common form of hypothyroidism in dogs. Autoimmune Thyroiditis has been observed in the Kishu Ken by OFA evaluation/grading as of July 2020. Autoimmune Thyroiditis has evidence to say it is genetic, though the inheritance mode is not clearly understood. Autoimmune Thyroiditis can be evaluated by OFA panel in pet and breeding dogs and should be performed before breeding when possible now that we are aware of the existence of this type of hypothyroidism in the breed. Autoimmune Thyroiditis is treatable by thyroid hormone such as thyroxine and hypothyroid dogs have a good quality of life once diagnosed and treated. 
• Addison's Disease: an autoimmune condition that causes the body to attack the adrenal glands. Addison's disease is typically treated with prednisone. Addison's disease is comorbid with Autoimmune Thyroiditis after thyroid failure and can be very taxing on the body. At present, there is at least 1 Kishu Ken bred by an early US breeder who had been diagnosed with Addison's Disease and passed at 8 years of age. Addison's Disease has no known preventative or precautionary test in Kishu Ken and may only be diagnosed by vet exam/bloodwork when a Kishu Ken becomes ill.
• Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: an autoimmune condition that causes the immune system to attack otherwise healthy parts of the body (tissue, joints.) SLE is also comorbid with Autoimmune Thyroiditis after thyroid failure. SLE has historically presented first as severe dermatitis in the Kishu Ken where skin around the eyes and muzzle and toes becomes raw or may develop sores. In early stages, this has sometimes been mistaken for allergies. This type of lupus may be treated and controlled for some time with prednisone. There is no preventative or precautionary test for SLE known at this time. It may be diagnosed by clinical presentation and bloodwork. However, Kishu Ken diagnosed with SLE have had more or less ambiguous bloodwork results, which sometimes happens with this form of lupus.

What does this mean?
For Owners of Kishu Ken:

• Inform your veterinarian that autoimmune illnesses are seen in the breed (Autoimmune Thyroiditis, Addison's Disease, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.)
• Consider running bloodwork on your dog during regular annual exams as routine. This can get a reference range for what your dog's results look like when they are healthy so if they do become sick, changes in your dog's individual bloodwork may help with diagnosis.
• Consider running an OFA Thyroid panel on your dog. This can determine if your dog is affected by Autoimmune Thyroiditis. As Autoimmune Thyroiditis may increase the chance your Kishu Ken develops Addison's Disease and SLE when their thyroid fails, it is good information for any Kishu Ken owner to know, even if you never plan on breeding their dog or your dog is already altered. 
  • If you choose to run an OFA Thyroid panel, please consider submitting to the OFA database and signing the section to release abnormal results to the database. This can help provide important data about the breed's health. Submission to the OFA database costs an additional fee, but if you email info@kishuclub.com, there may be some assistance available in these fees.
• If your dog is currently affected by severe skin issues, consider speaking to your veterinarian about SLE as this is a rare illness in a rare breed. Kishu Ken with SLE have generally responded well to prednisone therapy/treatment.

For Breeders of Kishu Ken

• Consider submitting OFA Thyroid on all breeding dogs (or comparable thyroid screening if not in the USA.) This information will tell you if your breeding dogs are affected by Autoimmune Thyroiditis as dogs who are affected may appear healthy until as late as 6-8. As these affected dogs can appear healthy until they are likely about to be retired from breeding and already have 2 or even 3 generations down from them, this test is very important to give you much-needed insight on your breeding stock. This can also tell you if your individual dog is potentially at risk for developing Addison's disease or SLE as they are seen as comorbid conditions during thyroid failure.
• Inform your buyers of the 3 autoimmune illnesses we know are currently seen in this breed. Make sure they are aware, and expect that some day, you may produce a dog with these illnesses. With so little data on how they are inherited, it is impossible for any Kishu Ken breeder to promise an owner that their dogs will not be affected, but we can be here to present them with honest information and support them at every turn.

At this time, the National Kishu Club is collecting registered names and pedigrees on dogs who are affected by autoimmune illness and allergies for research and education purposes. If your dog is affected by any diagnosed allergies or autoimmune illness, please consider submitting an email to info@kishuclub.com with your dog's pedigree name, diagnosis, and parentage. We will work to develop an easy submission form on the website to submit your dog.

You may also help in the form of a monetary donation to allow the club to collect pedigree data on ancestors via a NIPPO research pedigree request and even support our ability to collect data and research these illnesses in the breed.

This is a special breed with relatively few health issues, but the ones that we are seeing can be very scary for owners and breeders. Please know that no matter if your Kishu Ken is healthy or even currently affected, you and your dog are not alone, and you can always send the club an email if you think you need help, or you can join the Facebook group of Kishu Ken owners and enthusiasts to share and find a community that will love to see you and your dog.

• https://www.facebook.com/groups/KishuKenGroup

First, we're going to go over the dramatic decline of the breed... but don't lose hope! The second half of this blog post will discuss ways to assist the Kishu Ken and the National Kishu Club.

​The Kishu Ken is facing a crisis​. ​None of the medium sized native Japanese breeds are doing well in the numbers game of registrations per year, but the Kishu Ken registration numbers have been dropping the most dramatically.

Once rather populous and popular among the medium sized breeds, the Kishu has been experiencing a decline in popularity that has equaled a decline in population by registration numbers a year. With the rate of decline, if the population does not stabilize, we may be approaching a time where we see 0 or very few registrations in as little as 3 years.

Here's a snapshot of registration numbers:

• 1993: 2443 new NIPPO registrations
• 1995: 1960 new NIPPO registrations
• 2008: 739 new NIPPO registrations
• 2017: 372 new NIPPO registrations
• 2018: 351 new NIPPO registrations
• 2019: 252 new NIPPO registrations

Considering NIPPO is the primary breed registry internationally, and its pedigrees are recognized by the AKC (nearly all Kishu Ken in the world are NIPPO-registered, with the FCI having the second highest population of registered dogs), the sad reality for our breed right now is that we may face extinction if things do not change.

This is compounded with the fact that only 66 individuals have ever been registered with the AKC. These dogs have birth years ranging from 1991 to 2019 and the majority are downline from only a handful of imports, some related to one another.
​
​Fortunately, there are things that can be done to help stabilize this decline and improve Kishu Ken visibility and AKC numbers.

There are multiple ways fans and enthusiasts can help the Kishu Ken. Even if your home is not ready for a Kishu Ken and you cannot welcome a dog at this moment, please consider some of the other ways you can help:

Things anyone can do:

• Donate to the club. Every donation helps. Your donations may be applied to producing educational materials, renting breed booths at various events to educate the public, distributing or publishing physical goods for the Kishu Ken. We must bring the Kishu Ken to the public to get them the popularity they need to survive. 
  • At current, the club is working on monthly donation programs where donators will receive promotional materials. Stay tuned!
  • To donate to the National Kishu Club, send us an email at info@kishuclub.com or use the same Email as our PayPal address if you wish to donate anonymously. 
  • Donations to the club may also be used to secure import dogs in the future.
• Share our posts and social media. A share can go a long way if you cannot afford to donate. A share can also educate newcomers to the breed.
• Volunteer with the club or become a member. We always need people to speak to the public during shows and breed booths, or help manage dogs during public education events. 

If you already own a Kishu Ken:

• Be active on social media! Kishu Ken have a publicity problem in that few people know they exist. If you have an active pet or just want to share your dog with the world, be active on social media.
• Enter your dog into sports. Kishu Ken are versatile dogs. Many people believe that they are strictly a hunting dog. Show the world what Kishu Ken can do. If you need help getting involved in dog sports, please reach out to the club and we will help you get involved. Kishu Ken can enjoy a number of sports that are easy to enter and require little to no training (such as barn hunt and lure coursing) and other sports that need a little more work to be competitive (such as conformation, rally, obedience, agility, nose work, weight pull, and even bite sports!)
• Bring your dog to public education events. Consider aiding the club with Meet the Breed booths and other public education events. Kishu who are social and under control are ideal dogs to introduce to the public and can be quite charming!
• Request educational materials from the club. We may have informational brochures, cards, and other materials for you to hand out just for whenever you get stopped or asked "what kind of dog is that?"

If you are interested in owning a Kishu Ken:

• Join the club. Joining the club, volunteering, and connecting with other Kishu Ken owners is extremely helpful. There are never enough knowledgeable hands on deck to help at public events.
• Consider importing. The population outside of Japan is based on very limited individuals and many of those individuals are actually related. Importing from Japan can be a very helpful way to widen our genepool and assist in preserving the breed. If you are interested in importing, the club can help direct you to resources. If we cannot export valuable lines from Japan or show breeders that there is interest in these dogs, we will continue to see kennels close their doors and entire lines lost.

Kishu Ken are a versatile, devoted, and focused dog who can excel as an active companion to share life with. They are not "only" a hunting dog and many are very outgoing with anyone they meet. They have a place in modern pet, sport, and working homes, and deserve a fighting chance.