Our research sources
BarkHQ's health score, breed baselines, and cohort comparisons are built on published veterinary research and official health surveys. We believe transparency about our data sources is essential for trust. Below are the primary sources we use — we update these as better data becomes available.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
The largest breed-specific health survey in the UK, covering over 200 breeds with data from 35,000+ dogs. Used for breed condition prevalence, lifespan data, and weight baselines.
Anonymised clinical data from over 1,000 UK veterinary practices covering 2.5 million dogs. Used for condition incidence rates, treatment compliance baselines, and breed-specific risk indices.
Long-term welfare and health monitoring of UK dogs. Used for care compliance rates (vaccination, dental, vet visit frequency) by breed category.
Annual survey of 5,000+ UK pet owners. Used for pet care behaviour benchmarks including flea treatment compliance and vet visit frequency.
🇮🇳 India
National survey of companion animal health in urban India. Used for vaccination compliance rates, tick-borne disease risk indices, and weight baselines for breeds common in Indian urban households.
Breed registration and health data from India's primary canine registry. Used for breed popularity rankings and available health screening data.
Peer-reviewed research on Babesia canis and other tick-borne disease prevalence across Indian urban centres. Used for tick-borne disease risk index by region.
International standardised data on companion animal disease prevalence. Used to supplement India and UAE baselines where national data is limited.
🇦🇪 UAE
Regional survey of companion animal health across GCC countries. Used for breed health baselines, vaccination compliance rates, and UAE-specific heat stress risk indices.
Official registration data for companion animals in Dubai. Used for breed population estimates and regional care compliance benchmarks.
Research on heat-related health risks for flat-faced breeds in Gulf climate conditions. Used for heat stress risk indices, particularly for French Bulldogs, Pugs, and Shih Tzus in UAE.
🌍 Global
International veterinary guidelines for vaccination schedules, preventive care, and breed health management. Used as the baseline for care timing thresholds in the BarkHQ health score.
Peer-reviewed veterinary epidemiology research. Multiple studies referenced for breed-specific condition onset ages, weight-health correlations, and longitudinal health outcomes.
Are you a veterinary researcher or institution? We welcome collaborations to improve our breed health data.
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