monarch-initiative/vertebrate-breed-ontology: v2026-04-15

This release includes the following changes:

• OBO Format Migration (PR #241)
  The primary edit file has been migrated from OWL to OBO format (vbo-edit.obo). This is a serialization change only — no logical content differences. This improves readability and diff-friendliness for curation.

• Major VeNom Integration (PRs #263, #264 — Issue #132)

  • 226 new breed terms sourced from the VeNom (Veterinary Nomenclature) coding system:
    • 133 rabbit breeds, 46 horse breeds, 40 cat breeds, 5 donkey breeds, 2 dog breeds
  • 215 VeNom cross-references added to existing terms (~95 cat, ~90 horse, ~10 rabbit, ~4 dog, 1 donkey)
  • This significantly improves interoperability with veterinary clinical systems using VeNom codes.

• Canine Foundation Stock Relations (PR #267 — Issue #253)

  • 292 has foundation stock relationships added to dog breed terms, linking breeds to their historically documented ancestor breeds.
  • Sources: UKC, Royal Kennel Club (UK), and Canadian Kennel Club breed registries.
  • 136 unique foundation stock breeds referenced.

• Random-Bred and Mixed-Breed Entries (PR #270 — Issue #211)

  • 8 new terms for random-bred and mixed-breed dogs and cats.
  • Distinguishes "random-bred" (no known breed ancestry) from "mixed breed" (known mixture of recognized breeds).
  • Includes geographic variants (e.g., Japanese Domestic Shorthair, European Domestic Longhair).
  • Important for veterinary medical records where animals lack recognized breed designations.

• New AKC Breed Recognitions (PR #268 — Issue #252)

  • AKC recognition status added for 3 breeds: Basset Fauve de Bretagne, Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka, Teddy Roosevelt Terrier.

• Individual New Breeds

  • Baroque Donkey (VBO:0018008) — also known as "Austro-Hungarian Albino" / "Barockesel" (PR #251)
  • Ashidan Yak (VBO:1010000) — domestic yak breed (PR #269)
  • VikingRed and Cuban Zebu cattle breeds (PR #245)

  Summary by Species
  | Change | Count |
  | --- | --- |
  | New breed terms (VeNom) | 226 (133 rabbit, 46 horse, 40 cat, 5 donkey, 2 dog) |
  | Random-bred/mixed entries | 8 (cat, dog) |
  | Cattle NTRs | 2 |
  | Donkey breed | 1 |
  | Yak breed | 1 |
  | VeNom xrefs added | 215 |
  | Foundation stock relations | 292 (dog) | | AKC recognitions | 3 (dog) |