Collie Health

Hereditary Diseases - a delicate matter? No!  Veterinary medicine and genetic research have made big progress in the last years. Today, by means of genetic tests and clinical examinations, breeders are able to identify affected dogs and eleminate them from breeding. Genetic tests also tell us, if a dog, who isn't affected with a disease, may be a carrier of it. If we use such a carrier for breeding, we choose a suitable mating partner, to eleminate the risk of affected pups. The pups are tested for many diseases (genetic tests and clinical examinatons), BEFORE we sell them. Nowadays, nobody has to buy a pig in a poke! By means of these early tests and examinations, puppy-byers have the most possible guarantee, to get a healthy pup for a long and joyful lifetime.

In this chapter, we want to gain you an insight into the main Hereditary Diseases that affect the Collie breed and what we (can) do to  eradicate them.  

Generally, there are three categories of Hereditary Diseases:
 

a)     Diseases, of which we know their way of inheritance and for what we have an available genetic test.  Mostly, those diseases can be  diagnosed by a clinical examinaton, too. 

b)    Diseases with polygenetic inheritance and no available genetic test. Normally, those diseases can be  diagnosed by a clinical examinaton.

c)     Diseases with an unknown way of inheritance with no available genetic test. Those diseases can be diagnosed only in an inflammatory period. 
 

Breeding begins with the selection of the dam and stud. Therefore, a breeder has to know all about the genetic disposition of his dogs. Those genetic tests are expensive, but essential for a responsible breeding. They offer the possibility to distinguish not only between affected and clear dogs, but also to identify clinically healthy carriers.  Category A diseases can be tested with genetic tests:

 

-         MDR1 Disease

-         Grey Collie Syndrom (GCS)

-         Choroidal Hypoplasia, a mild form of Collie-Eye-Anomaly (CEA-CH)


The result of the genetic test is put into a special code:

 

1)      -/-  the dog is affected with the disease (synonym: normal)

2)    +/-  the dog is clinically healthy, but carrier of the disease (synonym:carrier)

3)   +/+ the dog is clinically healthy and genetically clear of the disease. This dog can be bred to any mate and will produce no pups affected with the disease. (synonym: non carrier)


VERY important are so called "non carriers". They are genetically clear of the tested disease and can only produce healthy pups. Even if the mating partner is affected with e.g. MDR1 Disease or CEA-CH, the pups won't be ever affected with the disease!!!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Minimum one mating partner of our breedings is a MDR1 +/+  and GCS +/+ non carrier! In those way, there will be no affected pups with GCS or MDR1 Disease in our kennel !! 

But genetic tests are not enough to avoy Hereditary Diseases. Category B diseases can be diagonsed by clinical examination. Breeding prospects have to be screened and clear of the following diseases:

        -         Hip Dysplasia (HD)
        -         Collie-Eye-Anomaly (severe forms of CEA)
        -         Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)
        -         Hereditary Cataract (KAT)
        -         Deformation of the bones 
             (e.g. cleft palate, deformed tail vertebrae)
        -         Dental Faults 
        -         Umbilical Hernia 
        -         Retained Testicles 

CEA, PRA and KAT are checked by an certified Ophthalmologist at the age of 6 to 8 weeks. A Breeding Inspector of the Club checks every litter at the age of 8 weeks. Any abnormality like deformation of the bones, dental faults, hernieas or retained testicles can be diagnosed and will be reported on a special check list (Litter Record). Affected dogs get a  so called "not-for-breed-pedigree" and will never be used for breeding.

Hip Dysplasia can be diagnosed at the age of 15-18 months by means of a special x-ray. It goes without saying, that no serious breeder would ever breed with diseased dogs of Category B!! Although the way of inheritance of those diseases isn't completely known yet, breeders know, that you get more often affected pups out of affected parents, than out of healthy parents. On the other hand, there is no guarantee, that you will get only non affected pups out of healthy parents. But the risk is much lower.

 

Hereditary Diseases of Category C appear completely unexpected, the treatment can only reduce the symptoms, but there is no cure:  
  

-         Idiopathic (inherited) Epilepsy

-         Dermatomyositis

-         Lupus Erythematosus

 

These diseases appear extremely rare, but can not be influenced by any breeder. It isn't even possible, to diagnose them definitively. There are also some non-inherited forms of Epilepsy existing and some Diseases, that are similar to the Autoimmune Diseases Dermatomyositis and Lupus. Of course nobody breeds with affected dogs of Category C, not even with their relatives. But nobody can foresee the appearance of these diseases or avoy it. The residual risk is approximately 2-4%. 

 

This is a check list for puppy-byers, what health results of the pups and of the dam and sire they have to be shown:

 

Puppy:

-         genetic test MDR1 Disease

-         eye examination of a certified ophthalmologist

-        Litter Record (no hernias, deformation of the bones, reatined testicles, etc.),

-        actual health certificate

 

Dam and Sire:

-        eye examination of a certified ophthalmologist, clear of middle and severe CEA, PRA and KAT

-        proof, that dam and sire are clear of Hip Dysplasia

-        proof, that minimum one parent ist non carrier +/+ of GCS

 

If the breeder can show all these certificates and test results, then he really has done the maximum medical check-ups and can hand over a certified healthy pup to the new owner.

 

Very Important: Alle those soothing and calming comments of breeders, who do not show this care and attention to the puppies's health, demonstrate their lack of competence, honesty and respectability!! Comments like "the parents have always been ok, the pups are healthy", "genetic tests are too expensive, vets earn a fortune with them" or "MDR1 is not so important, my dogs have never had a sensitive reaction to medicine" should ring your alarm bells!! Those breeders are not willing to screen the health of their breeding dogs and puppies, knowing, that their dogs ar not as first-class as they want to suggest you. Puppy-byers have the right to get the best pup, healthy and self-confident, for a whole dog life long.

 

All the information in this chapter should gain you an insight to the possibilities and limitations of a breeder, his responsibilities and tasks, to give serious puppy-byers a hand to distinguish responsible breeders from  less reputable "puppy producers".