HEALTH TESTS

Although hip dysplasia occurs in Labradors and Poodles, it is extremely rare in dogs from the Rutland and Tegan lines. Out of about 7,000,000 puppies, less than 20 were diagnosed with dysplasia. All dogs intended for breeding are subjected to PRCD-pra tests, hip and elbow joint tests and Von Hillebrand's Disease. All dogs of Hairy Passion are free from the above-mentioned diseases.
Test results available in Hairy Passion.

My dogs undergo major types of testing before being allowed to breed.

These are the studies:

1. PennHIP - early diagnosis of hip joints

2. prcd-PRA genetic test (progressive retinal atrophy)

3. Von Hillebrand's Disease Type I

Only successful female dogs and dogs are mated.

PennHIP (Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program)

This is a new method of diagnosing hip joints for hip dysplasia. Since the test can be performed in very young dogs (approx. 4-6 months old), the method makes it possible to early exclude a dog with hip joint defects from breeding.

Using this technique, the animal's hips are diagnosed - a quantitative measure of the promiscuity of the hip joint. The studies are described using a different systematics than those known so far. Joint quality is described as a percentage, and the results are compared to the results of dogs of the same breed.

The PennHip method is more reliable than other methods due to the possibility of detecting the onset of osteoarthritis, which characterizes hip dysplasia.

Based on: http://www.pennhip.org/

prcd-PRA genetic test (progressive retinal atrophy)

The prcd-PRA test is a DNA-based test that helps to avoid one of the forms of progressive retinal atrophy - PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy). PRA refers to a group of diseases that cause degeneration of the retina over time, resulting in failing eyesight and eventual blindness.

The genetic disease prcd-PRA causes cells in the back of the retina to degenerate and die, even though at an early age the puppy appeared to develop normally. (1)

The dog's retina has two types of photoreceptors: cones and rods. Rods make up the majority and are responsible for the process of vision in low light, while cones are used to differentiate colors and the process of vision in bright light (2).

The first stamens lose their normal functions. The so-called "night blindness". Then the cones slowly lose their function in bright light. Most infected dogs eventually go blind. Normally, clinical signs of the disease are diagnosed in early adolescence or early adulthood. Diagnosing the disease can be difficult. Symptoms that may indicate progressive retinal atrophy do not necessarily turn out to be this disease and do not have to be hereditary. Diagnosis can be made with the OptiGen genetic test.

STRATEGIES FOR BREEDING INFECTED DOGS

In the table below, all desirable associations are underlined, including at least one "pure" parent. All other crossbreeds, unfortunately, carry the risk of developing the disease at a later age. All dogs, however, can be safely mated with each other. Moreover, it is not desirable to remove from the population of breeding dogs those that are carriers or are infected. It is important, however, that a dog that is a carrier or infected dog should only be crossed with a "free/clean" individual.

The advantages of testing are obvious. Breeders can consciously eliminate sick individuals from breeding. And because these tests can be done at any age, a puppy's "genetic status" can be known before any clinical signs of disease appear. Several generations of selection can even completely eliminate the disease gene from a particular line.

INHERITANCE

Prcd-PRA is transmitted from parent to offspring in a recessive manner. This means that the disease gene must be passed on by both parents for their offspring to be infected. So in a word, each of the puppy's parents had to be either a carrier or an infected one. The carrier has one disease gene and one pure (normal) gene. A healthy dog does not have the disease gene - both copies of the gene are the same. An infected dog has two disease genes – both copies of the gene are abnormal.(1)

(1) http://www.optigen.com

(2) Miller P.E., Murphy Ch.J. Vision in dogs.1995. JAVMA, 207, 12, 1623.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Hairy Passion
Australian Labradoodle Kennel in Poland
First Australian Labradoodle in Poland