Genetic Health Tests

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Our dogs are all health tested before breeding. Below are what we test for (all results must be clear of any issues or we will not breed the animal):

 

Official DNA Blueprinting

 

This is sent directly to the national purebred registry (Societé Centrale Canine) to be recorded and allows puppy owners to prove the parentage of their dogs.

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Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)

(Also called Chronic Degenerative Radiculomyelopathy)

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Degenerative myelopathy (DM), also known as chronic degenerative radiculomyelopathy (CDRM), is a disease affecting the spinal cord, resulting in slowly progressive hind limb weakness and paralysis. The symptoms result from degeneration of the white matter of the spinal cord. DM is similar to some of the forms of human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. A genetic mutation, SOD-1, has been identified as a major risk factor for DM. The condition is most common in middle-aged to older dogs, with a range from 4-14 years. It has been reported in young dogs on rare occasions.

 

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Multi-Drug Resistance Gene (MDR-1)

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Multi-Drug Resistance 1 (MDR1) is a gene that is meant for helping to protect the brain. This gene specifically codes for P-glycoprotein, which is responsible for transporting certain drugs out of the brain. If this gene is mutated, it will create a defective protein, and consequently, drugs will remain and build up in the brain to toxic levels. This dominant gene is inherited from the parents, whether the parent has two copies of the gene or only one copy. If neither parent has a copy of the mutated MDR1 gene, then nor will the offspring.

 

The dog with a mutated MDR gene will have increased sensitivity to certain drug molecules, including macrocyclic lactones (such as Ivermectin).

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Hip Dysplasia  /  Spinal Spondylosis

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We x-ray the backs and hips of our dogs at adulthood to ensure they are healthy and apt to train and compete in sports.

 

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Luxating Patella

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The term luxating means 'out of place' or 'dislocated'. Therefore, a luxating patella is a kneecap that moves out of its normal location. When the patella luxates, the dog has difficulty bearing weight on the leg, although there are rarely any signs of pain. It may learn how to kick the leg to the side, which will hyperextend the knee and snap the patella back into its normal location. Medically, there are several degrees or grades of patellar luxation, ranging from a mild form in which the kneecap only luxates when force is applied directly to it, to moderate luxation in which the kneecap pops out frequently, all the way to a severe luxation, in which the kneecap may be dislocated the majority of the time. We ensure that our dogs have a grade 0 (ZERO) for PL before ever considering breeding. We test them repeatedly throughout their lifetime for this.

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Hereditary Cataracts

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A cataract is an “opacity”, or loss of transparency of the lens of the eye. The opacity may be confined to a small area of the lens, or it may affect the whole structure. A complete cataract affecting both eyes will result in blindness.

We test our dogs for this hereditary maladie via the HC-HSF4-A genetic test and veterinary clinical exams.

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Heart Murmur

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A heart murmur is an abnormal heart sound, usually heard by listening to the heart with a stethoscope. A heart murmur is caused by turbulent blood flow within the heart. Since it is impossible to know if a puppy's heart murmur is congenital or genetic, we take every precaution to prevent the latter from being the cause of such an affliction by ensuring that we do NOT reproduce from any animal who has ever been diagnosed with any type (systolic, diastolic, continuous) or degree of heart murmur (they are graded by severity up to 6). Puppies are all sold with health veterinary certificates.

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