Genetic Testing
Genetic testing is so important and it should be undertaken by all those who care about the puppies they breed, and the breed they are responsible for. As with the Hip and Elbow scoring gentetic testing is a tool to allow for sensible, responsible breeding decisions to be made.
Genetic conditions are those that are passed from parents to offspring. These conditions can be carried by each parent without the dog actually having the condition. They can carry the gene for the condition and is completely unseen in the dog. If a carrier is not diagnosed and mates with another carrier then the offspring will be born with these incurable debilitating diseases.
I take my responsibility for breeding this beautiful breed very seriously, and therefore genetic testing is always carried out on my bitches, (and the stud dogs I use) before making any decision to breed from them. The results of these tests can then be used to make informed decisions to breed certain animals together.
The panel of test I insist on are recommended by the Kennel club of the GB are as follows:
- Exercise Induced collapse (EIC)
- Hereditary Nasal Parakeratosis (HNPK)
- Skeletal Dysplasia 2 (Dwarfism)
- Stargardt Disease (STGD)
- Centronuclear myopathy (CNM)
- Progressive Retinal Atrophy (Prcd-PRA)
- Macular Corneal Dystrophy (MCD)
The results are in the following categories:
- Clear
- Carrier
- Affected
A Carrier of any of the above is fine to mate with as long as the mate is clear of the condition the carrier carries. The offspring will not be affected.
