GUIDE TO CONGENITAL AND HERITABLE DISORDERS IN DOGS - Page 1

Check out the list under GSD......Not sure if all of this is correct, but Dang!

http://www.hsvma.org/assets/pdfs/guide-to-congenital-and-heritable-disorders.pdf

Can anyone add to this list or subtract anything it would be interesting.

Sorry for the caps, I cut and pasted...........

 

Two web browsers are warning me not to go there :( You sure it's safe ?

With all due respect to Dr. Dodds--and I do mean that with all sincerity--the 'guide' overreaches. Did you review the conditions that are alleged to be 'congenital or heritible'?  Some of them are just basic illnesses that any dog [or human, for that matter] might develop at one time or another; most of the conditions have NOT yet been confirmed as being a heritible condition.  The 'congenital' end of things is a bit trickier, since a pup can be born with damn near anything amiss...again, no different than humans.

that is what I end up saying about all these lists.

"Ivermectin sensitivity" is a genetic 'disorder' ? Gotta love this report. Wonder if tying a dog out in hundred plus heat causing death is a genetic " disorder", too.

Joanro, I'm not really sure if I'm interpreting your comment correctly....but the MDR1 mutation that is described in that document as "ivermectin sensitivity" is definitely genetic. The MDR1 gene is an intergral part of the blood-brain barrier, and this mutation affects the transportation of drugs from the brain back into the blood. Besides ivermectin, it also affects the dog's reactions to acepromazine, butorphanol, loperamide, erythromycin, various antiparasitic agents, some chemotherapy drugs, some cardiac drugs, doxycycline, and possibly other drugs. In dogs with collie blood it is IMPERATIVE to know your dog's status, or, if the person is unwilling to test, they should ASSUME the dog is mutant/mutant and treat the dog accordingly. This goes far beyond just ivermectin "sensitivity"....I do think that list is misleading in how it describes it.

Mollyandjack, you did a much better job in explaining collie sensitivity to ivermectin than the report. I was aware that collies are sensetive to more than just ivermec. That's why my comment about heat death.....some dogs will manage to survive tie out in extreme heat, but like ivermectin, it's manmade.

Ok, I do see what you are saying now, I think. I will say that I have a slightly different perspective ;-) For an example, I have a very strong sensitivity to chemicals, specifically fragrance, as does my father and brother. It is definitely inherited. I will get physically ill if I inhale it, I will break out in hives if I come into physical contact with it, and I imagine if I encountered a whole lot of it, my body would have a pretty bad adverse reaction to it. On the one hand, I see these chemical soups we call fragrance as unnatural and don't label my body's reaction as something "wrong" with me. However, there is definitely a difference between how I react and how others react, probably on a genetic level, and I have to be aware of that. Allergies are similar, but per medical definition most people do not refer to chemical sensitivities as an allergy, even though in some cases there is an IgE and IgG response. And we don't hesitate to label a dog as allergic, so I don't think we should hesitate to label a dog with problems processing chemicals, especially in modern society where we do use things like doxycyline, loperamide, etc. I DO think I see your point (and correct me if I am wrong), that this labeling tends to normalize things than maybe shouldn't be normalized, like tolerance to pesticides, parasiticides, etc.

Not surprising since there are probably more GSD's seen by vets than any other breed. Of all the diseases listed as having been diagnosed  in the GSD,, only 4 are said to be common in the breed - DM, EPI, polyneuropathy (PN), protein losing enteropathy (PLE)

Many of the listed diseases seen in this breed could be eliminated or greatly reduced simply by testing the parents before using them and selecting partners based on those result;  or by not using effected dogs or dogs that are known to produce the disease - hip and elbow incongruities, allergies and other autoimmune issues,  gastric torsion,  PF's, pituitary dwarfism, patent duct, on-going yeast and bacterial infections, sub-aortic stenosis, pannus, persistent right aortic arch. Pre-breeding tests are available for DM status,  PN, cardiac function, thyroid health, eye exams, DNA for the MDRI gene, etc. Tests that can be tailored to fit the needs of breeders based on their production history. The path to better health in the GSD is not the path of least resistance.

Some of these diseases are common to all canines regardless of breed - cataracts that are the result of the normal aging process, pano in most large breeds, IBD, entropion, bladder stones. Others are common to the GSD but are not considered life-threatening - corneal dystropies, pano, etc.

"different degrees of frequency and severity from one breed to the next.........some common in many breeds........impact on the health and longevity of breeds depends on nature and severity........"

@ Mollyandjack,You got it! In fact, I made a much criticize comment some time ago pertaining to survival of the fittest via artificial/man made, to create dogs (animals in general) which are tolerant of man made poisons, ie pesticides, flea collars, etc. as being perverse. Someone remarked that it was a positive thing to select for dogs which can tolerate pollution such as poisons.
I know what you mean about cologne and other artificial fragrances.....I get "hay fever" from them myself, yet I can weed eat poison Ivey, have the pulverized plant all over me, in my eyes if I'm not wearing protective glasses, and never develop a rash or even itch. But give me any prescription med, and I develop the "rare side effects" which can be life threatening.