..Canine Health Issues....

Below are some links to health issues we can sometimes come across with our loved canine family members. Although nothing is better than an expert opinion from a veterinarian, sometimes though, other breeders have experienced things along the way that vets have had little or no hands on experience with which can help when something comes up unexpectedly.

Hip and Elbow scoring in Labradors - why is it necessary in the breed?
Cold Tail/Limber tail - Something I have come across in some of my lines that some veteranarians are not aware of. Woodhaven labradors have a great site with pictures for explaining all about this harmless but painfull condition that some labradors may experience at some stage of life. The simpliest way to explain it is a "pulled tail muscle".
AKC link
Growing Pains in Labradors - also known as wandering lameness etc. This is different from hip or elbow dysplasia.

PRA - Progressive Retinal Atrophy - Affecting the eyes -

PRA refers to a group of diseases that cause the retina of the eye to degenerate slowly over time. The result is declining vision and eventual blindness. “prcd” stands for “progressive rod-cone degeneration” which is the type of PRA known in several breeds.

The genetic disorder, prcd-PRA , causes cells in the retina at the back of the eye to degenerate and die, even though the cells seem to develop normally early in life. The “rod” cells operate in low light levels and are the first to lose normal function. Night blindness results. Then the “cone” cells gradually lose their normal function in full light situations. Most affected dogs will eventually be blind. Typically, the clinical disease is recognized first in early adolescence or early adulthood. Since age at onset of disease varies among breeds, you should read specific information for your dog. Diagnosis of retinal disease can be difficult. Conditions that seem to be prcd-PRA might instead be another disease and might not be inherited.

Although prcd-PRA is inherited, it can be avoided in future generations by testing dogs before breeding. Identification of dogs that do not carry disease genes is the key. These "clear" dogs can be bred to any mate - even to a prcd-affected dog which may be a desirable breeding prospect for other reasons.

This is a new test out now for most breeds (Labrador Retrievers being one of them) - it can be done by a simple blood test or now even easier for breeders, a mouth swab.

Links

Optigen - An American site that does DNA testing on dogs.
LowChens Australia - a great site on different canine health issues - although for lowchens it is also great for referencing for other breeds.
K9- WEB - Canine Eye problems.

EYES - Retinal Dysplasia / Retinal Folds

The retina is the neurological structure in the back of the eye which receives light and converts it into an electrical signal. This electrical signal is transmitted to the brain by way of the optic nerve and is interpreted by the brain as vision. The embryological development of the retina is quite complex. It forms from a small part of the front of the primitive neural tube, the structure that becomes the nervous system (brain and spinal cord) of the adult. Malformations of the retina before birth are rare but can be due to either hereditary or environmental (in the uterus) influences. Retinal dysplasia is a type of retinal malformation. The word "dysplasia" simply means "a defective development of an organ or structure". Retinal dysplasia occurs when the 2 primitive layers of the retina do not form together properly. Mild dysplasia manifests as folds in the inner retinal layer. These are called "retinal folds". In "geographic" retinal dysplasia there are larger areas of defective retinal development. In the severe form of dysplasia, the 2 retinal layers do not come together at all and retinal detachment occurs.

Retinal folds rarely cause vision problems for the individual dog. They represent small blind spots which are probably not even noticed by the dog. However, large areas of dysplasia (geographic dysplasia) may lead to large deficits in the visual field and dogs with retinal detachments are completely blind.

There have been many questions recently about the certifiability of dogs with retinal folds. Retinal folds may be seen in many breeds and still pass a CERF examination and receive a CERF number. This is due to the fact that the condition is thought either not to be hereditary in the particular breed or has never been shown to be connected to serious (blinding) forms of dysplasia.

Retinal Dysplasia/Retinal Folds links