All dog owners and breeders who wish to participate in the Kennel Club/BVA Canine Health Schemes (CHS) for eye disease and hip and elbow dysplasia will be required to have their dogs permanently identified from January 2010 with either a microchip or tattoo. More details are available from http://www.bva.co.uk/
Veterinarians use a wide variety of tests to certify good health or indicate the presence of infection or disease. A Complete Blood Count or Full Blood Count shows the number and type of cells in the dog’s blood. This standard test can identify conditions like anaemia and leukaemia, as well as diagnosing many infections. A…
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) is a hereditary disease of the eye that causes blindness. The retina is the tissue lining the back wall of the inside of the eye and is composed of two classes of photoreceptor cells called rods and cones; the rods function in dim light, and the cones in bright light. A…
Patella Luxation is not common in Canaan Dogs, but there have been a few dogs who have been diagnosed with it. It is therefore advisable that breeders have their dogs and puppies tested by a vet. What is it? Luxating means out of place, or dislocated. The patella is the equivalent to the human kneecap…
Addison’s disease is essentially the opposite of Cushing’s disease, that is hypoadrenocorticism as opposed to hyperadrenocorticism. Primary hypoadrenocorticism (Addison’s disease) results from a deficient production of glucocorticoid, mineralocorticoid or both due to bilateral destruction of all of the layers of the adrenal cortex. Most cases of Addison’s disease are thought to be idiopathic (unknown cause)…
In general, the Canaan Dog is one of the healthiest breeds around with no known hereditary problems. As guardians of the breed, breeders have a responsibility to ensure that the breed remains so, not just for today but for future generations. To help breeders achieve this there are various scientific tools available today, including testing…
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) and The Kennel Club in the UK (TKC) have joined together to run a hip scoring scheme for breeders, in order to test for canine hip dysplasia, the most common inherited joint problem of large breed dogs. This current system came into effect in 1984.Dogs are scored from the age…
Dysplasia literally means abnormal, so hip dysplasia literally translates as abnormal formation of the hip socket. The hip is a ball and socket joint, in a normal hip the ball fits snugly into the socket, forming a pivot point. Dogs which have a genetic predisposition for hip dysplasia are born with normal hips. However, as…
Bona, S. (1995). A population genetic study of the breeding situation and inherited diseases particularly eye and joint in the Golden Retriever and Labrador (Eine populationsgenetische Untersuchung zur Zuchtsituation und zu erblich determinierten Erkrankungen – insbesondere Augen- und Gelenkserkrankungen- beim Golden und Labrador Retriever). Abstract: The first half of this thesis describes the origins of…
Coprophagia is the medical term for when a dog eats either its own faeces or that of another animal. There are three types of Coprophagia: Autocoprophagia eating its own faeces; Intraspecific Coprophagia eating faeces from within its own species (ie another dog); Interspecific Coprophagia eating faeces from another species (ie cat, deer, rabbit, horse, etc)…