Genetics, Health And Breeding?

[Eceni]

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Hello

I'm a complete newcomer to the whippet world, but have just finished a marathon read through the UK/USA showing thread and was immensely impressed by the honesty and integrity of the dialogue from around the world. As someone said, it was a degree in whippets and has already changed how I look at the pictures I see on the web and will doubtless change how I look at the real thing at Coventry next weekend.

So... I'm a lurcher owner just now, and intend that the next dog in my life will be a whippet. I'm also a vet, or used to be before I gave up to write novels for a living (which means I have time to have my own animals, which I never did before).

I'm not in any hurry and want to do my research properly. As part of that, I've been looking at a list on the net which seems to be both sane and comprehensive, which lists the known inherited diseases in dogs by breed.

(http://www.nzymes.com/Articles/hereditary_...gs.htm#Section1)

Looking at it, I find that whippets have a number of inherited diseases. In the understanding that this is an open list and we don't want to slander anyone, I wondered if our experts from around the world could tell me

a) the incidence of these in the breed

b) what testing is done in the various continents

c) what lines to avoid as a prospective whippet owner who wants a friend for life and would like to do competitive agility and maybe (having read the thread) to show. (you may need to PM me off list about this)

sometime, somewhere along the line, I'd like to know more about how you line breed safely too - as a vet, I was always taught to steer well clear of anything with an inbreeding co-efficient in double figures, but looking at the pedigrees of both showing and performance whippets, that would rule me out of whippet ownership, which I really don't want to happen. SO I need to start to understand how you do it safely and what i need to look for in the pedigrees as well as what to look for in a pup.

anyway, that apart, this is the list of inherited diseases in alphabetical order, not order of severity or incidence

- cataract

- colour mutant alopecia*

- cryptorchidism

- demodicosis (given that this is an infectious disease, I'm not sure why it's here - is there an inherited predisposition in whippets?)

- entropion

- haemangiosarcoma

- hypothyroidism

- lens luxation

- osteochondrosis (inc osteochondrosis dissecans)

- partial alopecia *

- progressive retinal atrophy (PRA)

- von Willebrand's disease (a clotting defect)

* - these two seem to me potentially the same thing under a slightly different name?

all and any thoughts gratefully received.

thank you all

Manda Scott

 

[UKUSA]

Manda,

Welcome and good luck and as the originator of the thread that youve enjoyed Im glad that you have enjoyed it. I know that we have all enjoyed contributing to it.

The first thing that I would like to say is that I knew that we had problems but there were some in your list that I had never heard of.

The reason that I say good luck is that you are going to have to rely on the honesty and knowledge of whomever you go to for your puppy and there are a lot of people who are in denial and then there are newer breeder/exhibitor who simply do not have the knowledge. Im glad that you have felt that we have been open when discussing health problems but Im afraid that I dont think that we have. Its a difficult topic because unless something has happened to you its hearsay and you cant go around pointing fingers no matter what you might know. With the Whippet world now so open with dogs crossing continents we have to be careful but unless people are honest and open none of us know what we are dealing with. One dog can do a lot of damage.

Anyway I wish you luck, once youve had a Whippet you will understand why we are all so crazy about them.

Nicky

 

[wendigo]

Demodex is the non-infectious form of mange, sarcoptic is the infectious one. There is some evidence that susceptibility to generalized demodex is genetic and vets recommend that dogs that progress beyond localized lesions or that cannot overcome them without treatment not be bred. (Demodectic Mange Info) It's thought that these dogs have a defect in their immune system that allows the mites to overgrow. I have known whippets that have had this problem.

I've never seen or even heard of a whippet with entropion. The other eye problems you mentioned are relatively rare, but do exist. In the US its common for both dogs to have a CERF eye exam before being bred. I've also seen people getting their dogs tested to make sure they are negative for von Willebrands, although I think its rare as well. It's becoming more common to have heart checks done before breeding to make sure they are free from congenital defects. Monorchidism is common with crypts being slightly less common - the benefit of both of these defects being they are easily spotted and easily remedied with neutering. Breeders also will often BAER test the entire litter of puppies before they go to their new homes to ensure they have full hearing in both ears. This info is all based on US, it may be different in the UK.

-Wendy M.

 

[dawn]

Hello
I'm a complete newcomer to the whippet world, but have just finished a marathon

(http://www.nzymes.com/Articles/hereditary_...gs.htm#Section1)

[SIZE=14pt]Click for page mentioned above: Link to nzymes[/SIZE]

Manda Scott

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The specific 'diseases' quoted as affecting Whippets are (the numbers are the reference numbers on the nzymes page):

42. Cataract: as in humans, a change in structure of the lens of the eye leading to cloudiness and usually to blindness.

61. Color mutant alopecia: a condition where certain colored areas of a dog's skin grows less or no fur. Commonly seen in Yorkshire terriers, blue Doberman pinschers and fawn Irish setters.

70. Cryptorchidism: a condition where one testicle does not descend into the scrotal sac.

80. Demodicosis: a kind of skin disease (mange) caused by microscopic Demodex canis mites living within the skin layers and producing an immunodeficiency syndrome.

103. Entropion: an abnormal rolling in of the eyelid.

143a. Hemangiosarcoma: a cancer of blood vessels involving liver, spleen or skin.

166. Hypothyroidism: a common endocrine disease where the body produces an abnormally low amount of thyroid hormones. An autoimmune destruction of the thyroid gland which affects more than 50 dog breeds. (See #192, #312.)

186. Lens luxation: a condition where the lens in the eye is displaced into an abnormal position.

221. Osteochondritis dissecans: a specific form of inflammation of the cartilage of certain joints which causes arthritis. (See #221a.)

221a. Osteochondrosis: a group of developmental diseases resulting in abnormal formulation of joint cartilage. Commonly involves the shoulder, stifle, hock or elbow. (See #221.)

234. Partial alopecia: some loss of the normal haircoat.

256. Progressive retinal atrophy: a disease where the retina slowly deteriorates, producing night blindness.

330. von Willebrand's disease: a type of bleeding disorder caused by defective blood platelet function. Occurs in 59 dog breeds but most often in Doberman pinschers. An autosomal trait affecting both sexes.

 

[dawn]

[SIZE=14pt]According to the nzymes site the breeds least affected seem to be (or include) the Aberdeen Terrier and the Antarctic Husky. The Border Collie, Clumber Spaniel and Italian Spinone all fare better than the Whippet in respect of inherited problems.[/SIZE]

I suspect there may be some influence in the number of dogs in a particular breed which are included in the survey equating to the incidence of problems recorded.

 

 

 

[Eceni]

I'm sure this is the case, and I'm grateful to all those who have replied, on list and off list - from which it would appear that some of these conditions are immensely rare in whippets while there are some inherited conditions that are not on that list

perhaps I need to re-frame the question...

rather than examining this list for its accuracy, would the experienced breeders of K9 be prepared openly to discuss the incidence of diseases they have seen in their own or others' dogs - without necessarily naming the lines - this is clearly more of a sensitive issue than I had imagined given the relative (and very heartening) frankness of the thread begun by Nicky on US/UK breeding.

so - still 2 questions:

what diseases exist in relevant numbers? (essentially, because I'm entirely selfish about this - what diseases am I likely to encounter?)

and

how do we (that is you and maybe me later) go about maintaining improvements/developments in the breed given current breeding practise, without increasing those diseases that are known and creating new ones?

(or whatever you like to call the search for the perfect show/performance whippet - acknowledging that there are two types)

(and, nothing to do with this -why the BAER test - has deafness been found or is it simply routine?)

thank you all for your patience with a novice

m

 

[patsy]

I'm sure this is the case, and I'm grateful to all those who have replied, on list and off list - from which it would appear that some of these conditions are immensely rare in whippets while there are some inherited conditions that are not on that list

perhaps I need to re-frame the question...

rather than examining this list for its accuracy, would the experienced breeders of K9 be prepared openly to discuss the incidence of diseases they have seen in their own or others' dogs - without necessarily naming the lines - this is clearly more of a sensitive issue than I had imagined given the relative (and very heartening) frankness of the thread begun by Nicky on US/UK breeding.

so - still 2 questions:

what diseases exist in relevant numbers?  (essentially, because I'm entirely selfish about this  - what diseases am I likely to encounter?)

and

how do we (that is you and maybe me later) go about maintaining improvements/developments in the breed given current breeding practise, without increasing those diseases that are known and creating new ones?

(or whatever you like to call the search for the perfect show/performance whippet -  acknowledging that there are two types)

(and, nothing to do with this -why the BAER test - has deafness been found or is it simply routine?)

thank you all for your patience with a novice

m

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Whippet breeders over the years have prided themselves with the breed being very healthy,, and I honestly think that in this country they are.

 

[dragonfly]

Adding to list............

~heart murmurs and other heart problems~

~haemolytic anaemia

~deafness (rare)

~immune mediated conditions of many types eg: polyarthritis

 

[dolly]

I havent known any cases of PRA in whippets, although its on the list

 

[petrezselyem]

I havent known any cases of PRA in whippets, although its on the list

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Be sure there are cases.

 

[almondjd]

I have a book called "Successful Dog Breeding" by Walkowicz and Wilcox which lists reported diseases by breeds. According to their information, whippets are reported to have:1) bi-lateral cataracts, 2) Coliform Enteritis; 3) Color-Mutant Alopecia; 4) Cryptorchidism; 5) lens luxation; and 6) PRA.

From my own experience the only one of the above that I have heard of frequently in whippets is #4, and as someone else already noted, typically that is monorchidism and not crypt. Although I don't know of any whippets with PRA, I still CERF and heart test my guys before breeding. Less frequently, although it appears to be a growing problem, is heart problems in whippets. Unfortunately, I know of a particular case where a popular stud dog in the US had a very severe heart defect and passed that problem down to many of his get, but the breeder still continued to use him at stud.

Of late, I have also heard of people having autoimmune problems--typically vaccine related--in their whippets. Apparently this has been a big problem in Berners for quite some time, but it seems to be filtering it's way around other breeds as well.

I think the BAER testing in whippets is relatively new. I haven't heard of any hearing problems in the breed, but we do have alot of white-headed dogs...

Jalynn

 

[dolly]

I havent known any cases of PRA in whippets, although its on the list

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Be sure there are cases.

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Is there been any reported in the UK ??

 

[Eceni]

I havent known any cases of PRA in whippets, although its on the list

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Be sure there are cases.

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Is there been any reported in the UK ??

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I have a friend who's a consultant ophthalmologist. I can ask her when we next meet if she's seen any inherited ocular diseases in whippets.

I know from the orthopaedic surgeons back when I was an anaesthetist that they were becoming concerned by the inherited autoimmune arthritis, but that was 10 years ago, so things will have moved on one way or the other.

m

 

[dolly]

I had harrys eyes tested because a lady from Holland was interested in using him, they have to be tested there ?? The guy who tested him had never done a whippet before in the Uk and wasnt aware of any problems here

 

[Seraphina]

I havent known any cases of PRA in whippets, although its on the list

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Be sure there are cases.

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Is there been any reported in the UK ??

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been reported are the operative words. I wonder if vets do actually report every case they come across? Would every owner of a pet dog tell the breeder?

 

[petrezselyem]

I havent known any cases of PRA in whippets, although its on the list

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Be sure there are cases.

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Is there been any reported in the UK ??

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Don't know, I am not from the UK.

I have heard about it ca. 2 years ago......, somebody, who is quite a known breeder, had some problems....that's all.

We have to be careful with it I think.

 

[Seraphina]

Every individual carries number of recessive genetic disorders, be it dog, human or other animal. These need a pair of these damaged genes to become obvious = affect the individual. In populations with good genetic diversity it is less likely that anybody inherits the pair. It has been long known to us that marrying first cousin or closer often resulted in unhealthy offspring, while heterozygosity seems to improve disease resistance. In nature it is the strongest males in their prime that manage to mate and they are rarely able to hold their alpha male position for more than couple of years. We are very lucky that Whippets are relatively tough and healthy breed. However that does not mean that we should just pat ourselves on the back and ignore any potential danger signs.

 

[dragonfly]

Every individual carries number of recessive genetic disorders, be it dog, human or other animal.  These need a pair of these damaged genes to become obvious = affect the individual.  In populations with good genetic diversity it is less likely that anybody inherits the pair.  It has been long known to us that marrying first cousin or closer often resulted in unhealthy offspring, while heterozygosity seems to improve disease resistance.  In nature it is the strongest males in their prime that manage to mate and they are rarely able to hold their alpha male position for more than couple of years.  We are very lucky that Whippets are relatively tough and healthy breed.  However that does not mean that we should just pat ourselves on the back and ignore any potential danger signs.

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The above post puts the point very well. The more breeders that carry on blindly breeding close relatives together, the higher the incidence of deleterious recessive genes in pairs there will be, and the more inherited disease will creep into the breed, this is not an opinion it is a fact.

Cathie

 

[patsy]

Having bred whippets for over forty years now. Lowglen. Dumbriton. and now Courthill, and yes always closely line bred and always will from a line that has proved to be healthy, as I said in a previous post if anything came to light with any of our dogs I would make it known and those animals would be removed from any breeding program no matter how heartbreaking it would be. The only out cross we have for reasons that are obvious is American Dolly to Ch Peperone Solid Gold.The reason this dog was chosen we thought that he would suit Dolly, on the plus side his pedigree tied in with our breeding program for the future can only go on your own experience, you can not answer for other breeders, if they have had trouble and have not been honest then the breed will be in trouble.

 

[Seraphina]

The more breeders that carry on blindly breeding close relatives together,  the higher the incidence of deleterious recessive genes in pairs there will be, and the more inherited disease will creep into the breed, this is not an opinion it is a fact.
Cathie

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There are also other, more insidious, facets of inbreeding to consider; it has been known for a long time that very close inbreeding compromises the immune system.

In recent years, as genetic testing becomes easier to do, there have been several ongoing studies done on wildlife populations. The animals have been tagged, health checked and genetically tested, then followed for several years. These studies confirmed, as was expected, that the inbred animals have less resistance to diseases = they have impaired immune systems. However. surprisingly they also showed that the inbred individuals also carried heavier load of parasites and their off spring had lower survival rate. One if the most telling result was in program, which has been conducted on totally isolated population of sparrows on Mandarte Island off Vancouver. About 90% of these birds were quite inbred, while the rest maintained reasonable genetic diversity. During unusually harsh winter approximately 90% of these birds perished, to great amazement of everybody the surviving birds were all those with better genetic diversity, none of the inbred (that is from mating of first cousins or closer) have survived.

Basically what happens is that the weakness of a population does not become obvious until an unusual and severe stress affects the population. Our dogs' populations are artificially protected, however something like mutated and more virulent type of parvo, or some totally new virus would have the potential to sweep through and devastate the dog world.

PS The article about dangers of inbreeding was called Too Close for Comfort and was published in The New Scientist 18th October 2003