Whippet Health Survey

[Seraphina]

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I believe that they started the list of diseases with US data and plan to change it as they get valid Australian data. They only started it few months ago. If some more prominent Sydney vets are not involved, it would be definitely useful to ask them why.

 

[jayp]

The breed problems with the ACS's makes my head spin and it also makes me thankful of how HEALTHY whippets are compared to most breeds.

I am sure cockers and other breeds were once upon the time also very healthy.

There is a whippet health website in the USA. Can't remember the URL off hand though.

Yes, but that is voluntary so the fact that the dogs you want to check out are not there means absolutely nothing.

To strike a right balance would be incredibly complicated, as if we take out of breeding programs every dog related to a line with a problem, there will be nothing left to breed with. With simple recessives it is not too difficult to breed away from, but so many diseases are polygenic, and some we have no idea how they are inherited. The only way it would work if it was compulsory to report problems into a national database; and then making sure we do not combine the lines which previously resulted in problems.

The Sydney UNI is starting database trying to establish what is there in each breed, that is a start. Next will be trying to get tests.

Health Database in Sydney

Good post, I wish I knew the answer to this, voluntary is a start and a laudable one, maybe compulsory to report the cause of death for all registered dogs

if unknown then to include vet report, this could be put on an open DB by the KC

What really would work and has done in some breeds is if we all worked together, internationally , ie swapped HEALTH sURVEY RESULTS between clubs, and so on, reported progress to each other, etc

Communication is now simple and fast, the whippet as a breed is internationally owned and cherished

Now wouldnt that be fantastic

 

[Rachel]

OOh some very interesting reading - if I could do that quote thing I would! as there are some very pertinent points.

I think Caitlin's early response re. not all using the same champion dog was very interesting in that it then produced several replies along the lines of 'no problem with using the same dog if he was genetically healthy' and therein lies the problem! currently, with no screening necessary nobody can guarantee him being healthy, which makes Caitlin's suggestion of restricting the use of the same dogs very sound - aren't we in danger of putting all our eggs in one basket and trusting to luck ?

Worse case scenario - the most popular stud of the moment, let's call him Whippet Bloggs develops a serious genetic health fault, not apparent (as in the case of my cavalier lady's 15month old) until later months/years when, due to his popularity, he has already been used many many times, possibly even his progeny are being used in breeding lines also. We are going to be left with a disproportionate amount of the next generation/s carrying the faulty gene due to his overuse and then where do you go from there?

Presumably, there would still be no 'rules' in place which require you to declare health faults, and no compulsory screening of stud dogs and the same reluctance to openly name dogs with problems - (database a great idea! but probably unworkable as you so rightly point out Seraphina) it could all tick along quietly to a point where suddenly we're in a similar state to the Cavaliers with many unrelated lines being affected with a major health problem resulting from just one dog, particularly when the current suggestion seems to be NOT to line breed.

I do wonder if it is just a case of good luck that our breed is not in the same sorry state as the CKCS or is this alarmist?

 

[liza]

OOh some very interesting reading - if I could do that quote thing I would! as there are some very pertinent points.
I think Caitlin's early response re. not all using the same champion dog was very interesting in that it then produced several replies along the lines of 'no problem with using the same dog if he was genetically healthy' and therein lies the problem! currently, with no screening necessary nobody can guarantee him being healthy, which makes Caitlin's suggestion of restricting the use of the same dogs very sound - aren't we in danger of putting all our eggs in one basket and trusting to luck ?

Worse case scenario - the most popular stud of the moment, let's call him Whippet Bloggs develops a serious genetic health fault, not apparent (as in the case of my cavalier lady's 15month old) until later months/years when, due to his popularity, he has already been used many many times, possibly even his progeny are being used in breeding lines also. We are going to be left with a disproportionate amount of the next generation/s carrying the faulty gene due to his overuse and then where do you go from there?

Presumably, there would still be no 'rules' in place which require you to declare health faults, and no compulsory screening of stud dogs and the same reluctance to openly name dogs with problems - (database a great idea! but probably unworkable as you so rightly point out Seraphina) it could all tick along quietly to a point where suddenly we're in a similar state to the Cavaliers with many unrelated lines being affected with a major health problem resulting from just one dog, particularly when the current suggestion seems to be NOT to line breed.

I do wonder if it is just a case of good luck that our breed is not in the same sorry state as the CKCS or is this alarmist?

i personaly think we should D N A all our breeding stock ie dogs and bitches then if a problem arrises then we can tace back

 

[Seraphina]

i personaly think we should D N A all our breeding stock ie dogs and bitches then if a problem arises then we can trace back

I have had all my dogs DNA profiled, but i do not think that will be useful in future disease detection. Only handful of markers is noted, and unless the actual swabs are kept, which I doubt, that is that. What I have is only good for identification and proof of paternity.

To have complete DNA profile done still costs thousands, so unless we know the markers for particular gene that we know is implicated with certain problem that our breed suffers from, there is nothing that can be done.

At present all what we can do is to find out if there are any problems, look what combination of lines was involved and avoid bringing the same lines together again. But for that we need to talk to each other, and let others know when something appears.