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Eye Diseases Found in Dogs

http://www.koirangeenit.fi/dmdocuments/g%F6%F6ttiposteri.pdf

http://www.swedishvallhund.com/NewsletterUpdate2007.pdf

To date there have been only a few Swedish Vallhund with vision loss at an older age throughout at the world. Currently some dogs have a confirmed diagnosis of cataracts, persistent pupillary membrane and retinal dysplasia / folds.  There are some dogs with abnormal eye findings that have no confirmed diagnosis with these being referenced as J175,  retinopathy or an uncorfirmed for at PRA to date not similar to what has been found in other breeds.  Please refer to the above web links for a further explanation of the issue from the authorities Dr H Lohi (Finland) and Dr András M. Komáromy  (USA).

Listed below are eye disease found in dogs and their reference coding, this does not mean that these problems are found in the Swedish Vallhund.

Abnormal pigment disposition - APD

Coloboma - C

Collie eye anomaly - CEA         

Cone Degeneration Disease - CD

Congenital hereditary cataract - CHC

Central progressive retinal atrophy - CPRA

Congenital Stationary Night Blindness - CSNB  

Goniodysgenesis / primary glaucoma -Generalised progressive atrophy - GPRA                              

Hereditary cataract - HC

Multilocular defects - MOD

Multifocal retinal dysplasia - MRD                    

Optic nerve hypoplasia - ONH

PHPV Primary lens luxation - PLL

Persistent pupillary membrane - PPM

Progressive retinal atrophy - PRA, RCD1a and 3, Type A, XL-PRA

Progressive rod-cone degeneration - PRCD

Total retinal dysplasia - TRD

Rod-cone dysplasia type 1 - RCD 1

Rod-cone dysplasia type 3 - RCD 3

Sudden acquired retinal degeneration - SARD  

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)

 

For further information on eye diseases in dogs please refer to the following websites more detailed and updated information.

Canine Eye Registration Foundation - http://www.vmdb.org/cerf.html

Optigen - http://www.optigen.com/

Swedish Vallhund PRA  / J175/ Retinopathy

Research to date has not yet proven the exact mode of inheritance for the Swedish Vallhunds PRA but is thought to have an autosomal recessive mode. 

To further explain:

  • Females and males are equally affected.
  • For an affected dog to occur, the gene must be carried by both parents.
  • A mating between two phenotypically and genetically normal dogs will produce phenotypically and genetically normal dogs.
  • A mating between a phenotypically and genetically normal dog and a phenotypically normal carrier will produce both phenotypically genetically normal dogs and phenotypically normal carriers.
  • A mating between phenotypically normal carriers will produce, phenotypically normal carriers, phenotypically normal dog and phenotypically affected dog.
  • A mating between phenotypically affected dog and a phenotypically and genetically normal dog will produce phenotypically normal carriers.
  • A mating between phenotypically affected dog to a phenotypically normal carrier will produce both phenotypically normal carriers and phenotypically affected dogs.
  • A mating between phenotypically affected dog to a phenotypically affected dog will produce all affected dogs.

Work is continuing to identify the PRA gene and find a DNA test.  The best advice is Affected dogs should not be bred from.  Breeders should endeavour to breed clear to clear or carriers to clear.  This is difficult as there are still many dogs not being eye tested so the full extent of the problem has not been reached, in addition until such time as a DNA test becomes available pedigree analysis will have to be relied upon which is not entirely full proof.  Breeders need to take this issue seriously and work positively together to reach eradicative outcomes.

Further to this information there has a been a small number of dogs with total blindness.  This issue seems to not be related to the Swedish Vallhund Retinopathy but these dogs should be assessed when a DNA for the Swedish Vallhund retinopathy becomes available.

Further information on this is available in the breeders section of the website.

 

 
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