Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Genetic diseases found in working dogs from US Israel and Poland
By Shaffer, Lisa G et al.·Published in Cytogenetic and genome research·2017·Paw Print Genetics, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: An International Genetic Survey of Breed-Specific Diseases in Working Dogs from the United States, Israel, and Poland.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that many working dogs, like Labrador Retrievers, Bloodhounds, and German Shepherds, are at risk for inherited health issues that could affect their ability to perform their jobs. Out of 304 dogs tested, about 29% were carriers of genetic mutations, and 6% were at risk for serious conditions like exercise-induced collapse or degenerative myelopathy. This means that some dogs might have to retire early or face euthanasia due to these preventable genetic problems. The researchers suggest that genetic screening before breeding or training could help avoid these issues and save both emotional and financial costs for handlers and organizations.
People also search for: working dog genetic diseases · Labrador Retriever exercise-induced collapse · German Shepherd degenerative myelopathy · Bloodhound health issues · dog genetic testing benefits
Abstract
Genetic diseases occur in breeds used for law enforcement. As important team members, dogs are expected to operate at peak performance for several years and are significant investments for both the initial purchase and extensive, specialized training. Previous studies have not focused on causes for retirement or euthanasia as genetic (inherited) versus acquired (environmental). We performed direct mutational analysis for breed-specific conditions on samples from 304 dogs including 267 law enforcement (122 US, 87 Israeli, and 58 Polish) and 37 search and rescue dogs. Genetic testing identified 29% (n = 89) of the dogs tested to be carriers of a genetic mutation and 6% (n = 19) to be at risk for a debilitating inherited condition that may eventually impair the dog's ability to work. At-risk dogs included Labrador Retrievers (n = 4) with exercise-induced collapse, Bloodhounds (n = 2) with degenerative myelopathy (DM), and German Shepherd dogs with DM (n = 12) or leukocyte adhesion deficiency, type III (n = 1). A substantial number of working dogs were shown to be at risk for genetic conditions that may shorten the dog's career. The loss of dogs, due to early retirement or euthanasia, as a result of preventable genetic conditions has an emotional cost to handlers and financial cost to service organizations that can be avoided with genetic screening prior to breeding, buying, or training.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29421799/