What is the energy level difference between the different doodle breeds?
The calmest is the Standard Poodle, followed by the Goldendoodle, then the Shepadoodle, and then the Labradoodle. Although the multi generation Labradoodles and the Goldendoodles are very similar, both very calm.
People with young children that want a dog that will play and run a lot go with the Labradoodle. I enjoy the spunky comical nature of the Larbadoodle.
People that want a dog to lay at their feet go with the Goldendoodle. Not that a Goldendoodle will not play, but they will get bored after a while and lay down for a nap. One customer told me their adult Goldendoodle sleeps 18 hours a day. Goldendoodles, Multi Gen Labradoodles, and Standard Poodles are very good for smaller homes and apartments, because they are most happy just keeping their owner's company.
People wanting an alert calm dog are going toward the Shepadoodle. They will be the first to bark and notify you if someone approaches your home, after an introduction to someone they turn into submissive big babies. Standard Poodles have a similar personality; they prefer to be formally introduced to someone before making contact, but once they know the person they quickly become unforgettable friends. Standard Poodles are very proper and elegant, even sit with their legs crossed. They are not barkers unless someone is approaching the house. The Poodle blood in the Shepadoodle makes the Shepadoodle more personable; you can expect hugs and kisses from a Shepadoodle. All the German Shepherds I know are independent, they like being by your side, then they are off looking around to make sure everything is as it should be, then they come back by your side. Shepadoodles will do the same but they are touchy-feely dogs and love physical attention.
The Standard Poodle is the calmest most intelligent of the dogs I breed and the best all around dog. Only draw back being the grooming requirements, although Doodles do require grooming at the very least every 6 months. I groom my standard poodles 3 to 4 times a year and truthfully I don't brush.
Training goes along with intelligence; refer to the list below for intelligence rating. When combining two breeds intelligence will rate somewhere between the two breeds.
Breed Intelligence Raking by AKC (You just wish all these dogs were all hypo-allergenic, non-shedding, calm, and good with children.)
1. Border Collie
2. Standard Poodle
3. German Shepherd
4. Golden Retriever
5. Doberman Pinscher
6. Shetland Sheepdog
7. Labrador Retriever
8. Papillon
9. Rottweiler
10. Australian Cattle Dog
Where do doodle fit in the intelligence ranking?
3. Goldendoodle
3. Multi Generation Labradoodle
What does F1, F1B, F2 mean?
Lots more information on generation breeding is available at
Are F1's healthier?
As first generation hybrids, these dogs have the added health benefits associated to Hybrid Vigour. This is a phenomenon in animal breeding referring to the fact that the first cross between two unrelated purebred lines is healthier and grows better than either parent line. The next crossing is F1B, although there is less vigour in future crossing than in the original hybrid, the first generation backcross still is close enough in the breeding tree to benefit from hybrid vigour. With each successive generation vigour is lost. Keeping the breed healthy is important, thus genetic testing should start at the first mating of original bred to the poodle. Start with only the best, breed future generations only from healthiest parents, and so on will produce long healthy bloodlines. Experienced breeders are breeding multi-generation Doodles using unrelated pairs. This type of breeding may reduce the hybrid vigor but will guarantee more standardization on the Goldendoodle characteristics. Once the breed is atnadardized AKC can consider the multi-generation a pure breed. Hybrid vigor resulting from cross-breeding and ensuring that the parents are OFA and CERF certified will go a long way to minimizing the possibility of genetic diseases in future Doodles. So is an F1 healthier; possibly but not guaranteed. Research reputable breeders with experience and health tested dogs. Future generation must be breed from healthy first generations. Not just someone looking for a quick buck that will just go out an acquire to Doodles and breed them or stud their Doodle out. I am sure I may upset some people with that but health testing takes money and a true breeding practice takes time, years to build.
How long does it take to house break a puppy?
First I prefer puppies go to their new homes after 8 weeks of age, so they can hold their bladder longer and stool is solid. I believe in crate training in the beginning until you are completely satisfied that when the puppy is left alone it will not get into trouble. As the puppy ages you can puppy proof an area of your home and confine the puppy to that area when left alone.
It is very important that the first day you have your puppy in its new home you take it outside to its designated potty area every half hour, the second day every hour, then if no accidents, you can adjust to every hour and half the third day, and two hours by the fourth day. Two hours would be the max not to go out during the day if the young puppy is running about and playing. If the puppy is alone in a crate it will mostly sleep, since it doesn't have water or food he can hold his bladder longer. When you are not able to watch the puppy for signs of needing to go outside you should crate the puppy, as when you are cooking, eating dinner, showering, sleeping at night, and so on. The crate is not and should not be treated as a punishment area. The puppy will regard the crate as a safe zone such as a wild animal would have a den and they will want to keep their den clean and will not potty in it. Take food away after 6:00 Pm and water 7:00 PM so the puppy doesn't have to potty during the night. In the morning take the puppy outside as soon as you take him out of the crate, since he has been holding his bladder all night. This was hard to teach my kids, they want to get the puppy out of the crate in the morning to play and of course they leave the taking the puppy outside chore to the Me. They learned the hard way that they were responsible for cleaning up puppy mess for not taking the puppy outside.
This may sound like a large investment of time, but a commitment of a few days will definitely save you much stress by decreasing the house training process time. I have heard from many of my customers that their puppy never soiled in the home or took one or two days to train. I've heard several times that their puppy only soiled in the house once or twice and the new owner blamed it on themselves for not noticing the signs of the puppy needing to go outside. If your puppy learns to go to the door and wait for you to let him outside, but you don't always notice the puppy is sitting at the door you can tie a large bell or two to the door knob with decorative ribbon, low enough for the puppy to reach with his nose, and teach him to ring the bell each time before you let him outside. This works great in a large home or very active homes where you are not always aware of the poor puppy patiently waiting by the door pacing. (This would be my house.)
What supplies do I need to shop for before the puppy arrives?
Examples: Squeaky toys, ropes, nylabone, rubber toys, tennis balls constructed for dogs are more durable than people tennis balls.
What can I do so my puppy does not cry at night when I first take him or her home?
If you are crate training basically no matter what you do the puppy will most likely cry the first night, because the puppy has learned that if he whines he gets attention. I prefer not to put anything in the crate with the puppy so the puppy will lay down and go to sleep and not play. If your puppy is playing then he will need to go outside and potty. It is important that you do not give in to the whining, so he learns he will have to stay in the crate. Do not under any circumstances get him out of the crate when he is whining. In most cases the whining lasts one maybe two nights for up to 5 minutes and it is over. You will not be a bad puppy owner if you close the puppy in a bathroom or laundry room away from your bedrooms the first few nights, even a garage if the temperature is comfortable. Or some people prefer to keep the puppy in their bedroom and the puppy will learns to lay down and sleep when you do. This approach works well also. I have often heard back that their puppy never whipped in the crate at night also, this means he is sleeping well and does not need to be checked on. If the first few nights the puppy sleeps for a few hours and then whimpers he most likely is telling you he needs to potty. Take him outside to potty and straight back to his crate, so he does not think it is social time.
Warning - One time I heard from a customer that every time they put the puppy in the crate it whined, so they would take it back out to comfort him. They were asking what they should do. I instructed them to start over with the crate training and suffer through the loud whimpering at that point and don’t give in to the puppy's demands. Of course this approach took a week to break the puppy of whining, because he had already learned at some point someone would let him out (remember the Doodles are intelligent).
What is the size range for Doodles?
Our average adult sizes are listed below. Height measurements are taken at the front shoulder. Sizes can vary by amount of exercise and food intake. The best indication of size is somewhere between the size of the Sire & Dam.
F1 English Goldendoodles 17 - 21 inches, snow white to cream color with teddy bear faces; occasionally some sable or black available. Weigh 40-60
F1 & F1B Mini English Goldendoodles 10 - 17 inches, snow white to cream and gold to red colors with teddy bear faces. Weigh 15-35
F1B Standard Goldendoodle: 19-22" Weighs between 35 - 60 lbs.
Australian Labradoodles - 14" - 18" brown, and brown & white parti weigh between 15 - 25 lbs.
North American Retriever (Double Doodle) 15" - 19" inches and weigh 25 - 40 lbs.
F1 Standard Shepadoodle: 20 - 24 inches and weighs between 45 - 65 lbs.
F1B Standard Shepadoodle: 20 - 24 inches and weighs between 45 - 65 lbs.
English Golden Retriever: 19 - 22 inches
How much is a deposit?
Deposits are $300 and they are non-refundable.
Is my deposit refundable or transferable if I change my mind?
We do not refund deposits, because we have been holding a puppy back that we could have placed in another home; thus we would have additional advertising costs. However we do understand that emergency situations do occur and at that point you may transfer your deposit to another litter or post pone for a later litter. When reserving new born puppies or puppies prior to being born you are required to pick out the puppy of your choice by the time they are 4 weeks old. This gives adequate time to find homes for the remaining puppies and informs the people that have a deposit after you on which puppies they can choose from. After the puppies turn four weeks old if you decide for any reason not to take a puppy from the litter you previously stated you will forfeit your deposit. Breeder reserves the right to make the choice after four weeks old to allow you to change litters, sex, and/or color, because the agreement initially made may not fit breeding program. Such as someone wanting breeding rights from one litter may not be able to obtain them from another litter with limited breeding rights.
Where do I send my deposit?
Hilltop Pups
1059 E Jasper Dubois Rd
Jasper, IN 47546.
We do take personal checks on deposits, because the check will have time to clear the bank. When you pick up your puppy we prefer cash. Pay Pal is also an option; add 1.5% to the PayPal payment for service fees. I do accept lay-a-way plans. I have had people send $50 to $100 dollars weekly until the puppy was paid in full. Of course, puppy must be paid in full at time of pick up; but this plan works great for those people reserving their puppy for in advance, or as a surprise gift.
Please include the following information when you send your deposit:
Your name, address, phone, and email address for updated pictures.
Name of litter parents and birthday. Description of your puppy: sex, color, and puppy number from picture. We want to make sure the correct puppy gets reserved for you.
If reserving before puppies are born you need to list your puppy preference by: Litter-Sex-Color-Coat type. Using the puppy preference description I will reserve a puppy with the closest match. Then when you have a chance to visit after the puppies are born or by viewing pictures you can agree with the puppy I reserved for you or pick another available puppy. You can visit anytime to pick out your puppy, even in advance to see the parents. At two weeks the puppies open their eyes and their coats are thick and fluffy; this is a good time to visit. 98% of the time people take the puppy I choose for them. One time I had a gentleman reserve a cream female; he visited twice to see the puppy grow and the day he came to take his cream color female home he changed his puppy to a curly red male.
With an advance puppy purchase list the following:
Color: Cream - Gold - Red - Brown - Black
Coat type: Curly - wavy to curly - wavy shag- straight short
Coat type selection made easy:
Curly - no shedding, best for severe allergies.
Wavy to curly or Wave to Curl - may shed a hair here and there. Good for moderate allergies.
Wavy shag - may shed slightly, very little though, nothing like a Retriever or German Shepherd breed. Good for mild allergies.
Straight short coat - sheds somewhat, but less than the Retriever or GS breed. Good for those people that want the original looks of a Retriever or GS, with less shedding.
Male vs. Female decision made easy:
Why do people prefer a female? Females average adult weight is on average 10 pounds or so less than a male.
Why do people prefer a male? Males tend to be calmer more obedient than females. Just a little though, the Standard Doodle mixes are very calm and intelligent regardless. So if you are concerned with size, go with the female.
If you are concerned about a male hiking his leg you need to neuter him between 5 and 7 months of age. At 7 months a male puppy will begin to lift his leg to urinate and later start marking his territory. If you neuter him before he learns these traits he will continue to squat to urinate. At your first Vet visit you should discuss the puppies vaccination schedule and neutering appointment.
At what age do you allow the puppy to go to its new home?
8 weeks is the general rule, so the puppies first puppy vaccination has taken effect, the puppy can hold its bladder longer. If the 8 week birthday falls on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and you would have more time the previous weekend to spend with the puppy I will allow the puppy to go home a few days early, as long as the puppy vaccination was given 7 days prior.
What if we can not pick up our puppy when it turns 8 weeks old, such as we will be out of town?
No problem. We prefer you pick up your puppy when you have two days to concentrate on house breaking and bonding with your puppy. We will take care of your puppy at no charge for three additional weeks. After three weeks kenneling fees will be charged.
What is the best way to transport the puppy on the drive home?
I suggest crating the puppy on the way home or layering old towels about three of four deep on the car seat or your lap so you have bonding time. I don’t suggest you buy a small crate just to transport the puppy home, since the puppy will out grow a small crate in a short time. The towels work just fine. For the most part the car is a new environment and the puppy will lay down and go to sleep. If the puppy wakes up and wants to move around it is a sign that the puppy needs to potty. I send a leash home with each puppy so you can stop during your drive. Some puppies will get car sick, so I suggest taking a trash bag, paper towels for the trip, and wet wipes. If you puppy gets sick on a towel you can put the soiled towel in a plastic bag so the vehicle doesn't smell. If you use a crate layer some newspaper on the bottom of the crate, plus I can give you plenty of shredded paper for the crate to keep the puppy clean if he gets sick.
Can a Doodle be registered?
Yes, by Continental Kennel Club "CKC" and several other organizations. I prefer CKC because they offer shows and/or events just like AKC, along with the pedigree history tracking just as AKC. Doodles can not be registered with AKC. However, CKC will register Doodles under Miscellaneous; example of breed category: Misc/Goldendoodle. The purpose of the CKC registration is to start a pedigree tracking history for those people wishing to breed in the future, as well as participate in CKC sponsored events. CKC will register an AKC dog by sending CKC a copy of the dogs AKC papers, along with a registration form and fees of course. Therefore, my dogs are registered both AKC and CKC. When you run a pedigree trace on an AKC dog you will gain information such as health testing, color, names of ancestors (the family tree). My dogs are mostly first or second generation CKC. So, if you run a pedigree check on the parents under CKC their will not be much history, but as people continue to register their puppies in the future the pedigree tracking history will continue to grow strong and someday the Doodles will become registered breeds as they have in other countries. So, continue to register your puppies.
Will the runt always stay smaller than the other puppies in the litter?
Sometimes, maybe 70/30 of the time. The following are my experiences and opinion. I had a runt here a little over a year ago and she now weighs 70 pounds, of course her owners still love her and say the size doesn't matter since she is so calm and gentle. Dogs have two gestation tubes and conceive more than once, dogs conceive during a 10 day cycle. Thus they can conceive a week or so apart and then all the puppies are born at the same time; thus the smaller puppies are younger than their litter mates. I had a golden retriever hook up to a male two times 10 days apart. She, Ruby, had 8 puppies, 4 puppies were small and 4 puppies large it was amazing to see the clear break in size and maturity. I weaned the larger puppies a week earlier than the smaller puppies and have started that routine with all my litters, so the smaller puppies get to stay with mom longer and get more of her milk since they may just be younger. Sometimes a puppy is just a runt and stays small. So, keep in mind when choosing that little runt because you want a small dog or your building code requires dogs under a certain size requirement that your puppy could grow larger than expected and than what will you do with your dog.
Why do you only breed the Multi Generation Labradoodles?
Over the past 8 years I have found many benefits to the Multi Generation Labradoodles and no longer raise the first generation. The biggest factor was improving the calmness of the puppy/dog. I have three F1B Labradoodle moms and love how much better behaved they are over the first generation; losing the hyper Labrador personality and no longer having the two year puppy stage to go through. Coat type was the second factor. In the first generation there were many puppies that looked somewhat awkward and had straight coats that shed almost as much as a Lab. The F1B generally don't shed. Reggie is our resident Australian Labradoodle male, our stud. Being Australian he has a short stocky body. Creating the most adorable Multi Generation Labradoodles that look like Teddy Bears.
WE FEED DIAMOND NATURALS
We are
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Diamond Naturals Features:
·
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·
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·
Natural fiber ingredients to help maintain optimal digestion and
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·
Glucosamine and chondroitin are added to help support healthy
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·
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is added to Diamond Naturals Puppy
formulas to help promote proper brain and vision development. *
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No Corn, No Wheat, No Soy
Where to purchase Diamond Naturals? http://diamondpet.com/dealer_locator/
Is Winter a good time to bring home a puppy?
Why do breeders raise more F1B or Multi Generation?
How do you determine your puppy prices?
Why is health testing necessary?
Health test results are used by breeders in determining which dogs are
best for their breeding program. Knowing the status of the dog and the status
of the dogs lineage, breeders can decide which matings are most appropriate for
reducing the healthiest offspring. Testing adult does not guarantee the puppies
will be free of any disease, but decreases the chance of a puppy developing a
disease. Buying from an experience long
time breeder you further increase the chance of buying a healthy puppy. Here at
Hilltop we have been breeding for 8 years.
Over the years if we had a dog that passed on a negative health concern
we were able to place the parent dog in a loving forever home. Keeping only the healthiest bloodlines going.
As you will notice from my parent page Rudy my oldest dog here was born August
1, 2002 and recently we found him a distinguished champion female to breed with
and keep a male from that litter, as to continue the healthy bloodlines Rudy
has given us. You will also notice that a
lot of my females Rudy in their lineage.
Rudy is completely healthy and has never produced a puppy with health
concerns. Rudy has not been tested for
anything other than the most important hip test (which is GOOD) and DNA for
bloodline authentication. With Rudy's age approaching breeding retirement we
will not do further testing, because past performance can say more than any
tests performed. We will be testing
Rudy's son, because we believe he will be a busy boy here for many years to
come. The same goes for a some other
adults I have, they will be retiring within the next year, but I have their off
spring here. So along with testing look
at the age of parents and the history of previous litters. If grandparents have the health tests, then
their siblings should pass at a very high rate.
We have been evolving our adults based on the history of the lineage.
Keeping back our puppies that we have generations of history on to prove the
health of our puppies.
Testing at Hilltop is ongoing as new DNA testing becomes
available. For more information pertinent to the particular breed you are
interested in please review the website www.offa.org The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals is a
trusted place for Orthopedic Testing and DNA testing along with PositiveID. If you have
the registration number for a dog you can find the test results that have been
performed through OFA. Although breeders may use several sources for testing;
the breeder should be able to produce results of the tests. Proof through Parentage - is the term used to describe off spring from tested parents, a proof that the future off spring would not be able to carry such disease genes because their parents did not.
Do not be intimidated by the disease information. Ever
breed has some type of disease pertinent to that breed. Such as the Von
Willebrand's or progressive retinal atrophy diseases are so very rare in Standard
Poodles and I have never heard of a poodle or doodle actually having either one.
I did have one golden retriever that showed the Thyroid condition at one year
old, for which she did not enter our breeding program. I have had several
Golden Retrievers with hip test results that were not adequate for our program. I consider American Golden Retrievers to be
in the highest risk group for hip concerns, because back when the golden retriever
was first introduced in the U.S. everyone wanted one. So anyone that had a
female and knew someone with a male would breed them together; the so called
Back Yard Breeders, puppy mill. Not that
those people are the total blame, the technology and information just was not
as available as today. Hopefully the
English Golden Retrievers will not follow in the American short falls, but I
have seen some English Retriever Breeders not care about testing and from where
they are importing their English Retrievers.
There are some very good International English Golden Retriever breeders
out there and we have taken our time choosing those breeders to start
on English program. Thus the reason the
English puppies cost more. At the cost
of the English Golden Retriever a breeder just can not afford to run out and by
ten of them, so I bought the best available female in the world, Tosya. She is the start of our program. She has had one test litter, all puppies were
gorgeous, healthy, and consistent in their body build. We plan to keep all the
females from Tosya's next litter to extent our program, plus my daughter has
adopted a world champion male that will not be related to Tosya. So exciting,
but taking years, this is a good example of why people buy from trusted breeders
and not back yard breeders. We have done our homework. We have had past litters to guide us to alert
us any health issues that could rise out bloodlines. I think the healthiest breed is the standard poodle, thus making the Doodle - Hybrid Vigor the core belief of our breeding program. The smaller poodles have more health concerns and personality quirks due to downsizing the breed too quickly, people were racing to produce smaller and smaller puppies. Here at Hilltop we are taking our time to develop smaller lines. Crystal a smaller standard poodle is the founder of our smaller size doodles, due to the fact that she has had many litters of healthy doodles and they stay a smaller size. We have kept several of Crystal's past puppies back and they will be breeding our future Mini Doodles, along with a male Mini Goldendoodle that we acquired from a trusted breeder. Next up we will be going Double Doodle also known as North American Retriever. Double Doodle referring to a Labradoodle bred to a Goldendoodle. This is an obvious match to us with our love for both the Labradoodle and Goldendoodle. Great for those people that can not decide if they want a Goldendoodle or Labradoodle and bringing in again more Hybrid Vigor. I have see way less health issues with Labrador Retrievers than Golden Retrievers. I have had many standard poodles over the years and have never seen a poodle with hereditary health concern.
DISEASE / BREED LIST
Most diseases ARE breed specific, below
is a list specific to our breeding program of diseases that affect specific
breeds.
German Shepherd - DM – Canine
Degenerative Myelopathy
Golden Retriever - MDR1 – Multidrug
Resistance in Cancer
- DM – Canine
Degenerative Myelopathy
- PRCD – Progressive Rod-Cone Degeneration
Goldendoodle - PRCD – Progressive
Rod-Cone Degeneration
Labradoodle - EIC – Exercise Induced
Collapse
- PRCD – Progressive Rod-Cone Degeneration
- vWD – von Willebrand Disease
Standard Poodle - DM – Canine
Degenerative Myelopathy
- vWD – von Willebrand Disease
Shepadoodles do not have any specific
diseases tracked to them at this time, or no information available. Therefore by testing the parents for diseases
effecting them would rule out any diseases that either parent breed could pass
on. Thus my shepadoodle breeders were born here.
The above was referenced from http://ingen.bs/
Von Willebrand's Disease and the DNA Test
Type I von Willebrand's disease in the breeds below occurs as the mild form, as
distinguished from the severe form, which occurs in Scottish Terriers and
Shetland Sheep Dogs. It is characterized by the abnormally low production of a
protein found in the blood called von Willebrand's factor which plays a key
role in the complex process of clotting a damaged blood vessel. Breeds with the
severe form produce no von Willebrand's factor. More details about the disease
may be found in the documents below. These documents were written about
Doberman Pinchers, but as the other breeds below have the same mutation, the
molecular biology and clinical manifestations will be the same in these breeds
and therefore these documents apply to the other breeds as well. This article
was copies from http://www.vetgen.com/canine-vwd1.html
vWD Genotype
| |
Clear |
Carrier |
Affected |
|
Bernese Mountain Dog |
83% |
16% |
1% |
|
Doberman |
25% |
49% |
26% |
|
Manchester Terrier |
59% |
37% |
4% |
|
Pembroke Welsh Corgi |
57% |
37% |
6% |
|
Poodle |
90% |
9% |
1% |
vWD
Von Willebrand’s disease has been identified in a
wide range of canine breeds, and is the most common of the inherited bleeding
disorders. As with humans, there are three classifications of this disease,
Types I, II, and III. These are based on the concentration and nature of plasma
vWF. Type I vWD is characterized by abnormally low concentrations of
structurally normal vWF, and tends to be a milder and more variable form. Type
II vWD is characterized by structurally abnormal vWF, which impedes function
and results in severe bleeding in affected animals. Type III vWD is found in
animals that have essentially no plasma vWF. The disease has been reported in
many breeds of dog, and is generally diagnosed by an ELISA test for plasma vWF
following a bleeding event.
Five mutations have been identified that cause vWD
in canines. Direct DNA tests have been developed for all five of these
mutations that allow unambiguous delineation of the genetic status of the
animal, which is not always possible with the ELISA test due to temporal
variations in the amount of circulating vWF. These five mutations are
responsible for the vast majority of vWD in at least the fifteen breeds
discussed in this poster, and probably others, which have yet to be tested. All
five may be classified as recessively inherited resulting in clear, carrier, or
affected status. While carriers do exhibit a reduction in the amount of plasma
vWF, it is not enough to make them symptomatic. It should be noted that
affected status in the case of these tests means the animal carries two copies
of the mutant allele, not necessarily that the disease is manifest. In the case
of the severe Type II and III diseases any “affected” animal will almost
certainly experience a severe bleeding incident. In the case of the milder and
more variable Type I disease, “affected” animals are obviously at risk, but may
or may not have a severe bleeding incident.
VetGen has now being offering DNA testing for vWD
for more than ten years, and has tested over 20,000 dogs.
PRA - Progressive Retinal Atrophy
PRA Disease - Testing required is the PRCD
The genetic disorder, prcd-PRA
, causes cells in the retina at the back of the eye to degenerate and die, even
though the cells seem to develop normally early in life. The “rod” cells
operate in low light levels and are the first to lose normal function. Night
blindness results. Then the “cone” cells gradually lose their normal function
in full light situations. Most affected dogs will eventually be blind.
Typically, the clinical disease is recognized first in early adolescence or
early adulthood. Since age at onset of disease varies among breeds, you should
read specific information for your dog. Diagnosis of retinal disease can be
difficult. Conditions that seem to be prcd-PRA might instead be another
disease and might not be inherited. OptiGen’s genetic test assists in making
the diagnosis. It’s important to remember that not all retinal disease is PRA
and not all PRA is the prcd form of PRA. Annual eye exams by a veterinary
ophthalmologist will build a history of eye health that will help to diagnose
disease.
Unfortunately, at this time there is
no treatment or cure for PRA.
Prcd-PRA is inherited as a recessive trait. This means a disease
gene must be inherited from each parent in order to cause disease in an
offspring.
It’s been proven that all breeds
being tested for prcd-PRA have the same disease caused by the same mutated
gene. This is so, even though the disease might develop at different ages or
with differing severity from one breed to another.
Although prcd-PRA is
inherited, it can be avoided in future generations by testing dogs before
breeding. Identification of dogs that do not carry disease genes is the key.
These "clear" dogs can be bred to any mate - even to a prcd-affected
dog which may be a desirable breeding prospect for other reasons. The chance of
producing affected pups from such breedings depends on the certainty of test
results.
Thyroid Information
Autoimmune thyroiditis is the most common cause of primary hypothyroidism in dogs. The disease has variable onset, but tends to clinically manifest itself at 2 to 5 years of age. Dogs may be clinically normal for years, only to become hypothyroid at a later date. The marker for autoimmune thyroiditis, thyroglobulin autoantibody formation, usually occurs prior to the occurrence of clinical signs. Therefore, periodic retesting is recommended.
The majority of dogs that develop autoantibodies have them by 3 to
4 years of age. Development of autoantibodies to any time in the dog’s life is
an indication that the dog, most likely, has the genetic form of the disease.
Using today's technology only a small fraction of false positive tests occur.
As a result of the variable onset of the presence of
autoantibodies, periodic testing will be necessary. Dogs that are negative at 1
year of age may become positive at 6 years of age. Dogs should be tested every
year or two in order to be certain they have not developed the condition. Since
the majority of affected dogs will have autoantibodies by 4 years of age,
annual testing for the first 4 years is recommended. After that, testing every
other year should suffice. Unfortunately, a negative at any one time will not
guarantee that the dog will not develop thyroiditis.
The registry data can be used by breeders in determining which
dogs are best for their breeding program. Knowing the status of the dog and the
status of the dogs lineage, breeders and genetic counselors can decide which
matings are most appropriate for reducing the incidence of autoimmune
thyroiditis in the offspring.
This page is a work in progress; please let me know what topics you would prefer I cover.
