Genetic Diseases
As with all dogs breeds there are certain genetic/hereditary diseases that they suffer from. By testing for the diseases and not breeding from lines with affected dogs in it, reduces the chances of the offspring being affected. My PWD "Bruno" will be tested for every genetic disease that I can. I will also be selecting dogs from healthy bloodlines to breed with, to reduce the risk that the pups with have health problems.
STORAGE DISEASE GM-1- is a rare disease which affects humans and Portuguese Water Dogs. It is a genetically transmitted fatal metabolic disorder which occurs when two carrier dogs are bred. Affected puppies will not reach adulthood. Non-Carrier, Carrier and Indeterminate PWDs have a normal life expectancy.
ADDISON'S DISEASE- is a rare disorder found in both humans and animals and is caused by adrenocortical insufficiency. This means that the adrenal gland stops producing the hormones that control the metabolism of sugar and maintain the balance of salt and water in the body. Untreated Addison's Disease may lead to death. There is not a definate test for this yet.
JUVENILE DILATED CARDIOMYOPATHY (JDCM)- is an inherited fatal disease in the young Portuguese Water Dog that is caused by a recessive gene (both parents of a puppy must carry the gene to produce the defect). The sign and symptoms of JDC include sudden or rapid death of a puppy with the average age being 6 weeks to 7 months old (there have been cases reported younger than 6 weeks as well as older than 7 months). Some pups have no physical signs or symptoms and are found dead by their breeder or new owner. Some have a 12 to 48 hour onset with loss of appetite, decreased energy level, vomiting, and difficulty breathing. There is no known cure or treatment at this time.
HIP DYSPLASIA - is inherited. It may vary from slightly poor conformation to malformation of the hip joint allowing complete luxation of the femoral head. All Portuguse Water Dogs should be xrayed and scored before breeding, to make sure they will not be passing on bad hips.
PROGRESSIVE RETINAL ATROPHY (PRA)- is an eye disease that will eventually cause blindness. For a dog to be affected with PRA they must get a copy of the gene from each parent. A pup that has at least one parent with an Optigen "A" rating will never have PRA. Dogs that may be carriers are rated "B", and dogs that are rated "C" may be affected. Dogs with a "B" or "C" rating should only be bred to "A" pattern dogs to be sure that no pups will be affected with PRA. Optigen "B" pups will never be blind from PRA.
Expected results for breeding strategies using the OptiGen prcd test | |||
Parent 1 | Parent 2 Status | ||
A - Normal/Clear | B - Carrier | C - Affected | |
A - Normal/Clear | All = Normal/Clear | 1/2 = Normal/Clear | All = Carrier |
B - Carrier | 1/2 = Normal/Clear | 1/4 = Normal/Clear | 1/2 = Carrier |
C - Affected | All = Carrier | 1/2 = Carrier | All = Affected |