POAG in the PBGV
What is POAG? Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) is a painful, blinding disease. The normal eye has cells that produce fluid and the drainage of this fluid from the eye must match its production in order to maintain normal pressure within the eye. When drainage is blocked, the increased intraocular pressure damages the optic nerve and results in pain and impaired vision.
How does my dog get POAG? POAG is an inherited disease. If your dog’s sire and dam are carriers of the POAG mutation, it is possible that your dog will develop glaucoma. The new test will determine your dog’s POAG status.
What should I do? You should know your PBGV’s POAG status. If you don’t know this information, then you should have your PBGV tested. The POAG test must be specific for the POAG mutation in PBGVs. For up-to-date info on recommended tests, look HERE: (https://pbgvhrf.org/poag)
My PBGV has been neutered/spayed and will not produce offspring. Why should I have him/her tested? If your dog’s parents have been tested and you know for certain that they are both clear or that only one parent is a carrier, then your dog will not develop POAG and does not need to be tested. If you do not know the status of your PBGV’s sire and dam, we recommend testing.
My PBGV’s test indicates that s/he is affected! What do I do now? We recommend that you have your dog examined by a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist as soon as possible. Early detection of increased pressure within the eye is critical so that treatment may begin.
My PBGV’s test indicates that s/he is clear. Does that mean s/he will never get glaucoma? Unfortunately, glaucoma can occur due to other risk factors. For example, if there is a structural problem with your dog’s eye, s/he may be susceptible to closed angle glaucoma. We recommend having all dogs 2 years and older checked by a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist for this possibility.
Information for Breeders!
A PBGV litter may also be designated as ‘clear by parentage’ if the sire and dam have been tested and are clear. Let’s look at when a POAG test is needed.
Clear by Parentage. If a sire who was tested and is CLEAR is bred to a dam who was tested and is CLEAR, then the litter is considered ‘clear by parentage’ and is designated CBP1. If a PBGV with CBP1 status is bred to a CLEAR or CBP1 PBGV, then the litter is designated CBP2.
PBGVCA policy is that CBP1 and CBP2 litters
do not need to be POAG tested.
Let’s recap:
CLEAR X CLEAR →CBP1 Litter
CBP1 X CLEAR → CBP2 Litter
CBP1 X CBP1 → CBP2 Litter
If the same CLEAR X CLEAR breeding is performed a second time, the litter is still CBP1.
If the CLEAR sire is bred to a different CLEAR dam (or vice versa), the litter is CBP1.
The above litters do not need to be tested.
However,
CBP2 X CLEAR → Litter must be tested
CBP2 X CBP1 → Litter must be tested
CBP2 X CBP2 → Litter must be tested
If you have a CBP1 or CBP2 litter, please send that information to Jo Quintenz at poag@pbgv.org
so that the litter’s clear status can be entered into the PBGVCA Pedigree Database.
There is no charge to have information entered into this database.
