T
he title of this article may raise your suspicion that you
are about to read an expose bashing the breeders of
purebred dogs. Indeed, the breeders of some pedigreed
dogs might guiltily turn past this article, not wanting to face
the evidence. The PBGV breeder, on the other hand, can
linger over the article knowing that if any mud is being
flung, it is not aimed at them. However, the PBGV
community should not be too smug. Today the PBGV is
a healthy and happy dog, but the situation could change
quickly with growing popularity of our breed.
I would like to discuss two articles on inherited defects
in pedigree dogs that appeared in The Veterinary Journalin
2009 and 2010. The articles describe a comprehensive
examination of the number, prevalence and impact of 396
disorders reported in the literature or online databases in
one or more of the top 50 breeds in the UK, as judged by
2007 Kennel Club registrations. The data were divided into
two publications that consider disorders that result directly
from conformation or unrelated to conformation.
1
The PBGV is not among the top 50 breeds in the UK (in
the United States the PBGV was ranked No. 131 in 2011).
That is good news because it means that our breed has not
been subjected to the same pressures from a puppy-buying
public that the more popular breeds have. But it also
means that there are not robust data available on disease
prevalence in the PBGV. Nevertheless, we should examine
this analysis of disease prevalence in other breeds and
discuss how to prevent these problems in the PBGV.
Disorders related to breed standards. The first
publication, Asher et al., begins by stating, “The United
Kingdom pedigree-dog industry has faced criticism because
certain aspects of dog conformation stipulated in the UK
Kennel Club breed standards have a detrimental impact on
dog welfare.” Many of these traits are well-known, e.g. head
shape in bulldogs and the pug, reduced head size in the
Cavalier King Charles spaniels, skin folds in the shar-pei
and coat pattern in the dalmatian. Asher’s analysis found
63 disorders that were conformation-related and another
21 that were inherited disorders exacerbated by a
conformational trait. Miniature poodles were predisposed
to the most conformational disorders, followed by the pug,
bulldog and basset hound. Great Danes, German shepherd
dogs and Dobermans had the most disorders exacerbated by
conformation. To aid in the analysis of the impact of these
disorders, Asher created a Generic Illness Severity Index
for Dogs (GISID) that scores the disorders based on their
prognosis, treatment availability, complications, and effect
on behavior. They allowed for ranges of severity within
diseases by scoring each disorder in its mildest and most
extreme forms.
1
The table below shows data for the three hounds that
are among the top 50 UK breeds (basset hound, beagle and
miniature dachshund). For example, the basset hound has
16 disorders related to the breed standard, three disorders
that are exacerbated by the breed standard and 22 disorders
unrelated to the breed standard. The basset hound disorders
at their mildest give a GISID score of 189 and, at their most
severe, a score of 441. For perspective, I’ve included data
for the German shepherd dog, which has the most number
of disorders and highest GISID of all breeds surveyed, and
the flat coated retriever, which has few disorders and a
low GISID.
Table of number of disorders of each class and the severity of disease
The Asher article discusses the conformation-related
conditions related to the following areas: general appearance
of the dogs; head and skull, mouth, eyes and ears; size, body,
forequarters, hindquarters and tail; and coat and color.
Asher notes, “By selecting for appearance rather than
function or health, many breeds have become predisposed
to health problems. Some breed standards may be encourag-
ing breeders to select for dogs predisposed to disease.“
What about the PBGV? As noted earlier, PBGVs were not
included in this analysis. The AKC breed standard has no
apparent detrimental requirements; instead, it calls for
“the appearance of an active hound, capable of a full
day’s hunting.” Fortunately, the PBGV’s saber tail, tousled
appearance and notoriously happy disposition do not
appear to be linked to any health problems! As guardians
of our breed, the individuals who modify the breed standard
in the future need to carefully consider the possible health
consequences of any change.
Disorders unrelated to breed standards.The
second publication considered inherited defects with
no links to conformation. Summers et al. states, “In the
creation of a breed, an important issue is the ‘fixing’ of
desirable features within the breed so that an exclusive
36
www.pbgv.org
June 2012
s Saber Tails
s PBGV Health Watch
by Laura Liscum, Health Committee
This series of informative articles is for those interested in learning more about the health of the PBGV breed.
Inherited Defects in Pedigreed Dogs
1
Asher et al.“Inherited defects in pedigree dogs. Part 1: Disorders
related to breed standards” The Veterinary Journal182 (2009) 402-411.
Summers et al.“Inherited defects in pedigree dogs. Part 1: Disorders
that are not related to breed standards” The Veterinary Journal183
(2010) 39-45.