Genetic health issues Vs environmental health issues

More and more it is becoming clear that animals can be born with a genetic predisposition to a health problem and only when they are placed in an unsuitable environment does the condition show itself.

This means that you can greatly reduce the risks of your dog displaying a health issue by providing an environment in which she can thrive.

The most likely health issues that can occur in miniature poodles are:

• PRA (progressive retina atrophy) prcd
• Luxating patellas
• Distichia
• Hip dysplasia
• Cushings
• Epilepsy
• Legg calve perthes
• Thyroid
• Inguinal hernias
• Umbilical hernias
• Urinary incontinence

The conditions that are most influenced by environmental factors are:

• Hip and elbow dysplasia
• Luxating patellas

PRA PRCD

PRA causes the poodle to go prematurely blind. This can happen from 15 months to 5 years of age. The PRCD type of PRA is thankfully able to be detected by DNA testing. We are able to cheek-swab the puppies from six weeks of age to find out whether they are genetically clear (optigen A or pattern A), a carrier for the disease but will never have symptoms (optigen B or pattern B), or genetically affected (optigen C or pattern C).

Reputable breeders are now avoiding producing affected puppies because they are mating two genetically normal parents together. Because the disease is recessive we know that if we put two genetically normal dogs together, we can only produce genetically normal puppies. This means ofcourse that there is no need to test these puppies.

Breeders are also able to mate a carrier and a genetically normal dog together as there is still no chance of producing an affected puppy from this mating. Statistically, fifty per cent will be genetically normal and 50 per cent will be carriers. We would then test the progeny from this mating so we know the status of the puppy kept for breeding the next generation.

Distichia (ingrown eyelashes)

Some eyelashes that should normally grow outwards from the eye for some reason grow inwards and touch the eye. If your dog has weepy or gooey eyes you should have them checked. This condition can be corrected with surgery however the instances of success are not considered very high given the expense of the surgery. It is often easier to pluck the eyelashes out on a regular basis and the dog can continue on normally.

For more on this go to the Canine inherited diseases database on Distichia

Luxating patellars (slipping or dislocating knee caps)

This is considered genetic however it can also be caused by trauma to the knee. When puppies are born they are quite malleable and if they are allowed to run on slippery surfaces and do an excess amount of jumping and stair work they can stretch the tendons that suppot the knee cap which will make the knee slip in and out. If you have slippery floors or a lot of stairs in your house then your puppy is much more likely to be affected. To mitigate this risk, put done some rugs on the slippery floor and restrict all stair access at least until your puppy is 12 months of age.

Once the damage has been done it is unlikely that the knee will right itself and so surgery is usually required.

For more on this go to the canine inherited diseases website on patellar luxation

Hip dysplasia and degenerated joint disease

Whilst this condition is more common in the standard poodle, it is not unheard of in miniature poodles.

The ways to greatly reduce the risk of your puppy being affected by these conditions is to not excercise your puppy into the ground and only do 10 minute walks with your puppy at least until she is at least six months old. After this time you can gradually increase the exercise time up to an hour of walking a day.

Cushings disease

This is rare in young dogs and although not overly common in old poodles it is certainly more likely to occur in older dogs. It is the opposite problem from addisons disease. Addisions disease is when the dog has an underactive adrenal gland whereas cushings has an overactive adrenal glad. Miniatures I believe, are more likely to be affected by cushings than addisons. Conversly, addisons is more common in the standard poodle.

The symptoms are variable but can consist of:

• increased urination; increased drinking; bloated appearance of tummy but usually pendulous; hair loss; increased appetite; obesity; increased panting and enlarged liver.

The treatment for this disease is to starve the body of cortisone which basically makes the dog addisonian. Then the medications are balanced out with regular blood tests to check the levels until hopefully the dog is stabilised.

There is a school of thought that says if the dog is in her older years, and if she seems well enough, then it is best not to medicate as this process is very stressful and can actually affect the levels of cortisone that the dog is excreting. In cases where cushing is caused by a pituitary tumor, it is kindest to put the dog to sleep.

for more on this go to the canine inherited diseases website on cushings

Epilepsy

Again, this is not considered common in the miniature poodle however it does exist.

Epilepsy can occur in the dog at any time in its life. In older dogs it is more likely it could be caused by a stroke or a tumor in the brain. In young dogs however it is most worrying as the medications are very expensive and the dog has many years of suffering in front of it.