Gun Dog Health
Their are a number of degenerative diseases or developmental conditions affecting Retriever breeds. The most common of these affect the Eyes, Hips and Elbows.
The majority of first time purchasers of a puppy, have little knowledge of the potential health problems, which now plague certain breeds.
After purchasing my first puppy, it wasn't too long after meeting other owners, competitors and trainers, the subject of "clear eyes" and "
hip scores" was being discussed. All this was a bit gobblygook at the time and it seemed that everybody had different opinions on the importance of all this screening.
I recall, one competitor commenting "Its no good having good hips & eyes, if dog can't find its breakfast" a sad reference to a poor nose! fortunately this view does not prevail throughout the gundog world, but it does give you an indication that some breeders and owners of champion dogs will avoid health screening either through fear of exposing a problem with a good working dog or at worst produce puppies from stock with inherited diseases, to an unsuspecting public.
Of course, none of this is relavent to most new puppy owners until they come across a problem or consider breeding themselves. If they are unfortunate, the consequences can be devastating and very expensive, some eye conditions bring early blindness and joint problems lead to expensive surgery and continuous medication.
There has been a lot talked about in the press and television over recent times, concerning the health of dogs and the Kennel Club has been critised in allowing dogs to be bred for their looks rather than good health.
The BBC exposed top judges and breeders, who have knowingly bred from stock carrying hereditary diseases and developmental conditions.
There are champion dogs in the Uk, carrying genetic conditions, which over time could be easily be controlled or eradicated, by a system of health checks.
At the moment all these health checks are completely voluntary, unless a breeder subscribes to the Kennel Club Accredited Breeder Scheme and even with this scheme elbow screening and DNA tests for PRA in Retrievers is not mandatory only recommended.
Northglen Gundogs according to kennel club records was one of the first breeders to register in Leicestershire back in 2004, the scheme has evolved to provide a register of breeders who can only breed from stock which has been tested for certain hereditary eye diseases and hip dysplasia, the scheme also requires breeding stock to be DNA profiled.
Accredited Breeders are required to meet certain standards in documentation and premises, which is monitored by a Kennel Club Breed Advisor.
The scheme does have its critics and some of the top breeders still do not subscribe, you should always ask the question why? Expence has an influence? Are you willing to pay more for better practice and health certification? Is the gene pool of the registered ABS members too small? Some breeders do not want their stock DNA tested and believe they can improve health through selective breeding of established working lines?
I hope this brief introduction has given you an insight into certain health issues and the schemes available to promote better health. More detail analysis on specific health issues will be covered in this section shortly.
Clinical Screening Programmes
Other Health Issues