Health Testing
Here at Belridge, we breed for health, temperament and structure. We feel that completing all of the health testing recommended for our breed by the Dachshunds Club of America is extremely important. Our dogs have the required testing completed, which has been recomended, and have received their CHIC numbers.
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) was founded in 1966. Their mission is to promote the health and welfare of companion animals through a reduction in the incidence of genetic disease. The OFA website and databases provide the tools needed, whether you are a veterinarian, breeder, or prospective animal owner. The OFA databases are central to the organization's objective of establishing control programs to lower the incidence of inherited disease. They serve all breeds of dogs and cats, and provide breeders a means to respond to the challenge of improving the genetic health of their breed through better breeding practices. The OFA databases are expandable as more tests become available.
The OFA Created the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) by partnering with participating parent clubs to research and maintain information on health issues prevalent in specific breeds. They've established a recommended protocol for breed-specific health screenings. Dogs tested in accordance with that protocol are recognized with a CHIC number and certification. OFA recognizes that the more information stored and accessible in their databases, the better it will be for every breed. They encourage all breeders to attain CHIC certification if their breed participates in the CHIC program. A dog achieves CHIC certification if it has been screened for every disease recommended by the parent club for that breed and those results are publicly available in the database.
OFA Patella Luxation
The patella, or kneecap, is a part of the stifle joint (knee). In patellar luxation, the kneecap luxates, or pops out of place, either in a medial or lateral position.
Bilateral involvement is most common, but unilateral is not uncommon. Animals can be affected by the time they are eight weeks of age. The most notable finding is a knock-knee stance. The patella is usually reducible, and laxity of the medial collateral ligament may be evident. The medial retinacular tissues of the stifle joint are often thickened, and the foot can be seen to twist laterally as weight is placed on the limb.
Patellar luxations fall into several categories:
1. Medial luxation (toy, miniature, and alrge breeds)
2. Lateral luxation (large and miniature breeds)
3. Lateral luxation (large and giant breeds)
4. LUxation resulting from trauma (various breeds, of no importance to the certification process) Numbers 1-3 are either known to be heritable or strongly suspected.
OFA Cardiac Exams
The clinical cardiac examination should be conducted in a systematic manner. The arterial and venous pulses, mucous membranes, and precordium should be evaluated. Heart rate should be obtained. The clinical examination should be performed by an individual with advanced training in cardiac diagnosis. Preferably a board certified veterinarian specializing in Cardiology.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy
more commonly known as PRA, is a general term for a group of diseases causing degeneration of retina, leading to a loss of vision. One form of this disorder is known as cord1-PRA, which stands for cone-rod dystrophy-PRA. Cord1-PRA is a genetic disorder associated with a recessive mutation in the RPGRLP1 gene, which codes for an important photoreceptor protein in the eye. Like many forms of PRA, cord1-PRA is breed specific, and is known to occur in Miniature Dachshunds and English Springer Spaniels. Cone-rod dystrophy first affects the cones in the retina, which are photoreceptors responsible for detecting bright light or daylight. Rods, or low-light photoreceptors, begin degenerating secondarily. This is different than other forms of PRA, such as prcd-PRA, in which the rods are affected first, followed by the cones. Unfortunately , most dogs affected by cord1-PRA will eventually become blind at some point in their life, and there is no cure at this time. The age of onset can vary with this disorder, some dogs will first begin experiencing problems around 6 months in age, though the average age of onset is around 5 years of age. A small percentage of dogs do not experience any symptoms until as late as 10 years of age. It is not yet known why some dog swill experience late-onset PRA, it is likely due to the presence of other genetic modifiers that have not been determined at this time. Because this disorder is recessive, a dog must have two copies of the mutated gene to exhibit symptoms associated with PRA. A dog can be a carrier of cord1-PRA, meaning it only has one copy of the mutation, and not show any outward signs of retinal degeneration. A carrier can still pass on the mutated gene to any offspring; mating two carriers can produce offspring affected by cord1-PRA. Source: http://www.animalgenetics.us/Canine/cord1.htm
Progressive Retinal Atrophy, cone-rod dystrophy 4 (PRA-crd4) is an inherited eye disease affecting Dachshunds. PRA-crd4 occurs as a result of degeneration of both rod and cone type photoreceptor cells of the retina, which are important for vision in a dim and bright light, respectively. Affected dogs can show symptoms of vision loss or have signs of retinal disease on veterinary ophthalmologic exam by 3 years of age. However, age of onset varies significantly in PRA-crd4 affected dogs, and has been reported from 1 to 15 years of age. Mutations in the RPGRLP1 gene show incomplete penetrance, meaning that not all dogs inheriting two copies of the mutation develop clinical disease. This suggests that other unknown genetic or environmental factors may play a role in modifying disease development and progression.
Below is an article on PRA and the manner in which it should be addressed by responsible breeders:
