Last week I wrote about Canine Genetic testing through GenSol Diagnostics, if you missed it you can read about it here.

Today I am going to talk about the Genetic tests I had run and the results.

The test I had run on Gambler, Glory and Guilty was for Progressive Rod-Cone Degeneration (PRA-PRCD).

PRA-PRCD:

Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) is a category of different progressive conditions related to ­retinal atrophy that can eventually lead to blindness.  Progressive rod-cone degeneration (PRA-PRCD) is one specific type of PRA that affects many dog breeds.  It is an inherited eye disease with late onset of symptoms that are due to degeneration of both rod and cone cells of the retina.  These cells are important for vision in dim and bright light.  Most dogs begin to show symptoms of the disease at approximately 3-5 years of age that manifests as difficulty seeing at night (night blindness) and loss of peripheral vision.  Although rate of onset and disease progression can vary by breed, PRA-PRCD typically results in eventual loss of sight and complete blindness in affected dogs.  It is important to note that other inherited eye disorders can display similar symptoms to PRA-PRCD. -GenSol

Gambler, Glory and Guilty I suspected were Clear By Parentage (CBP) which means their parents were tested for this disease and were found to be clear of the disease so they would of passed the clear genes onto all their offspring. I wanted to test each of them so I could 1. make sure they were for sure CBP and 2. to have a certificate of proof of their results.

I sent in the test swabs on Friday July 15th, I received the results/certificates online on Friday July 22nd. This was great service in my opinion.

All three PRA-PRCD test results were indeed Clear/Normal which was indicated by a  “A” on the certificate.

What the results would mean:

CLEAR/NORMAL: These dogs have two copies of the normal gene and will neither develop PRA-PRCD nor pass this mutation to their offspring.

CARRIER/NOT AFFECTED: These dogs have one copy of the normal gene and one copy of the mutation associated with this disease. They will not develop PRA-PRCD and will, if bred, pass the mutation to 50% of its offspring, on average.

AT RISK/AFFECTED: These dogs have two copies of the mutation associated with PRA-PRCD which typically results in complete blindness for most breeds.

The next two tests I ran on just Guilty. They were Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) and Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC).

DM:

Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) is a progressive disease of the spinal cord in older dogs. The disease has an insidious onset typically between 8 and 14 years of age. It begins with a loss of coordination (ataxia) in the hind limbs. The affected dog will wobble when walking, knuckle over or drag the feet. This can first occur in one hind limb and then affect the other. As the disease progresses, the limbs become weak and the dog begins to buckle and has difficulty standing. The weakness gets progressively worse until the dog is unable to walk. The clinical course can range from 6 months to 1 year before dogs become paraplegic. If signs progress for a longer period of time, loss of urinary and fecal continence may occur and eventually weakness will develop in the front limbs. Another key feature of DM is that it is not a painful disease.  Although any dog can be tested for DM, it is possible that the genetic background that predominates in some breeds prevents the development of symptoms even in dogs testing affected (at risk).  At this time the required evidence of association between the genetic mutation and actual spinal cord evaluations has only been proven in the breeds listed. -GenSol

Please seehttp://www.offa.org/dnatesting/dmexplanation.htmland http://www.caninegeneticdiseases.net/DM/ancmntDM.htmfor additional information on DM diagnosis.

Guilty’s DM test was Clear/Normal.

What the results would mean:

CLEAR/NORMAL: These dogs have two normal copies of DNA. Among the hundreds of dogs studied to date at the University of Missouri, only two dogs with test results of ‘CLEAR/NORMAL’ have been confirmed to have DM.

CARRIER/NOT AFFECTED: These dogs have one copy of the mutation and one normal copy of DNA. Carriers are far less likely to develop DM however; a few cases to date of DM have been confirmed in a small number of carrier dogs.

AT RISK/AFFECTED: These dogs have two copies of the mutation and will likely develop DM during their lifetime.  Although many dogs tested to date typed as ‘AT RISK/AFFECTED’ have been clinically confirmed DM, recent evidence suggest that there are other causes of DM in some breeds.  In addition, not all dogs testing as ‘AT RISK/AFFECTED’ have shown clinical signs of DM. Research is ongoing to estimate what percentage of dogs testing as ‘AT RISK/AFFECTED’ will develop DM within their lifespan. At this point, the DM mutation can be interpreted as being ‘AT RISK’ of developing DM within the animal’s lifetime.  For dogs showing clinical signs with a presumptive diagnosis of DM, ‘AT RISK/AFFECTED test results can be used as an additional tool to aid in the diagnosis of DM.

 EIC:

Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC) is a canine genetic disorder that leads to loss of muscle control following periods of extreme exercise.  Episodes generally occur after 5-25 minutes of excessive activity that can include actively running for extended periods of time.  Episode severity ranges between different dogs and often begins with a form of rocking followed by weakening of the hind limbs and eventual collapse.  Attacks are typically brief (less than 20 minutes) and dogs tend to recover.  In a limited number of cases, episodes can be fatal.  Affected dogs begin to show symptoms from a couple of months to 3 years of age and are more susceptible at an age when more intensive training begins.  It is important for owners of dogs affected with EIC to be familiar with activities that may trigger an episode. -GenSol

Guilty’s EIC test was Clear/Normal.

What the results would mean:

CLEAR/NORMAL: These dogs have two copies of the normal gene and will neither develop Exercise Induced Collapse nor pass this mutation to their offspring.

CARRIER/NOT AFFECTED: These dogs have one copy of the normal gene and one copy of the mutation associated with this disease. They will not develop Exercise Induced Collapse but will, if bred, pass the mutation to 50% of its offspring, on average.

AT RISK/AFFECTED: These dogs have two copies of the mutation associated with this disease and are susceptible to collapse following periods of extreme exercise.

I now have the genetic testing certificates and results for Guilty’s breeding portfolio.