If you didn’t get to read my previous post about how I learned Preacher had Juvenile Cataracts and the decision I made about them you can read it here. I am now going to talk a bit about Juvenile Cataracts and hopefully will have answered some questions you may have about them. I am going to share with you the email conversation I had with my ophthalmologist and the references he gave me regarding genetic ocular diseases in the Chesapeake Bay Retriever.
Taken from Ocular Disorders presumed to be inherited in purebred dogs, Seventh Edition 2014 – Genetics committee of the American College Of Veterinary Ophthalmologist.
Cataract: A partial or complete opacity of the lens and/or its capsule. In cases where cataracts are complete and affect both eyes, blindness results. The prudent approach is to assume cataracts to be hereditary except in cases known to be associated with trauma, other causes of ocular inflammation, specific metabolic diseases, persistent papillary membrane, persistent hyaloid or nutritional deficiencies. Cataracts may involve the lens completely (diffuse) or in a localized region.
Hereditary cataracts have been described in the Chesapeake Bay Retriever and affect the young adult dog. They appear as posterior cortical, axial, triangular opacities and the Y suture tips can be affected in both the anterior and posterior cortices. Extension of the cataract into the posterior cortex and progression to impair vision can occur. An autosomal dominant inheritance with incomplete penetrance has been proposed; however, the genetics have not been completely defined and additional studies will be required.
When I heard Preacher had Juvenile Cataracts at her eye appointment I was in shock that I couldn’t even ask Dr. Collins any questions. I pretty much knew any questions I would have I would know the answers to since I myself am a Veterinary Technician but I needed to ask in case I was missing something and wanted to make sure I had all the information I could gather so I knew what I needed to do when decision time came. Here is one of the email’s I got from Dr. Collins after I wrote him and asked him a bunch of questions. I didn’t save my original email and he didn’t send it back with his reply so all you get to see is his response which you can pretty much figure out my questions.
Dear Ms. Stancer:
All good questions, and my answers are in no specific order. The age of onset for this type of cataract is variable. I have seen this type of cataract in dogs as early as 6 months of age, though not necessarily in this breed. Can these cataracts be detected in non-dilated eyes? That depends on the examiner and the stage of development of the cataracts. Your dog’s cataracts are relatively small and would be hard to detect early in a non-dilated eye.
As per your request, I have attached a copy of current breeding guidelines for ocular disorders in the Chesapeake Bay retriever and circled the relevant areas. Your second question relates to what percentage of affected dogs might progress to blindness, and we do not have this data. The estimate I provided was based on my experience with Golden retrievers that develop a cataract in the same location; it was not a specific estimate for the Chesapeake, though they might be expected to have a similar incidence.
Your remaining questions about incomplete dominant inheritance are difficult to answer because the mode of inheritance for cataracts in this breed has not been proven. It is merely suspected to be incomplete dominant. Disorders that are inherited as autosomal dominant with incomplete penetrance means that not all genetically affected dogs show clinical symptoms (in this instance the cataract). It is possible for clinically affected dogs to skip generations, so one can only assume that either the sire or the dam is a genetic carrier. I am unaware of a genetic test available for early detection of the cataract in this breed, and that makes it difficult to control.
I regret that I cannot provide more definitive information, but I am unaware of anyone that can.
Dr. Collins
Here is a couple links that are on the American Chesapeake Club’s website, it is a write up that Wendy Shepard Chisholm, DVM did, you can view part 1 & part 2.
So what does this all mean for Preacher?
First off we spayed Preacher so there is no risk of her becoming pregnant and passing this condition on. You can read about that procedure here. Her cataracts are assumed hereditary since we ruled out the other causes that might cause cataracts. Second thing we need to do is watch her eyes closely for any conditions that might come up with them, mostly watch for Uveitis which is inflammation of the part of the eye that supplies blood to the eye. Cataract formation is one cause of Uveitis. Preacher should have her eyes CERF’ed once a year from here on out to monitor the progression or non progression of the cataracts. If they progress (mature) and cause vision loss then surgery to remove the cataract will be considered. If we’re lucky she will have the type of cataract that remains the same and doesn’t cause a problem.
If surgery is warranted here is a video:
Preacher’s spay surgery is healing up nicely and she is non the wiser that there is something wrong with her. She is living life to the fullest and will continue to do so!
I hope this post answered some questions you may have had. If it didn’t please ask and I will get the answers for you.
While it is devastating for you as a breeder, it is not really a big deal for the dog. I would feel much worse if HD or another really terrible disease showed up. Preacher can always wear glasses if needed 😉 Honestly, I’m bummed this happened to you, but there are things in life we cannot control and I know you will work through this issue and continue to breed amazing pups with some combination of your dogs.
Emma, I so agree that this isn’t the end and I too am thankful it turned out to be cataracts that might not ever change vs another genetic disease that is much much worse. There is a bright side to each story!! Thank you!
Thanks for the excellent explanation. The whole thing stinks.
Thanks Linda, it does stink. Thanks again for traveling this road with me.
Dude, what a stinky deck of cards. 🙁 I’m so sorry you are dealing with this. It must be so hard on you, but as you said, Preacher doesn’t know. 🙂 That’s the blessing in this.
Once again, I applaud you for your honesty. I have one more question, since the condition is presumed hereditary what does that mean for your breeding program with Glory?
One parent or both can carry the disease. No way of testing for except for doing CERF exams and if found then take those animals out of the gene pool. With regards to Glory I will testing Guilty when she gets a bit older and then retesting her before I decide to breed Glory again next winter. By that time if Guilty has them they should appear and if so then I will spay them all. If not I will choose a new stud dog and research the lines and breed Glory again since her CERF exams were clear. It might of just been a bad line up of genes and never happen again. Thank you for your questions.
Thank you JoAnn. It makes sense considering it’s a gene that is carried and cannot be tested for.
For what it’s worth, I think you are handling this very well and very professionally. 🙂
Such bad luck – glad you caught them early. Preacher’s dad is Thunder, right – any signs in his lineage? You’re right though, it might just be the combination. Here’s hoping Guilty et.al are fine. Have Preacher’s siblings been checked?
Thunder is her dad and no signs in his lineage or with his other offspring. Preachers one sister was checked and has them too, her other sister josey is clear and a male was checked and he is clear
Preacher I hope the annual checks bring good news and there is progression… hugs to you, you are my belly-twin now for a while lol… and a big hug to all members of ss-gang…
I am so glad this is not necessarily terrible news for Preacher and her future. We’ll hope they never progress, and she never knows the difference.
I imagine that no matter how hard you try to prevent something like this, medicine is not an exact science and s–t is going to happen. How you handle it is the important part, and you are handling it quite well I think.
I know this a upset you tremendously and for that I am so sorry. Preacher will have a wonderful life as a hunting dog and I’m sure will be amazing at that job!
Thank you for sharing this info and of your follow up with the vet. Seems like such rotten luck and a bit of a dice roll. I’ll keep my fingers crossed there are no future complications or other problems with the rest of the pups. Thinking of you and all your sweet brown dogs. ღ
Poor Preacher! I hope that he continues to do well. We had a dog that had this too. It appeared when he was about 9 months old and progressed to the point of having to have them removed 🙁 Our little guy was then blind, but lived a happy loved 14 years. On a good note, he never acted like nothing was wrong with him.
Wow 14 years that was wonderful
We had a dachshund who had SARDS (sudden acute retinal degeneration), then glaucoma. He was pretty much blind. They adapt so well though, and he lived many happy years with us, and even threw the ball for himself to play fetch, using his sense of smell.
They do adapt so well so sorry your pup had to go through that.
I appreciate you sharing this as I can only imagine how upsetting this is– I was aware of this condition as a vet tech but I haven’t seen any dogs with this condition before. Preacher is a beautiful dog and I’m sure the news was devastating. Hopefully the cataracts do no progress and cause vision loss – please keep us posted. Sending positive thoughts your way.
Thank you! Nice to meet another vet tech.
Sorry for the diagnosis. It’s great that you shared the information, not only so people can learn about the disorder but also so they can see what a responsible breeder does when faced with something that has the possibility of being passed on. I’m glad you joined the Pet Blogger Showcase with this post.
Thanks dawn, I just want to get the information out there that you do need to research breeders. Thanks for hosting the showcase.