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Photo by Knowles
The vast majority of dogs of all breeds (as well as
mongrels) can live long, healthy lives if given proper
care and routine veterinary attention. Nevertheless, any
dog can fall victim to a wide range of acquired
problems. Each pure breed of dogs has its own particular
hereditary problems some minor, some impairing, and some
possibly fatal. Some may show a very strong hereditary
basis and others not much more than a tendency to" run
in families". The Curly-Coated Retriever is no exception
and unfortunately as seen in other breeds, the problems
tend to multiply as the breed continues to increase in
popularity and there is an increase in indiscriminate
breeding. Failure to screen for these problems before
breeding often results in the "doubling up" of
unfavorable genes, and the results are distressing for
the buyer and dog alike.
A good Breeder of Curly Coated Retrievers should be able
to discuss the health screening done with their breeding
stock and other measures they've taken to reduce the
likelihood of problems. They should be willing to
guarantee against common problems and want to know of
anything that might show up later in your puppy.
If your Curly should develop a major health problem, you
should tell your breeder about it. This way, the breeder
can remain informed about potential problems in their
lines. Such problems would include those listed below
and others, such as seizures, cancer, heart defects, and
anything else that might be heritable.
Although the curly is a healthy breed the following have
been known in the breed:
Patterned Baldness
The "Curly Coat Problem" can be frustrating -- it is
often misdiagnosed for other diseases such as thyroid
deficiency, and it is detrimental to a breeding program
trying to establish the proper coat. It is difficult to
say how many Curlies are affected with this, as many are
not shown, are not noticeably affected, or the problem
is thought to be something else, such as wear from the
collar. In mild cases, the patterning may appear once
and then never again when the coat grows back in. While
mildly affected dogs generally lead normal lives, it is
an indicator of more serious trouble, as it is caused by
some type of auto immune problem. Affected dogs are more
likely to have allergies, reproductive problems; in its
severest form, it affects the growth hormones and the
dogs mature at about 40lbs.
Very often dogs with patterned baldness will have good
coats as a puppy, with the bald spots appearing at
sexual maturity. Bald patterning appears on the backs
and/or insides of the hind legs, and/or on the flanks,
and/or on the front and/or sides of neck, and/or the
deepest part of the chest and/or as an overall thin or
brittle coat. A minor indication of the problem is dogs
that are fully coated but only have real curls on their
necks and backs. The hair loss is very distinctly
bilateral (on both sides of the dog). There are varying
manifestations of this syndrome, from appearing nearly
normal to being almost completely bald. In some cases,
hair grows back after shedding, but within months rather
than weeks.
Diets and supplements do not take care of patterned
baldness. You should inform your dog's breeder (send
clear, close up photos of all the spots) of any
symmetrical bald spots appearing on your puppy so that
they can take this information into account in their
breeding program. Unaffected dogs seem to produce
affected puppies, implying a recessive gene or genes,
but the exact mode of inheritance is unclear. Very few
veterinarians know about this problem in Curly Coats.
Bloat
Bloat, Torsion, Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV). Call
it what you will, this is a serious, life-threatening
condition of large breed dogs. While the diagnosis is
simple, the pathological changes in the dog's body make
treatment complicated, expensive, and not always
successful. There are thoughts that the type of food
used can contribute to a dog getting the condition.
There is also quite a wide body of evidence put forward
for bloat to have some hereditary basis.
Hip Dysplasia
Hip Dysplasia is an ongoing problems for all the
retriever breeds as well as many other breeds of similar
or larger size. It is a malformation of the ball and
socket joint in the hip, with varying degrees of
resulting impairment. Diagnosis is definitive only
through proper x-ray analysis.
If you are looking at a puppy, ask if both parents have
a hip score. Ask to see copies, or check on the site to
verify the dog’s scores.
For a list of UK hip scores please
click here.
Epilepsy
Canine Epilepsy is a chronic condition characterized by
recurrent seizures. Although seizures are always
abnormal events, not all seizures in dogs are caused by
canine epilepsy. Canine Epilepsy is a disorder of the
brain where abnormal electrical activity triggers
further uncoordinated nerve transmission. This
uncoordinated and haphazard nerve tissue activity
scrambles messages to the muscles of your dog's body and
the coordinated use of the muscles is then inhibited.
Because there are many causes of chronic recurrent
seizures in dogs, canine epilepsy is not a specific
disease or even a single syndrome, but rather a diverse
category of disorders. Behavioral
changes include not recognizing the owner, viciousness,
pacing, and running in circles.
Eye problems
Eye Problems - cataracts of various kinds, corneal
dystrophy, suspected PRA, distichiasis, entropion,
ectropion, PPM, retinal dysplasia. None are particularly
common but all should be asked about and guaranteed for.
Our Code of Ethics recommends that dogs used for
breeding are tested under the KC/BVA scheme which for
our breed is a single test during the dogs lifetime.
Make sure the breeder supplies you with current eye
reports on the sire and dam.
PRA – Night Blindness
Early in the disease, affected dogs are night blind,
lacking the ability to adjust their vision to dim light;
later their daytime vision also fails. As their vision
deteriorates, affected dogs will adapt to their handicap
as long as their environment remains constant, and they
are not faced with situations requiring excellent
vision. At the same time the pupils of their eyes become
increasingly dilated, in a vain attempt to gather more
light, causing a noticeable "shine" to their eyes; and
the lens of their eyes may become cloudy, or opaque,
resulting in a cataract.
Cancer
More and more dogs of every breed are being diagnosed
with Cancers. Is it environmental? Is it hereditary? Are
we breeding dogs with weaker immune systems? If you are
looking at a Curly pup, ask about the grandparents. Are
they alive? How long did they live? What did they die
of? It is frightening to hear of dogs dying of cancer at
5 or 6 years of age.
Osteochondritis (Elbow disease)
Elbow disease is the preferred term to be used when
talking about elbow problems in growing dogs.
Unfortunately "elbow displaysia" was the name given to
the condition of ununited anconeal process and this term
is closely linked in this way in the minds of most
veterinarians and some dog breeders. Elbow disease is a
general term to denote joint problems in growing dogs
Elbow disease has received increasing publicity in
recent years due to the high prevalence of foreleg
lameness localised to the elbow joint and the
realisation that elbow disease has a hereditary basis.
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