Health

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HIP & ELBOW DYSPLASIA

Hip Dysplasia is an abnormal formation of the hip joint.  The hip joint is a ball and socket joint and there should be a nice, neat and snug fit of the joint.  When this fit is loose, wear and tear through the dog's life can result in problems.

 

In Australia, breeders have their breeding stock 'hip scored' at approximately 18 months of age.  This score is achieved by having the dog's hips X-rayed and the joint measured against nine criteria.  The lower the score the better.  The score for each criterion is then added up to give a score for that hip and the same for the other hip.  These two numbers can then be added together for a total score.  Zero is perfect, 53 is the worst.  The current average score for Finnish Lapphuds in Australia is 10.5. 

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Elbow scoring is routinely done with hip scores.  Just as with hip scores, the lower the better.  Most Finnish Lapphunds in Australia have a score of zero. Six is the worst score possible.

 

PROGRESSIVE RETINAL ATROPHY (PRA)

This is a disease where the retinal tissue of the eye gradually dies over time, leading to blindness.  There are various forms of PRA but the one that occurs in Finnish Lapphunds is the Progressive Cone Rod Degeneration type (prcd-PRA).  The degeneration usually occurs after about 5 years of age.

 

The PRA gene must be inherited from both parents. This makes it easy to control, as long as we know which dogs carry the gene.  This is easily checked through DNA testing.  There are three possible statuses for each dog tested:

 

Normal/Clear - They have no disease genes (two normal genes).  They will not develop PRA and cannot pass it on to their progeny.  They can be bred with dogs that 'carry' one disease gene.

 

Carrier - They have one disease gene and one normal gene.  They will not develop PRA, but will pass on one disease gene to (in theory) 50% of their progeny.  They can be safely bred with dogs who are normal/clear, but cannot be bred with other 'carriers'.

 

At-Risk - Both genes carry the disease.  It is highly likely they will develop PRA later in life. They pass on one disease gene to 100% of their progeny.

 

EYE CONDITIONS

There a many forms of eye conditions, with just as many causes.  We are still not completely sure which ones are hereditary. As a breeder, I am committed to not breeding from any stock that does not pass their Australian Canine Eye Scheme (ACES) Eye Examination Certificate.  As such, breeding stock undergo an eye examination within 12 months of being bred from, testing for: Generalised Progressive Retinal Atrophy (GPRA), Retinal Pigment Epithelial Dystrophy (RPED), Hereditary cataract (HC) and Primary Lens Luxation (PLL).

 

POMPES DISEASE (GSD-II)

Pompe's disease is a recently discovered disease, which manifests itself in weakness, exercise intolerance, poor growth and recurrent vomiting.  Symptoms usually appear by 7 months of age and prognosis is very poor.  The condition is very rare and there are no known carriers in Australia.

 

DEGENERATIVE MYELOPATHY

This is a very late-onset condition that results in a gradual loss of mobility and paralysis.  We DNA test for this in the exact same way as we do PRA, with dogs being being dianosed as: Clear or Carrier or At Risk.

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The results of these tests for our dogs can be found on their individual pages.
All puppies are DNA tested for PRA, Pompes and DM before going to their new homes.

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Our dogs are Hip & Elbow scored and Eye tested prior to breeding.