Archives for October 2015

With a personality much bigger than their diminutive size, the toy fox terrier (TFT) is a fun and feisty breed well known for their charming and entertaining personalities. Originally created by the breeding of various toy breeds to the smooth fox terrier, like other terriers, TFTs still love the thrill of the hunt and are at their happiest giving chase to any small mammal willing to run. Though toy fox terriers have occasionally been described as headstrong and have been known to take control of a house, a well socialized and well trained toy fox terrier is a wonderful addition to many families. Still retaining tenacity from their terrier roots, their disposition is also tailored by the variety of toy breeds used to make this fine breed. Unfortunately, like other purebred dogs, the TFT has developed some inherited disease concerns along their path to the modern breed. Luckily, some of these diseases can now be prevented by performing genetic testing on dams and sires prior to breeding and by implementing selective breeding strategies based upon these results. One such genetic condition known to occur in TFTs is congenital hypothyroidism with goiter (CHG), a disease caused by a genetic mutation in ...

Despite its once prominent role as a talented upland gamebird hunting dog, by the mid-1900s the Irish Setter’s popularity in the field was on the decline. Despite developing significant interest and success as a show dog, the breed had nearly disappeared from the hip of gamebird hunters. Around this time, outbreedings to field champion English setters were performed in an effort to resurrect the popularity and improve the talents of the Irish setter as a hunting companion. In many locales, this field bred variety of Irish setter became known as the red setter while the Irish setter name is now most closely associated with the show variety of the breed. In the United States however, red setters still fall under the umbrella of the Irish setter name. Found in multiple colors and coat patterns in its early history, the breed’s modern solid red coat color became entrenched in the breed due to its popularity in the European show ring of the late 1800s.

Like other purebred dogs, the Irish setter has developed some inherited disease concerns along its path to its modern state. However, through the use of modern genetic testing technology and selective breeding practices, some inherited diseases can now be ...

Like other popular retrieving breeds such as the Labrador, golden, and flat coated retrievers, the American bred, Chesapeake Bay retriever can trace its roots back to the St. John’s water dog, a purpose bred dog originating in the Canadian providence of Newfoundland. With its wavy and slightly oily, waterproof coat, the Chessie has become a prominent fixture at the side of bird hunting enthusiasts since its development in the 19^th century. Not surprising to those that have lived and worked with a great Chesapeake, the breed has increased in popularity in the US over the past several years as indicated by their jump in the AKC registration rankings from 49^th in 2009 to 40^th in 2014. Unfortunately, like other pure bred dogs, along its path to modern popularity the Chesapeake has developed some inherited genetic disease concerns that are known to cause medical issues for some dogs and can be a source of heartache for those that love them. One particularly severe, inherited condition unique to the Chesapeake Bay retriever, is a condition known as ectodermal dysplasia or skin fragility syndrome (ED/SFS).

What is ED/SFS?

ED/SFS is a severe, inherited disease in which affected dogs are ...