Testing all potential breeding stock allows breeders to better understand the genes a dog may pass on to its puppies and reduce the risk of inherited diseases appearing in future generations.
Always ask your vet what the results of the tests means for your puppy before you buy.
This a link to the British Small Animal Veterinary Association’s statement on Hereditary Diseases and exaggerated Characteristics: https://www.bsava.com/Resources/Veterinary-resources/Position-statements/Inherited-diseases-and-exaggerated-characteristics
To find out which hereditary diseases your chosen breed of dog may be susceptible to refer to:
- https://www.dbrg.uk/breed-health-information.html – click on “Select your Breed Here”
- www.dogbreedhealth.com
- www.thekennelclub.org.uk
Listed below are over 100 hereditary diseases (for which there are tests available). Click on the disease to find out what it is and more information. (this is a work in progress!)
KC/BVA and other testing schemes
- BAER (Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response) –Test for Deafness
- Bull Terrier Club Heart Scheme – auscultation & ultrasound – heart disease
- Bull Terrier Club Kidney Scheme – UPC test & ultrasound – kidney disease
- CM/SM – Chiari Malformation/Syringomyelia – Mismatch in size of brain (too big) to skull ( too small) – neurological
- Echo Doppler exam for (SAS) (DCM) (PDA) – Heart conditions
- Elbow Dysplasia – abnormalities of the elbow joint – pain and lameness
- Eye Screening –
- Respiratory Function Grading Scheme ( KC & University of Cambridge) -assesses Bulldogs, French Bulldogs and Pugs for a breathing problem known as BOAS (brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome).
- Haemophillia – GSD club Scheme test for males – bleeding disorder
- Heart Scheme – Cavalier King Charles Spaniel – heart defects
- Heart testing for Pulmonary Stenosis – French Bulldog Breed Club – heart defect
- Hemivertebrae X Ray Screening – abnormal shaped bones of the spine
- Hip Dysplasia – abnormal formation of the hip – pain and lameness
- Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) – abnormal spinal discs causing pain & paralysis
- Patella – Putman Patella Luxation Scheme – abnormal joint in hind leg, pain and lameness
- Whippet Breed Club heart testing scheme (Echocardiogram) – mitral valve disease
DNA Tests (available) – not all breeds are susceptible to these diseases/disorders, you can check which ones the breed of dog you are looking at is susceptible to by asking your vet and looking on this page: https://www.dbrg.uk/breed-health-information.html
- Acral Mutilation Syndrome (AMS)
- Acrodermatitis, lethal (LAD)
- Achromatopsia
- Adult Onset Neuropathy (AN)
- Alexander Disease
- Amaloidosis
- Bernard-Soulier Syndrome (BSS)
- Canine leukocyte adhesion deficiency (CLAD)
- Canine Multifocal retinopathy (CMR1)
- Centronuclear Myopathy (CNM)
- Chondrodystrophy (CDPA)
- Chondrodystrophy linked to IVDD
- Congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS)
- Collie eye anomaly ( CEA/CH) –
- Copper Toxicosis
- Craniomandibular Osteopathy
- Curly Coat/Dry Eye
- Cystinuria Type 1-A
- Degenerative Myelopathy – Hind leg weakness/paralysis
- Dermatomyostitis
- Duchenne muscular dystrophy
- Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB)
- Episodic Falling Over
- Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC)
- Eye Disease – Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) – can lead to blindness
- Factor VII deficiency –
- Factor IX deficiency
- Familial Fatal Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome ( ARDS)
- Familial Nephropathy (FN)
- Familial Shar Pei Fever (SFS/SHS)
- Fucosidosis
- Gallbladder Mucoceles
- Globoid cell Leukodystrophy
- Glycogen Storage Disease V11 (GSDV11) (Type 1a, Type 11a )
- Haemophilia
- Hereditary Cataract
- Histiocytosis – form of cancer major cause of death in BMD
- Hydroxyglutaric Aciduria
- Hyperuricosuria HUU
- Hyperuricemia HUU
- Hypocatalasia
- Ichthyosis
- Imerslund-Grasbeck Syndrome
- Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa (JEB)
- Juvenile Laryngeal Paralysis & Polyneuropathy (JLPP)
- Juvenile-onset inherited laryngeal paralysis
- Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME)
- Lafora disease – a type of epilepsy
- Leucocyte adhesion deficiency 3 (LAD3)
- Leukoencephalomyeloppathy (LEMP)
- Macular Corneal Dystrophy
- Merle coat colour
- Mucopolysaccharidosis type V11
- Multi-drug Resistance
- Muscular hypertrophy
- Musladin-Lueke Syndrome
- Myotonia Congenita
- Myotubular Myopathy 1
- Narcolepsy
- Neonatal encephalopathy
- Neuroaxonal Dystrophy (NAD)
- Neuroaxonal dystrophy, foetal (FNAD)
- Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis 5
- Osteochondrodysplasia
- Osteogenesis imperfecta
- Persistent Mullerian Duct Syndrome
- Phosphofructokinase Deficiency (PFK)
- Polycystic kidney disease
- Polyneuropathy
- Prekallikrein deficiency
- Primary lens luxation
- Primary open angle glaucoma
- Progressive Retinal Atrophy
- Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency
- Pug Dog Encephalitis (PDE)
- Raines Syndrome
- Renal cancer
- Sensory ataxic neuropathy – neurological
- Spinal dysraphism
- Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA)
- Spongiform leukoencephalomyelopathy SLEM
- Thrombopathia
- Trapped Neutrophil Syndrome (TNS)
- Vitamin D Resistant Rickets
- Von Willebrand Disease 1 (vWD 1)
- X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency disease (XSCID)