The way to assure, as much as possible, that the dogs I breed will be fit and healthy is testing the parents, their siblings, former ancestors and previous offspring against inherited diseases known to exist in the breed, study their lines' genetics and plan every litter taking all that information into account. In the absence of genetic tests, so far non-existing, this is the safest procedure in order to reduce the odds of the puppies inheriting problems. In the Estrela Mountain Dog, the most common is hip dysplasia, a disorder that can be incapacitating, but dilated cardiomyopathy, a lethal disease, is not rare.
My dogs are tested for genetic disorders
Hip and elbow dysplasias
X-rays by Prof. Mário Ginja (UTAD, Vila Real)
or by Prof. Ana Santana
(Universidade Lusófona, Lisbon)
Dilated cardiomyopathy
Ultrasounds and electrocardiograms by Prof. José Paulo Sales Luís
(Benavet and Lisbon University's College of Veterinary Medicine)
oo byProf. Luís Lima Lobo
(Hospital Veterinário do Porto).
This is a fundamental step in order to control those problems, since it tells me if my dogs are normal or affected; however, even if they’re normal, those exams do not give me any clue about my dogs’ genetic make-up – in other words, if they are, or not, carriers for bad genes that might be passed on to their offspring, which might turn out affected. In order to get that information, which will allow me to more effectively control genetic problems, I have to:
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know my dogs’ bloodlines well enough, and also the ones of the dogs I use at stud;
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get to know if such problems exist in those lines;
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check on those problems’ mode of inheritance, as to try to understand which type of genes are responsible for them;
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research and gather as much possible information on every single dog related to those lines, namely as far as genetic defects and diseases are concerned;
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check on how every dog I bred is developing and if they have those problems (I ask their owners to perform screening tests);
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sometimes, test-mate I dogs, always heading for the betterment of the breed, but also allowing me to know if they are, or not, carriers for a certain defective gene or trait – and that will allow me to plan safer matings in the future.
Therefore, as I plan every litter, I gather as much information about the bitch and the dog as possible, their parents and further ancestors, full brothers and sisters, half brothers and sisters, offspring, etc. – as far as their temperament, health and morphology are concerned. I always aim for each litter to achieve all of these 3 targets. As a rule, I don’t use at breeding dogs or bitches that are affected by serious problems, due to the high risk of their progeny to also become affected or be a carrier for those genes. However, I might eventually breed dogs with slight or easily solved problems, that will not affect their life quality nor mean a high risk for their progeny to be affected – as long as they’re also carriers or showing typical traits that might benefit the breed.
My dogs are screened by some
best specialists
and I present the reports
to my puppy buyers.