 MISSION AND GOALS
Our mission is to aide owners seeking ways to improve health,
longevity, and quality of life for their German Pinschers. Our goals
are to bring about awareness of proper health care for German
Pinschers and to limit or end the spread of genetic
disease.
TEST FOR THE
BEST
The modern German Pinscher has a relatively young
and small gene pool. Attention to potential health concerns is
important for the breed in the future. Although we know that testing will not
guarantee a healthy puppy, it will increase the chance of
producing puppies free of inherited problems, if parents,
grandparents, and beyond are tested for the most common maladies
know in the breed. We are very fortunate to have but a few
conditions that are documented well enough to receive our
attention. These conditions are:
1. Hereditary
Cataracts
2. Hip Dysplasia
3. von
Willebrand's Disease
A brief background of
these inherited conditions and the screening
tests which are recommended follows.
Hereditary Cataracts
(HC)
These are found within the breed throughout the
world, and is a condition not specific to German Pinschers. In
European countries where testing is mandatory, HC appear broadly within the
breed and it can be
assumed that it's frequency is no less common in the less
tested population. To really know the total impact on our
breed, testing of breeding pairs is strongly encouraged. The Canine
Eye Registration Foundation (CERF)
is an organization, dedicated to
canine eye health. They have a network of Certified Ophthalmologists
who perform a standardized examination, and maintain a database
of the results. If your dog is not afflicted with cataracts, or
other serious inherited eye disorders, a number is issued to
"certify" that your dog is clear of inherited eye disease. Since many eye
conditions are an evolving problem, these
exams are only valid for one year. Thus on breeding animals, it is
recommended that a current exam is done on each parent of all
litters produced, and thereafter every few years as these dogs age,
since some cataracts will not develop until after the age of five or
six years. We provide a copy of the exam sheet, and how to read
it here. Again, this does not guarantee that your dog will not
develop cataracts, but finding parents and grandparents free of this
condition certainly will give an indication of the potential for
these to develop. Click here
to see the CERF report on the
German Pinscher. Here is the most recent report
for the German Pinscher, compliments of the American College of
Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO).
Hip Dysplasia (HD)
This condition is
among the most common orthopedic hereditary diseases found
in all dogs, from
toy to large breeds. It is a condition where
the hip joints are unstable, causing progressive
arthritic changes to the joint. Progressive pain, and
limited mobility for the dog
follows.
The Orthopedic Foundation of America
(OFA), has long been working to
provide a database, as well as a grading system on hips of dogs
through radiographic examination. Also the Pennsylvania Hip
Improvement Program (PennHip) from the
University of Pennsylvania, offers an examination, through a
network of certified veterinarians, which indicates the status of
hip health. It is recommend all parents of litters be
screened, and certified through one of these organizations. Again
this does not guarantee that your dog will not develop Hip
Dysplasia, but will give an indication of the potential for this
problem to develop in your dog. Corrective surgery is available for
this condition, but at a high cost the owner financially, and to the
dog with pain and suffering. These exams and certifications
are a one time event within the lifetime of the
dog. Click HERE
to view yearly OFA statistics for the
German Pinscher.
von Willebrand's Disease (vWD)
This is a condition where
affected dogs produce inadequate von Willebrand clotting factor, and
the dog has a "potential" to bleed during bleeding events such as
injury, or complicated surgery. We are quite fortunate to
have a minor problem with this within the breed. Testing is
recommended, as "silent" carriers are present, and if bred
together unknowingly, can produce affected animals. This is a one
time DNA test done at VetGen which
indicates whether a dog is clear (not carrying the gene), a carrier (carrying the gene),
or affected (has the disease). To date, we have "found" carriers within our
breed, but no affected dogs. This is good news, but still deserves
our attention to insure this good fortune. This test IS a
guarantee of your dog being either a clear, a carrier, or
affected, and is done once in the lifetime of the dog. If
both parents are clear, the offspring are guaranteed
clear as well.
Other less
documented cases of problems have occurred with in the breed, but at
this time, not enough information is available for us to
determine if screening is necessary.
Remember, testing does not guarantee that your
dog will not develop Hereditary Cataracts, or Hip Dysplasia. Testing
of your puppies parents will give an indication
of the potential of these problems
being present in their genetic background. The
other benefit of testing is the elimination
of affected dogs from the breeding population, which in
turn will decrease the incidence of these problems within the
breed over time. A healthier, better breed is the
goal.
We offer information on all
areas of general health and "well dog" strategies on our health
pages. We hope you find them helpful.
HOW TO CHOOSE A
VETERINARIAN
Please visit the links below on choosing a veterinarian.
NUTRITION
There are many conflicting views about proper nutrition for German
Pinschers. Consult qualified canine professionals, read, and make your own
informed decisions. Visit the following nutrition links.
Canine
diet information
Building a Balanced
Diet
Click on the red buttons above for more Health Information.
Last updated April 2007.
|
