Genetic eye defects

yoggie

Got a call yesterday from the breeder I got my Springer Spaniel, Lola, from. She wanted to let me know that two of the six pups from Lola's litter have gone blind. Lola is almost six months old now and has shown no eye problems, even when the vet looked during a check up.
The two that have gone blind are the only two males in the litter.
Could this be a genetic defect that is only in the male line or will we always have to check Lola's eyes.
It was the first litter from the sire. There have been a number of litters from the dame that showed no problems.

jen_23

Some defects could just be carried on a y chromosome making it only males who are susceptible ssaying that it could be the defect is located on the x chromosome. If the female contains one of these defect x chromosomes then she would just be a carrier of the disorder whereas the male who would only have the one x (xy) would most definitly get the disorder.

Out of interest were the sire or the dam eye scored before breeding?

How old is the Sire? If he's not showing signs of the disorder my hypothesis would be that the Dam is a carrier of the defect.

If that's so then as the dam would be the only carrier I would guess that the females of the litter would be fine. Both the Sire and the Dam would have to have the defect in order for the females to get the two x chromosomes containing the defect.
Females can get it but it's more unusal as usually the abnormal gene is recessive and teh normal gene would be dominant.

I hope your pup stays happy and healthy!

Ado86

Fair play on the breeders part for informing you, don't know many breeders who would do this.

Aru

Sound like PRA it is a genetic disease that springers are unfortunately known for though its not very common.
Its an adult onset disease that leads to eventual blindness.Its also autosomal recessive so it can be found in pups where neither of the parents show the condition but both carry the gene.

Unfortunately it can be found in both male and female pups..so keep an eye on your pups sight as she ages and let your vet known its a possibility so they can keep track of her sight.

If you do plan to breed your pup(personally i wouldnt advise it)then please try to choose a sire line that is thought to be free of PRA.

well done on chosing a very responsible breeder though at least you now have the heads up.

Ado86 wrote: »

Fair play on the breeders part for informing you, don't know many breeders who would do this.

Good luck with lola i hope this all works out ok for ye!

thes website can tell you more about PRA

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+1606&aid=343
http://www.caninegeneticdiseases.net/PRA/rsrchPRA.htm

yoggie

Thanks for all the info.
I guess its just a matter of regular eye check ups to see if her eyesight deteriorates.
Its upsetting to think I'll always be waiting for her to develop blindness. She has become my best friend in such a short space of time and hate the thoughts of this happening to her.:(

jen_23

There are genetic tests which can be done using a sample of the dogs blood. It can't treat it but it will tell you whether your dog is likely to get the disorder.

I imagine the tests are expensive but you could chat to your vet and see if they can arrange something. I imagine the sample would have to be sent for analysis to the UK or the US.