Dogs With Skin Issues

[doglova]

Hello,

Recently i have mated my bitch. She is a dalmatian i had to look high and low for a stud dog with a good temperament also good conformation and also good health. My bitch is hip scored but alot of males werenot my biggest health problem i wanted to avoid was skin problems do people believe that dalmatian skin problems are hereditry most breeder have dos and bitches with skin probs but seems to overlook this issue. Love to hear opinions as to the hereditry side of skin issues

Magicsmum

[sas]

Same issue with Harlequin/Coloured Great Danes.

I think 'some' breeders may over look the skin issue believing that if they breed a skin affected dog to a dog that does not suffer skin conditions it will be ok, but if the problem is genetic that seneiro will not work.

It's really a hard one because you could choose a Sire that looks fine but he may carry a gene for bad skin.

I don't think we know enough yet on the scientific side to assist with breeding.

[stormie]

There's a fair bit of information out there on skin issues and how they are strongly believed to be genetic. The first thing the dermatologists will tell you when you go there with skin issues it to tell your breeder.

What does your breeder recommend? Your bitch has skin issues doesn't she? So there's a very good chance that her pups could have bad skin too.

I'm not a breeder, but I would NEVER breed a dog with atopy/skin issues.

There is currently some really interesting work being done at the University of Qld to hopefully one day develop a test to look for the gene:

TITLE: Investigation into the Inheritance Pattern and Molecular Genetic Causes of Atopy in West Highland White Terriers

LAY ABSTRACT:

The aim of this project is to determine the inheritance mechanism and genetic causes of atopy in West highland White Terriers (WHWT). Atopy is a common skin disease of WHWT that leads to itching, skin lesions, conjunctivitis, sneezing and ear infections. While many dog breeds are affected by atopy, West Highland White Terriers (WHWT) have a high prevalence of this disease with 25% of animals reported to be affected although this may be higher as mild cases may not be reported.

The disease is a debilitating and stressful condition for affected dogs, and it is a real welfare concern that dogs continue to be bred with this inherited condition. Atopy is likely to have a genetic basis due to the familial nature of the disease although very little genetic work has been done in this area to date. Detection of the genetic cause and inheritance pattern of this disease may allow development of a diagnostic test that allows breeders to minimise the breeding of affected puppies by identifying carriers and affected animals prior to development of clinical signs. Additionally, this may also have applicability in other dog breeds affected by atopy. This would allow early treatment and avoidance of breeding with affected dogs leading to a decreased incidence of this painful and expensive disease.

This disease has been difficult to investigate previously as many dogs in this breed are affected by atopy. Recently a line unaffected by atopy has been identified, providing a very useful resource genetically. This avoids one of the main stumbling blocks, which has been the difficulty in finding confirmed unaffected dogs for comparison with the atopic dogs. Additionally, these unaffected WHWT have been interbred with atopic WHWT, providing a unique situation for investigating the inheritance mechanism in the offspring. Further, new diagnostic criteria for atopy have recently been developed allowing us to reliably diagnose the disease more specifically than previously and also to analyse the genetic data obtained from this study more accurately than previously possible. Thus, this timely study may make a significant contribution to alleviating the suffering of atopic dogs in a way not previously possible.

Edited March 6, 2009 by stormie

[Dogsfevr]

I have never meet a dali with skin issues in over 24 yrs & have friends that breed them