cavvysavvy Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Hello, I was wondering if anybody has a dog with progressive retinal atrophy? My Cavalier has been diagnosed today in the early stages with the night blindness and glowing eyes due to the dilated pupils... How long did it take for your dog to go from this stage to total blindness? How did they cope and adjust? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Baggins Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Hello,I was wondering if anybody has a dog with progressive retinal atrophy? My Cavalier has been diagnosed today in the early stages with the night blindness and glowing eyes due to the dilated pupils... How long did it take for your dog to go from this stage to total blindness? How did they cope and adjust? Thanks How old is your dog?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavvysavvy Posted June 22, 2010 Author Share Posted June 22, 2010 Hello,I was wondering if anybody has a dog with progressive retinal atrophy? My Cavalier has been diagnosed today in the early stages with the night blindness and glowing eyes due to the dilated pupils... How long did it take for your dog to go from this stage to total blindness? How did they cope and adjust? Thanks How old is your dog?? He is only 18 months old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Gee, that's awful Is the dog from a registered breeder? Just wondering if you have any recourse - not that it really helps when it comes to the emotional side of things.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavvysavvy Posted June 22, 2010 Author Share Posted June 22, 2010 Gee, that's awful Is the dog from a registered breeder? Just wondering if you have any recourse - not that it really helps when it comes to the emotional side of things.......... Yes he is from a registered breeder. She does not want to know...... I have previously called VCA or Dogs Victoria and there were not a healp either and said there was nothing that I could really do. I just dont want anybody else to go through what I am as this is not his first hereditary problem that has been found.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Did a specialist diagnose PRA? I'm asking because I've never heard of any breed suffering from PRA so young. Really sorry to hear this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavvysavvy Posted June 22, 2010 Author Share Posted June 22, 2010 Did a specialist diagnose PRA?I'm asking because I've never heard of any breed suffering from PRA so young. Really sorry to hear this. Yes, Do you know how long before blindness will set in after the initial night blindness etc... I did all the right things in selecting a VCA registered breeder, looking at many different breeders and doing my research and seems so disappointing that this still happens... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Did a specialist diagnose PRA?I'm asking because I've never heard of any breed suffering from PRA so young. Really sorry to hear this. Yes, Do you know how long before blindness will set in after the initial night blindness etc... I did all the right things in selecting a VCA registered breeder, looking at many different breeders and doing my research and seems so disappointing that this still happens... No, I'm afraid I don't. A friend of mine had a dog (not a CKCS) diagnosed with early onset PRA last year. He was a few years older than your boy. He's pretty much night blind now but can still see Ok during the day. His breeder tested for PRA but the DNA test only covers one type and that wasn't what the dog has. Until your post I wasn't aware that this was an issue in CKCS - it sure is in poodles. Once again, with poodles the DNA test doesn't cover all possible types. Many dogs adjust every well to loss of vision and can use their other senses to have a good quality of life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Sorry to hear of your boy is losing his vision so young. Animal Eye Care PRA Info Many dogs adjust every well to loss of vision and can use their other senses to have a good quality of life. I have a completely blind pug, that lost his vision to Sudden Aquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome, last Novemeber. Many people would not know he was blind untill he bumped into something. He has a good life and does almost eveything he used to do before he went blind. If he gets stuck he calls out for help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lappiemum Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Sorry to hear your news S_edmonds. From what I understand, the big difference in PRA among breeds is in the age of onset and the rate of progression of the disease. Certain breeds, such as the Collie, the Irish Setter, the Norwegian Elkhound and the Miniature Schnauzer, have early onset forms. In these breeds the disease results from abnormal or arrested development of the photoreceptors in the visual cells in their retina, and affects pups very early in life. In other breeds, including the Miniature Poodle, the English and American Cocker Spaniel, and the Labrador Retriever, and my own breed, Finnish Lapphunds, PRA is much later in onset. Affected dogs in these breeds appear normal when young, but develop PRA as adults. We are fortunate in our breed that we have had a genetic test to determine carrier status, so there should be absolutely no reason for any Lappie to develop this disease if bred in this country. In addition, the Code of Practice for Inheritable Diseases here in Victoria requires testing of breeding stock for PRA status, and prohibits carrier to carrier matings (unless under an authorised breeding program - which its not). I am not aware if there is a genetic test in your breed - its is concerning, however, if your breeder does not wish to discuss this problem - my understanding is that, with one exception, PRA in all breeds so far studied is an autosomal recessive disorder. That means that to be affected a pup has to receive one copy of the defective gene from both parents, and therefore both parents of an affected pup must be either carriers or affected themselves (and similarly, because affected dogs have two copies of the defective gene, all their progeny will be at least carriers). In short, your breeder is breeding with affected/carrier stock, and if they are informed of this, should be dealing with this issue immediately. Is there a breed club that you can contact re this issue? And the VCA should take note of this issue - who have you contacted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 yes a 4yr old american cocker. She lived another 3 yrs blind before she was PTS ,she also lost her sense of smell & hearing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavvysavvy Posted June 22, 2010 Author Share Posted June 22, 2010 Sorry to hear your news S_edmonds.From what I understand, the big difference in PRA among breeds is in the age of onset and the rate of progression of the disease. Certain breeds, such as the Collie, the Irish Setter, the Norwegian Elkhound and the Miniature Schnauzer, have early onset forms. In these breeds the disease results from abnormal or arrested development of the photoreceptors in the visual cells in their retina, and affects pups very early in life. In other breeds, including the Miniature Poodle, the English and American Cocker Spaniel, and the Labrador Retriever, and my own breed, Finnish Lapphunds, PRA is much later in onset. Affected dogs in these breeds appear normal when young, but develop PRA as adults. We are fortunate in our breed that we have had a genetic test to determine carrier status, so there should be absolutely no reason for any Lappie to develop this disease if bred in this country. In addition, the Code of Practice for Inheritable Diseases here in Victoria requires testing of breeding stock for PRA status, and prohibits carrier to carrier matings (unless under an authorised breeding program - which its not). I am not aware if there is a genetic test in your breed - its is concerning, however, if your breeder does not wish to discuss this problem - my understanding is that, with one exception, PRA in all breeds so far studied is an autosomal recessive disorder. That means that to be affected a pup has to receive one copy of the defective gene from both parents, and therefore both parents of an affected pup must be either carriers or affected themselves (and similarly, because affected dogs have two copies of the defective gene, all their progeny will be at least carriers). In short, your breeder is breeding with affected/carrier stock, and if they are informed of this, should be dealing with this issue immediately. Is there a breed club that you can contact re this issue? And the VCA should take note of this issue - who have you contacted? I have called the VCA in the past regarding this breeder and I have also spoken to the Cavalier King Charles CLub of Victoria also. Ill get back onto the phone to VCA today also to see what I can do. The last time that I called the VCA they pretty much told me that there is nothing that I can do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Sprry to hear about your dog. PRA is not generally a problem with cavs, so very few breeders test for it, while they do test for hereditary cataracts. Shame your breeder didn;t offer a partial refund. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lappiemum Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 Sorry to hear your news S_edmonds.From what I understand, the big difference in PRA among breeds is in the age of onset and the rate of progression of the disease. Certain breeds, such as the Collie, the Irish Setter, the Norwegian Elkhound and the Miniature Schnauzer, have early onset forms. In these breeds the disease results from abnormal or arrested development of the photoreceptors in the visual cells in their retina, and affects pups very early in life. In other breeds, including the Miniature Poodle, the English and American Cocker Spaniel, and the Labrador Retriever, and my own breed, Finnish Lapphunds, PRA is much later in onset. Affected dogs in these breeds appear normal when young, but develop PRA as adults. We are fortunate in our breed that we have had a genetic test to determine carrier status, so there should be absolutely no reason for any Lappie to develop this disease if bred in this country. In addition, the Code of Practice for Inheritable Diseases here in Victoria requires testing of breeding stock for PRA status, and prohibits carrier to carrier matings (unless under an authorised breeding program - which its not). I am not aware if there is a genetic test in your breed - its is concerning, however, if your breeder does not wish to discuss this problem - my understanding is that, with one exception, PRA in all breeds so far studied is an autosomal recessive disorder. That means that to be affected a pup has to receive one copy of the defective gene from both parents, and therefore both parents of an affected pup must be either carriers or affected themselves (and similarly, because affected dogs have two copies of the defective gene, all their progeny will be at least carriers). In short, your breeder is breeding with affected/carrier stock, and if they are informed of this, should be dealing with this issue immediately. Is there a breed club that you can contact re this issue? And the VCA should take note of this issue - who have you contacted? I have called the VCA in the past regarding this breeder and I have also spoken to the Cavalier King Charles CLub of Victoria also. Ill get back onto the phone to VCA today also to see what I can do. The last time that I called the VCA they pretty much told me that there is nothing that I can do You may also consider contacting the DPI to see what the status is officially re this issue under the Code, although it may be that if its not a recognised condition in Cavs it may not be applicable. Regardless, its very disappointing your breeder doesn't want to know as it is an indication that there may be problems within their breeding program. I should add that legal issues around the Code are as yet untested, as the legislation only came in 2009/2010. However, I do know that breeders and clubs who have breeds which the Code applies to in terms of recognised conditions are taking it very, very seriously, as is the VCA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirawee Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 ((hugs)) so sorry to hear about your lCavalier. I know more about similar human diseases and with those there is a massive difference in onset and progression even within families. We are fortunate in our breed that we have had a genetic test to determine carrier status, so there should be absolutely no reason for any Lappie to develop this disease if bred in this country. In addition, the Code of Practice for Inheritable Diseases here in Victoria requires testing of breeding stock for PRA status, and prohibits carrier to carrier matings (unless under an authorised breeding program - which its not). We have a genetic test to determine genetic status of one form of PRA in Finnish Lapphunds (prcd-PRA). There is more than one form though since not all Lappies affected with PRA give a positive result on the test and two clear dogs (or possibly a carrier to clear) bred together resulted in affected offspring! Which is why yeary ophthalmic exams from breeding stock is so important even after they are genetically tested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavvysavvy Posted June 23, 2010 Author Share Posted June 23, 2010 There is currently no DNA test available for cavs but they are apparently working on it. About to start another post regarding the eye problems I have had with my cav, with whom i purchased from a registered breeder 18 months ago. Pity you cant name and shame the breeder...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lappiemum Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 ((hugs)) so sorry to hear about your lCavalier. I know more about similar human diseases and with those there is a massive difference in onset and progression even within families.We are fortunate in our breed that we have had a genetic test to determine carrier status, so there should be absolutely no reason for any Lappie to develop this disease if bred in this country. In addition, the Code of Practice for Inheritable Diseases here in Victoria requires testing of breeding stock for PRA status, and prohibits carrier to carrier matings (unless under an authorised breeding program - which its not). We have a genetic test to determine genetic status of one form of PRA in Finnish Lapphunds (prcd-PRA). There is more than one form though since not all Lappies affected with PRA give a positive result on the test and two clear dogs (or possibly a carrier to clear) bred together resulted in affected offspring! Which is why yeary ophthalmic exams from breeding stock is so important even after they are genetically tested. And op testing should also be from an ACES vet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirawee Posted June 23, 2010 Share Posted June 23, 2010 And op testing should also be from an ACES vet. Depends on where you live. One of the best canine ophthalmologist in WA is not an ACES vet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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