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Christine
Bridgwater takes a look at fucosidosis and the DNA
test
If you look at the list
of fucosidosis carriers on the Kennel Club website:
http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/1144…
there is ONLY ONE. But that one animal has an
excellent pedigree…. I have done my homework. It’s
sire is by FTCh Clarburgh Art ex a Moonreed bitch.
Its dam is by a Birdrowe dog and the dam’s bitch
line has Larford on one side and Rytex on the other.
I think you will agree that that covers a fair bit
of the UK’s top names in Field Trial breeding?
So…. Let’s assume that
the Animal Health Trust can screen DNA properly.
Let’s assume that the dog in question was double
checked? [When I worked in laboratories to get something
unusual was big news… except for the poor soul the
sample came from so your results were always checked
again]. Let’s assume that the animal really IS a
carrier.
In the past I have
always believed that, due to the statistics
available at the time, DNA testing for Fucosidosis
was pointless. Statistics still indicate that NO dog
in the UK has ever died of the disease. But as it is
such a rare condition would many people have
identified it?
In our case, if this
terrible condition gets a grip in this country when
we do have the ability to stop it dead in it’s
tracks we will only have ourselves to blame. It is a
VERY RARE genetic occurrence and I’m sorry if I
appear to be scaremongering but - I do take all
health issues seriously.
MRD in ESS is rife but,
thank goodness, is usually only slight and so no-one
seems to worry about it much. I think we should not
be quite so blasé about Fucosidosis.. With the
docking difficulties I believe fewer pups are going
to be produced so fewer “popular” animals are going
to be used. We could end up with a very serious
problem.
Another one-off £50 for
the DNA test isn’t much in the great scheme of
things??? |
