An interesting link from UFAW: http://www.ufaw.org.uk/dogs.php .

UFAW (Universities Federation for Animal Welfare) is a respected organisation.
Some pretty horrifying findings. See how many GD die of bloat.
Louise

Interesting that there are no replys up to now.

Burying your heads in the sand again girls?

> Burying your heads in the sand again girls?

What would anybody be buryni thier head in the sand over???

I donotbreed, butoften check these boards. I have previously seen this post an could not quite understand it's relevance and was confused that I could find nothing about bloat under the German Shepherd (I could find GDV under great dane).

What are your comments on the actual link?

If you go to Genetic Welfare Problems in dogs, look under GSD, then you will find the following conditions:

Anal Furunculosis, Genetics = The genetics underlying this are unknown although it is unlikely that it is attributable to a single genetic defect. It is more likely to be a complex genetic disorder with significant environmental factors (House et al 2001).

Degenerative Myelopathy, Genetics = to develop the disease an animal has to have inherited one copy of the gene from each parent but even then it may not go on to develop the symptoms of the disease

Humeral Condylar Osteochondrosis, Genetics = There is strong evidence of a genetic component to HCO. The genes responsible have yet to be determined.

Ununited Anconceal Process, Genetics = The genes involved have not been determined. (As with other complex, multi-gene diseases that are influenced also by environmental factors, efforts to reduce the prevalence of UAP are complicated by the lack of information about the underlying genetics)

Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency , Genetics = EPI is believed to be a polygenic disorder involving multiple genes and maybe also environmental influences (Clark 2009, Westermarck et al 2010). This has yet to be confirmed.

Idiopathic Epilepsy, Genetics = .... the mode of inheritance has been determined in some breeds - but not in GSDs. However, it has been shown to be hereditary in GSDs with males more likely to be affected (Falco et al 1974). It is probable that IE in GSDs is a polygenic disorder (ie more than one gene is involved).

I use the GSD as that is the breed the OP mentions, but I still fail to see how a lack of replies indicates to you that breeders are 'burying thier heads in the sand'.
The link is no eye-opener, it basically lists diseases and says what is allready known about them,which to try to summerise is that many problems either do or MAY have a genetic cause, but if the gene(s) can not be identifed, gettting rid of the problem is not an easy thing to do! Not much for anybody to comment on really, unless i am being completely dim and missing the point here?

Hhhmm it's funny how joc appears around term times.

I said GD not GSD. Great Danes!

I don't breed either, but then, neither of my breeds are on there anyway!

> I said GD not GSD. Great Danes!

So you did indeed!! I am being dim! (Great Dane isn't usually shorted to it's initials, that's me not reading things properly)

That's why I couldn't find GDV underthe GSD. Yes, back to your origional quetion then - I have seen how many great danes die from GDV, according to the link - 13-18%.

But, I'm sorry, that has no relevance to me- what age are the danes that die of GDV and what are the percentages of other things things that all dogs die of?  That may get the figure in perspective. (also not sure why it is an approxiamte figure = 13-18%, surely either a specific percentage die of GDV or they don't, I can't understand the fluctuation).

Great Dane, GDV, Genetics: GDV is typically a disease of breeds with a large body size and deep-chested conformation and it is likely, therefore, that various genes are involved (those that underlie this large size and conformation). The genes involved have not been determined.

IE, they do not KNOW what causes GDV and, despite any implications in the link, it is not a problem in ONLY large dogs, it can effect small dogs, it's just less common in small dogs. I still cant see anything new in the link (even whenlooking at the right breed!).

I'm not suprsed atall that no breeder has comented, there isn't any revelations there.

It mentioned IVDD in dachsies which there is no DNA test for but didn't mention DNA for PRA cord1 which has been available for general use since Feb 2005 for mini longs and more recently for smooths and now wires.