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Topic Dog Boards / Health / glaucoma
- By welshie [gb] Date 11.06.05 10:33 UTC
can anyone tell me their experiece with glaucoma in dogs, at what age did it manyfest it,self also is it hereddity . thnk you
- By Brainless [gb] Date 11.06.05 10:39 UTC
Heredity is unknown but as related dogs have had it in my breed we assume it is, adn the only advice we have is not to double up on a known affected or producer.

I know someone who used to breed Welsh Springers whose bitch developed it in middle age and had first one ey removed and then the second at 12 years of age.

Totally blind she was so well trained that she could still do obedience copetition work (includign retrieve) at Exemption shows), it was hard to beleive she was blind.

She reported the problem to the bred club and I know they were looking into it as a breed problem.

Now my own breed and Beagles have Open Angle Glaucoma so there is no predisposition that can be checked for as in some breeds.

Also glaucoma can be a side effect of other eye problems like lens luxation or eye trauma.
- By Polly [gb] Date 11.06.05 13:17 UTC
What breed have you got? We are assuming Welsh springers, from your user name.

The problem with some types of glaucoma in dogs is that it is like hip displaysia and is polygenic. This means yes it is inherited, but we don't know how. To get full blown glaucoma, the dog has to have the predisposition to developing it and then it has to meet a "trigger factor", which might be as Brainless says trauma, illness, or natuaral changes which occur within the eye itself.

My breed is tested for primary angle closure glaucoma, (goniodysgenesis) and although it is reccomended by the KC and BVA officially that it is a one off for life test, the breed Society Health Committee and Prof Bedford have said we should test again at around 7 to 8 years of age to monitor for age related changes.

Many blind dogs cope very well with losing sight, and learn to rely on their scenting abilities to overcome their situation.
- By welshie [gb] Date 11.06.05 17:03 UTC
no actualy i have e.s.s and the question was for a friend and the dog is am cocker who has had one eye removed but i think she has the daughter or sister not sure but was worried about it being heredity
- By perrodeagua [gb] Date 12.06.05 21:36 UTC
In my breed we've had a couple get it at around 10 years of age that's why we started testing.  Prof. Bedford still doesn't know how it is inherited, I know that after having my girl tested today he doesn't have a clue and we've certainly baffled him.  Luckinly my girl had a low score but not a 0 which of course I would have preferred, but at least now I know that she will never get glaucoma.  Her son has luckily for me scored a 0.  Our breed now feels that all dogs should be tested if they are to be bred from.  They are graded from a 0 (totally clear) to a 5 which of course is the worst you can get.

As the others have said many dogs will have the pre-disposition but if they never have damage etc. then they more than likely will never get glaucoma.
- By Polly [gb] Date 12.06.05 23:01 UTC
Actually, nobody knows how angle closure glaucoma is inherited in any breed, as I explained above it is polygenic in nature, which means nobody knows how it is inherited, to be affected a dog has to have a predisposition to get it, and meet a trigger factor which might be trauma, ill health or changes within the eye especially as dogs age. The latter would probably explain why it was found in older dogs in the breed.
It should be understood though that a 0 is a clear pass, and anything other than that is a fail, the grading 1 to 5 determines the severity of the predisposition to the disease. It is considered by some breeders that using a low grading of 1 or 2 is not a problem. I would personally find out what the breed average grading is then always try to use lower graded dogs. If for example the breed averages 2 to 3 then use grade 1 and 0, the same as you would for hip scores, which by the way, hip displaysia is also considered to be polygenic in nature.
- By JoFlatcoat (Moderator) [gb] Date 13.06.05 07:50 UTC
It's a really grey area, especially as the results are only one person's opinion.     Unlike the hips scores, which are estimated by a panel (even if only 2 people).

It's difficult to eliminate dogs from the breeding programme in those breeds with a small population (thinking about your Spanish Water Dogs, Diane).  

Remember the much-quoted instance of  Bedlington Terrier people trying to breed out PRA and ended up with copper toxicosis as well...   similar thing happened with the Basenji - PRA - Fanconi's situation.

Nobody argues that glaucoma isn't anything except a horrid painful condition when it occurs, and we must try to avoid it.    But in a condition which is inherited polygenically, you are never going to eliminate the predisposition entirely from a breed which is susceptible.     If you try too hard, you run the risk of letting loose other conditions which you hadn't bargained on.

Difficult to tread a middle path.

Jo and the Casblaidd Flatcoats
- By Brainless [gb] Date 13.06.05 08:14 UTC
At least you have a predisposition to check for in our breed it just appears as we have the open angle form.  We had some cases in the early 80's of a dog and soem progeny, but also the odd case wtih no rhyme or reason not related to that dog or obviously to each other.  Thankfuly I think the total cases has been less than a dozen, but awful for the dog or owner.  Strangley soem dogs that were linebred to the dog who had it and produced it never did develop it even though they were moniored for years.
- By Sandie [gb] Date 13.06.05 19:36 UTC
I have 2  litter brothers and one of them has retinal dyspalsia, he had to have one eye removed due to glaucoma, laser surgery was done on the other eye to try and halt the progression in that eye and save what little sight he has left.I do worry that he will develop glaucoma in this eye but as it was classed as secondary glaucoma he may be ok.
His brother was checked and is fine no problems at all with him.
We cannot breed from him though.
Topic Dog Boards / Health / glaucoma

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