Can anyone (John, or anyone else?) tell me the current position on the diagnosis and recording of MRD in Labradors.

My understanding is that it can be diagnosed in the breed but is not recorded as a failure of the eye test, but merely recorded on some 'list' with the kennel club.

Am I correct, and if I am do you know why that is the case?

Thanks

The position is the same as in Goldens, as you say, tested but not recorded as a fail. To me that is totally unsatisfactory. To understand why this has come about you need to look at the history of testing for MRD in Goldens. There was arguments raised on a number of fronts. To start with the argument was raised that the Golden Breed Council was not informed that MRD had changed from the "Under Investigation" list to the full list. Not true because I told the secretary of one Golden club three months before it happened and he notified the Golden BC. I know because I've seen the letters. Second the argument was that no dog had actually gone blind in this country. True, but they have in other countries. Third, some dogs which did fail at one test later passed on appeal. Again true because like CLA in the collie breeds it can only be diagnosed with certainty within the first 12 weeks of age. After that time it can disappear, BUT THE DOG WILL STILL BE AFFECTED BY IT! The official KC/BVA/ISDS testing was undermined by a person who at that time was one of their own Pannelists! Finally in order to salvage the scheme the KC/BVA/ISDS was forced to back down and accept testing where a dog with a diagnosed condition would be passed as clear.

And the Golden people wonder why I'm anti! There is now no hope of ever breeding MRD out of Golden, or more important to me, Labradors. It was a sad day. I know of several dogs who failed at our own clinic who were later bred from!

Regards, John

Thank you John, I had a feeling you would have the answer!

I suppose without some form of guidance from the KC/BVA/ISDS or the breed clubs it is highly likely that affected stock will be bred from. There was a note in the Labrador Retriever Club yearbook, however this didnt really give anything definitive and left me with more questions than answers.

I suppose the key point for me is whether it actually affects the dogs sight, surely some evidence could be presented to breeders to enable an informed decision? Thank you for your time.

The effects on sight are rather like CEA in Collies in that most people would not notice any problem. But problem there is. In the areas of a fold the vision is adversely affected. With a show or pet I guess it would make little difference but for a working dog it could. A friend had a Rough Collie who compensated for a sight problem in the central area by turning her head slightly to catch a ball. MRD in a working gundog could seriously affect it's ability to mark and resulting in the dog "Blinking" a retrieve.

As the name "Multifocal Retinal Dysplasia" implies, a section of the retina is displaced, or at least not firmly attached, possibly in a number of places. A dog's eye, as in fact also the human eye, sees an image inverted and the brain compensates by turning the image the right way up. (Remember the old pin hole cameras we all made as a child?) A problem in the top half of the retina will affect what is in the bottom half of the dog's vision and vice versa.

It seems a great shame to me that the dog breeders of the 1950's, without the advantages of today's technology, were able to virtually eliminate Night Blindness (PRA) from Irish setters, but we are not prepared to do the same thing with our retrievers! Of course, in those days there was no such thing as hobby breeders or for that matter, puppy farmers. Just about the only breeders of pedigree dogs were the big breeding kennels who either worked, showed or both work and showed their dogs. There was no messing about then, they just removed all affected dogs from the gene pool! I find it so revealing that in the days before MRD we used to get around 50 Goldens at each of our test sessions, now I doubt we get 5!

Regards, John

Sadly they won't John maybe because of the £'s invloved, there;s a lot more money involved in breeding dogs these days with some breeders

Thank you for the explanation. Thats the first time I have seen the situation summed up in a way that both makes sense and provides guidance.

<My understanding is that it can be diagnosed in the breed but is not recorded as a failure of the eye test, but merely recorded on some 'list' with the kennel club>

All sections of the 'Certificate Of Eye Examination'  record either an 'Unaffected' or 'Affected' (BVA/KC/ISDS) or 'Unaffected', 'Undetermined' or 'Affected' (European College Of Veterinary Ophthalmologists) result.

The word failure is not actually used by either of these eye schemes.

MRD is no different to HC, PRA or any of the other less common eye defects. If the condition is on the schedule of defects tested for within the breed, the dogs eye status is recorded on the form in exactly the same way.

snomaes

You are right to say that MRD is no different to HC, PRA and other defects so why is it recorded differently? Everything is recorded in the BRS with the exception of MRD and if you want to know the failours there you need to send to the KC for different list.

I am not getting into yet another argument with you Snomaes. I blame people in your breed for this state of affairs which we have now inherited into my breed.