Border Collie Health Screening

Hip Dysplasia (HD):  Caused by loose hip socket or malformed femoral heads and can affect one or both hips. This disease has a genetic factor, but environmental factors can make the disease more severe. Rapid weight gain, rapid growth, not enough, or too much exercise can make a problem much more painful for the dog.

Screening breeding animals in the USA is an x-ray sent to either OFA or PennHip. The x-ray is evaluated to check for loose sockets. If there is dysplasia, it is graded on the level of laxity, if there is no dysplasia, the “tightness” of the hip socket is assigned a “grade”. OFA grades are excellent, good and fair. PennHip offers a percentage based on dogs of the same breed. No animals with dysplasia should ever be used for breeding.

Elbow Dysplasia (ED): Similar to HD, same environmental causes can make this disease cause more pain to the affected dog. OFA grades elbows on a pass/fail. One or both elbows may be affected. Animals with elbow dysplasia should not be used for breeding. Some breeders do not check for elbow dysplasia. When x-ray films are taken at the same time the hip x-ray is taken, it costs the breeder very little more, the cost of the film, and the cost of the OFA report.

“Collie Eye" Anomaly (CEA): Choroidal Hypoplasia is an abnormal development of a layer of the retina. The retina is the part of the eye that “translates” sight to the optic nerve. Luckily, this disease has a simple DNA blood test. Breeders can use the results to choose mates for their dogs/bitches that will never product a puppy that will have CEA.

All breeding stock should have a yearly CERF exam. CERF stands for the Canine Eye Registration Foundation. A board certified canine ophthalmologist checks the eyes of each dog for signs of disease. Dogs that pass are issued a certificate valid for one year. The exam can only tell an owner if the dog has a disease present, not if the dog has genes that can cause disease in its offspring. For diseases that do NOT have DNA tests, this is the test breeders can use to decrease diseases in the breed.

Multi-Drug Resistance Gene: This DNA test is for breeders and owners alike. The gene is responsible for a protein (P-glycoprotein) that pumps toxins and certain drugs out of the brain. If the toxins or drugs are not removed, the dog’s nervous system becomes overloaded and could result in death. Drugs include some chemotherapy, some anesthetic, and some antiparasitic agents. The test results should be placed in the dog’s file at the veterinarian’s office so the vet can make the proper drug choices in treating the dog. A dog testing normal/normal does not have the mutation and can handle drugs at the proper dosing. Dogs testing normal/mutant or mutant/normal have one copy of the mutation, and can have problems from slight to severe with the “problem” drugs. Dogs testing mutant/mutant will have the greatest reaction to the drugs.

Trapped Neutrophil Syndrome (TNS): This hereditary disease causes a problem in the bone marrow, making the marrow unable to release white blood cells into the blood stream. The affected puppies have an impaired immune system. Most die early in puppy hood from infections their bodies cannot fight. Because the disease is caused by an autosomal recessive gene, a simple DNA test on the parents before breeding can aid breeders in never producing an another affected puppy in ONE GENERATION.

Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (CL or NCL): CL is a lysosomal storage disorder, where the storage bodies build up in the cells of many tissues. This causes a host of problems manifesting at 1-2 years of age. Motor skills decline, seizures, abnormal behavior, cognitive decline, and possible blindness. Affected dogs rarely survive past 2 ½ years, and there is no treatment. The DNA test, when used to select breeding partners, can prevent any affected puppies from ever being born in ONE GENERATION.

New Glaucoma Test for Border Collies (June 2018): Gonio dysgenesis is a condition cause by the abnormal and incomplete development of the anterior chamber which can result in excessive pressure buildup in the eye.  If the condition remains untreated, increased pressure in the eye will eventually result in permanent damage to the optic nerve and blindness.
The discovery of a genetic variant on the OLFML3 gene was performed at The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh and the Mater Research Institute-UQ, Brisbane Australia. The individuals credited for this work are Kim M Summers, Ailsa J Carlisle, Carys A Pugh and Lindsay L Farrell.  Based on this discovery, Animal Genetics develop an assay to detect the genetic variant associated with Border Collie Glaucoma.

Although not an "approved, needed test" by the AKC parent breed club: we are using it given the pedigree of our dogs. As we used other tests before they were deemed "needed"...we will continue with our promise to breed as healthy of a dog as we can with the tools we have at our disposal.


Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response (BAER): The BAER test is a hearing test used to access the hearing capacity of the dog being tested. The test uses very small electrodes placed on the dog to measure the electrical activity of the dog’s hearing. It is not a genetic test that will predict the offspring’s hearing.

Thyroid testing: blood sample is tested to find if it is within the normal range. This is not a DNA test; it can only tell that the tested dog does not have a thyroid issue.

Other breed problems that have no testing/screening available:

1)      Epilepsy
2)      Cancer
3)      Allergies/Autoimmune disorders
4)      Noise/Sight sensitivities
 

A breeder can do every available health test, but cannot guarantee a puppy without any health diseases.
Be knowledgeable, and choose a breeder looking out for the best future of the breed.