Re: update on Briar

[T Thompson]

Hi Angela,

        I'm delighted that Briar is doing better and it's great to know 
that he was negative for Lyme disease.

        As to OFA/ PennHip, etc.  - The information is vitally important 
for the health of the breed, as a whole.

        I use the information to help me plan breedings.  The canine 
geneticists emphasize that breeders need to know about the orthopedic 
health of all the puppies in a litter - this information can assist the 
breeder in understanding what genes an individual dog may carry.

        For example, if I have Female # 1 and she is from a litter of six 
puppies, and if she has OFA excellent hips and elbows that are free of 
inherited defects, then I may want to use her in my breeding 
program.  However, if I research her other five littermates and learn that 
one of them required a total hip replacement before she was three and that 
two others are lame with moderate hip dysplasia, then I know that Female # 
1 is very likely to carry the genes that have caused the problems in her 
siblings, even though she is unaffected herself.

        Contrast Femlae # 1 with Female # 2 - she is from a litter of 
eight, and all eight puppies have been x-rayed, and all eight have hips and 
elbows certified free of dysplasia.  Female # 2 is unlikely to carry the 
genes necessary to produce the hereditary diseases in her offspring.

        I recently had a litter of puppies born from parents like Female # 
2.  The dam of the litter had six siblings; she and her siblings all have 
certified hips and elbows.  The sire of the litter has seven siblings; he 
and his siblings all have certified hips and elbows.  Hopefully, we will 
learn that the dam and sire lacked the genes necessary to produce hip 
and/or elbow dysplasia. - In other words - the parents are incapable of 
producing the hip/elbow conformation that is the inherited disease(s).

        That's the theory, anyway.

        We'll know more when the litter is old enough to be x-rayed.

        I hope helps explain why x-raying all puppies is so important.

        terry thompson
        missoula, montana


One question:  if you are not breeding your dog, is OFA or PENNhip testing
just for your own piece of mind??  Is there any other reason?

Thanks,
Angela & Briar