I do agree to some extent that HD in Cavaliers is not a SERIOUS problem. But there are other things to think about with this.
1. I do know of at least 20 Cavaliers who needed HD surgery or were put down instead because the owner didn't want to do the surgery or lived in severe pain due to HD. Most probably don't suffer, but some do. 2. Is it possible the reason MVD is so prevelant today because people believed it was not a serious problem in the breed and therefore took few precautions with breeding dogs who developed early onset MVD? Do we want HD to get to that point before we do something about it? 3. Yes, in a perfect world we could balance defects and come out *better*--and breed dogs afflicted with mild HD. But how do we do that with Cavaliers? If I had a bitch who had upright shoulders, I wouldn't just look for a stud dog who had well laid back shoulders. I would look for a dog with well laid back shoulders whose parents and the entire line typically had well laid back shoulders who also produced an unusually low number of upright shoulders--in other words I would want to breed her to a dog that had the genotype for well laid back shoulders--not JUST the phenotype in order to ensure improvement in that area. Since SO few breeders test for HD (especially in the UK), I think it would be nearly impossible to find a stud dog genotypically more clear of HD to breed to so I'm not so sure I could ensure improvement. Now if EVERYONE tested for HD and we knew the percentage of HD in certain families--it would be quite easy to breed a dog with HD in a way that would improve the odds of the puppies not developing it. Right now, that is impossible and I'm not so sure I would want to take a chance like that. Laura Lang Roycroft Cavaliers ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author.
