Dear Glenn: You wrote: "Is it a waste of money to get a 1 year old that you hope to one day breed an echo cardiogram? (knowing that you will have to do it again when she is older at the time of breeding?)"
IMO, it depends on what knowledge you want to gain. Do you just want to know ahead of time if you will be able to breed from this bitch? If so, it is possible to "see" regurgitation through the MV as early as one year of age. According to some of our unofficial stats: of the 105 dogs presented for examination in the 1-2 year age category, 48% showed "affected" on colour doppler and 20% on auscultation. If your dog were to be one of the ones "affected" at one year of age, I would think that you would certainly pay attention to this potential warning. If you were unaffected, you could take some comfort in having gotten past the first hurdle. These results may, or may not, change by the time you are actually ready to breed at about 2 - 2.5 years. Knowing this information ahead of time is not a waste of money IMO. You wrote: "Is it a waste of money to echo cardiogram a 3 year old neutered male?" Again, IMO, it's not a waste of money. Someone can benefit by the knowledge gathered. The breeder who produced the dog and any breeder who has possibly bred to the dog prior to neutering. The results of echo/doppler testing are not able to determine a rate of progression. It will, however, show signs of early onset. The rate of progression remains to be seen. Remember also, echo/doppler testing is but one tool. I don't think it wise to rely solely on doppler results. It has been known that one can have an auscultable murmur and be clear on doppler. I believe in the use of auscultation, doppler and ECG in screening for potential breedings and am extremely fortunate that all three of these diagnostic tools are easily accessible and affordable here in Southern Ontario through our national club's MVD study at University of Guelph. I do sympathize with those who aren't as lucky as we are. Pat Barrington - Barrington Cavaliers (Southern Ontario-Canada) [EMAIL PROTECTED] ========================================================= "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.
