Genetic Diseases in Golden Retrievers--
Updated 3/2008

• study the diseases affecting goldens and their underlying genetics,
• include our dogs in as many valid research programs as possible,
• are passionate and public supporters of open health registries for without them the breeders of purebred dogs will never control health problems,
• collect and release genetic data on all of our dogs and as many of their relatives and ancestors as we can, and
• rigorously screen our breeding stock, including DNA testing when appropriate and as it becomes available
.

The second portion of the list includes additional genetic diseases that affect goldens and for which we screen. These diseases either have inconclusive screening methods, do not debilitate affected dogs or are easily treated.

Part I

• Cancer
• Idiopathic Epilepsy
• Inherited Heart Disease
• Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD)
• Elbow Dysplasia
• Swallowing Disorders
• Allergies, Hot Spots, Skin Problems
• Immune-related Problems
• prcd-PRA (eye disorder)
• Pigmentary Uveitis (PU)

• Other Inherited Eye Disease
• Thyroid Abnormalities
• Canine von Willebrand's Disease (vWD)
• Other Genetic Problems

Part I

Cancer. Recent surveys show that cancer is the #1 cause of death in golden retrievers. Their cancer rates equal some of the breeds long thought to lead the way in incidents of cancer, such as Boxers. This may be the greatest tragedy of the golden retriever in the 1990s. Cancers such as hemangiosarcoma (cancer of the blood) and lymphosarcoma (cancer of the lymphatic system) lead the list of killers of goldens. The breed's average lifespan is now down to 10 1/2 years.

We strongly believe that goldens should be long-lived (12-16 years) and healthy and active during most of this time. However, there is no screening test for cancer so it is difficult to know if the dogs you are breeding to will live long and healthy lives. Our approach is to select bitches from lines where more than 75% of the dogs in the pedigree lived to at least 11 (longer than the golden average), to research the cause of death on as many dogs in the pedigree *and their siblings* as possible, and as often as possible to breed to older males who have already reached the average age. This means that it is unlikely that we will breed to today's top-winning dogs but we might be breeding to their sires if their pedigrees meet our other criteria.

We are also committed to raising our dogs with as few chemicals as possible while still maintaining their health. We feed Bravo Raw Diet, a raw, natural diet based on human-grade materials at a minimum, certified organic if possible. We supplement our dogs with ProBalance, salmon oil, Animal Essentials and Dynamite products. We also no longer vaccinate our dogs regularly, choosing instead to check their immune status with blood titers using Cornell University's VAX-test program. Our vaccination program includes keeping puppies longer (8-9 weeks) so their first vaccine is given to a relatively mature immune system. We encourage our buyers to follow this program, as well. We have also added cancer to our warranty, offering a 6-year warranty against all fatal cancers.

Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD). CHD is a malformation or abnormal looseness of the hip joint.  Affected dogs may exhibit no symptoms or may be crippled from as young as eight weeks.  Dogs who are asymptomatic early in life often develop arthritis in the hip joints as they age. This disease is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.  The mode of inheritance has not yet been determined but is thought to be polygenic (caused by the influences of many genes).

There are presently two methods of screening dogs for CHD, both of which require hip x-rays.  The most common screening is done through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) which issues clearances rating dogs EXCELLENT, GOOD, and FAIR.  It also grades degrees of dysplasia as MILD, MODERATE, and SEVERE.  Dogs with equivocal finds are considered BORDERLINE.  At Gaylan's, we breed only cleared dogs with ratings of excellent, good or fair.  OFA ratings are indicated by a number that looks like GR11111G24F.  This indicates the x-rayed dog is a golden retriever (GR) with a clearance number of 11111 and a rating of "Good" (G) who was x-rayed at 24 months (24) and is a female (F).  An excellent rating would be indicated by an E and a fair appears as an F after the rating number.

More recently, the University of Pennsylvania has introduced a procedure that provides information about a dog's hips but does not offer clearances. Instead, PennHip grades the dog's likelihood of developing CHD using a distraction index (DI).  We seek to breed dogs with a DI that puts them in the top 50 percentile for all golden retrievers.  Presently, the average golden DI is .55 so dogs with DIs of .54 and below are in this percentile.

Forty years of golden retriever history has also shown that breeding clear dogs is not enough to reduce the rate of hip dysplasia. Breeders must also seek to breed only dogs with pedigrees with both depth and breadth of clearances, and those who produce lower than average numbers of dysplastic puppies. Depth means that even dogs two, three, or four generations behind the sire and dam were shown to be free of dysplasia. Breadth of clearances means that many or most of the sire's and dam's siblings also had normal hip joint conformation. Gaylan's bitches have both depth and breadth of dysplasia-free pedigrees. We also monitor their production rates to ensure we are producing high percentages of cleared dogs and seek only to breed to dogs with similarly disease-free pedigrees and production rates.

Our breeding methods have been effective in accomplishing two goals: reducing our overall rate of dysplasia in our dogs AND, as importantly, reducing the symptoms experienced by those dogs we breed that are dysplastic. As of early 2008, slightly over 91% of the dogs that we are producing have normal hip conformation. Of the 9% of dysplastic dogs that we produce, most have no symptoms throughout their lifetime; the disease was discovered at their two-year screenings and was never evident again.

Idiopathic Epilepsy. Idiopathic epilepsy is difficult to diagnose but results in recurrent seizures which have no apparent environmental (e.g., poisoning or heat exhaustion) or physiological cause (e.g., brain tumor). Inherited epilepsy in goldens usually appears in dogs between one and three years of age but may occur as late as five. We will not breed any dog that has had seizures of an unexplained origin and seek to avoid those with a family history of idiopathic epilepsy. There is presently no registry or certification for epilepsy-free dogs.

Inherited Heart Disease. Heart disease is prevalent in goldens although not as bad as many other breeds. The breed's primary heart problem is Subarterial Aortic Stenosis (SAS) but goldens also face Mitral Valve Dysplasia and other valve problems.

SAS is a restriction of the aorta, usually by a ring of fibrous tissue, just after it leaves the heart. This restriction results in a distinct murmur (due to backflow and turbulence), heart enlargement, and restricted blood flow.  As with CHD, affected dogs can be asymptomatic or severely crippled by this disease. SAS can also lead to sudden death, even in very young dogs.  It is thought to be a genetic disease with a polygenic dominant mode of inheritance.  Since many goldens have innocent (non-SAS) murmurs as puppies, breeding adults must be cleared by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist.  We breed only dogs cleared of all genetic heart disease by a cardiologist. You can find a list of board-certified veterinary cardiologists at http://www.vetheart.com/bystate.htm.

The OFA has opened a heart registry so some breeders may provide you with OFA certification. These numbers will look like GR-CA2544/31F/C-T indicating the dog was a golden retriever (GR) who got the 2544th cardiac (CA) clearance when the dog was 31 months old (31). She is a bitch (F) and the clearance was done by a board-certified cardiologist (C). Other veterinians you might see listed are S for specialist and and P for practioner. Finally, the -T at the end indicates the dog is tatooed. This is being changed to PI for permanent identification.

Elbow Dysplasia.  In the past few years, goldens have also been identified as suffering from hereditary elbow dysplasia. Similar to CHD, dogs affected with elbow dysplasia may be asymptomatic or may be so severely affected they need surgery. Since this is such a new disease, few older goldens have been screened. In addition, the screening methods are still developing. All Gaylan's brood bitches will be screened at or after 2 years of age but we may breed to sires without elbow clearances. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) provides clearance numbers for elbow dysplasia but does not provide grades in the number, e.g. GR-EL1121.

Swallowing Disorders. In the last decade, some families of golden retrievers have experienced swallowing disorders that range from very mild to life-threatening. We are just learning about this disease and our intention is to avoid any dog who has or produced a swallowing disorder or who has siblings or parents with it. As we learn more, we will revise this section.

Allergies, Hot Spots, Skin Problems. We do not accept that allergies and hot spots are normal for a golden retriever. We seek lines that are allergy-free and that have hot spots only rarely, if ever. We also do not breed for an over-abundance of coat that may be the underlying cause of hot spots. We seek to breed dogs that do not have chronic skin problems or ear infections and that do not require constant bathing or grooming to maintain their health.

Immune-related Problems. Goldens are increasingly falling prey to immune and autoimmune diseases, such as lupus, kidney disease. We maintain a husbandry program that has as its goal the strongest immune systems that we can produce in our dogs. We also seek to breed dogs that have no chronic immune-related problems.

prcd-PRA. In addition, goldens may suffer from a few forms of progressive retinal atrophy (PRA). This disease has been thought to be relatively rare in goldens, affecting only a few families. However, in 2007 a number of goldens from relatively mainstream families were identified as either affected or as carriers of prcd-PRA. Luckily, the golden retriever form of this disease can be identified using a DNA test developed by Optigen. While the golden retriever community assesses the impact of this disease, we have chosen to test all of our breeding stock. We have posted the results on www.k9data.com and will set up a page on our website listing the results. For information on more golden retrievers that have been tested for prcd-PRA, go to the German kennel Deep Impact's page.

Since prcd-PRA has been shown to be a simple recessive trait, our plan it to test breeding stock, breeding according to the Optigen guidelines (clear to clear or clear to carrier). We will provide the results of the DNA test to our buyers and, if we breed to a carrier, will test the puppies before they go home.

Here is some info about prcd-PRA from the Optigen website:

The genetic disorder, prcd-PRA, causes cells in the retina at the back of the eye to degenerate and die, even though the cells seem to develop normally early in life. The “rod” cells operate in low light levels and are the first to lose normal function. Night blindness results. Then the “cone” cells gradually lose their normal function in full light situations. Most affected dogs will eventually be blind. Typically, the clinical disease is recognized first in early adolescence or early adulthood. Since age at onset of disease varies among breeds, you should read specific information for your dog. Diagnosis of retinal disease can be difficult. Conditions that seem to be prcd-PRA might instead be another disease and might not be inherited. OptiGen’s genetic test assists in making the diagnosis. It’s important to remember that not all retinal disease is PRA and not all PRA is the prcd form of PRA. Annual eye exams by a veterinary ophthalmologist will build a history of eye health that will help to diagnose disease.

Unfortunately, at this time there is no treatment or cure for PRA. If your dog is affected, you may find it helpful to read about other owners’ experiences living with blind dogs. (suggested links:www.eyevet.org and www.blinddogs.com)

The Canine Eye Research Foundation (CERF) provides certifying numbers to dogs cleared annually.  CERF numbers are similar to OFA numbers except, since they must be repeated every year, they indicate the year and age of the cleared dog.  Thus, CERF GR1111/96-24 is a golden retriever (GR) with clearance number 1111 who was seen by an opthamologist in 1996 when he was 24 months old.

Thyroid Abnormalities.  Goldens are increasingly affected by autoimmune hypothyroidism (low thyroid). This disease can cause lethargy, weight gain, hair loss, and skin problems.  Less frequent but also problematic, hyperthyroidism (high thyroid) can cause dogs to be underweight and hyperactive.  Thyroid abnormalities are easily diagnosed using a blood test and can be controlled through daily, lifelong medication.  We have found thyroid testing to be inconclusive so test only those dogs who show symptoms of thyroid abnormalities.  Thyroid testing is done at a number of laboratories across the United States  The most common ones you will see are from Cornell and the University of Michigan. The OFA now provides a registry for thyroid screening. The OFA number will look like GR-TH226/24F-PI, indicating the dog is the 226th golden retriever (GR) to register for thyroid (TH). The dog was 24 months old (24) when the test was done and it was a bitch (F). The PI at the end indicates that this dog is permanently identified with a tatoo, microchip or other feature.

Canine von Willebrands Disease (vWD). vWD is a disease similar to hemophilia in humans.  Although fatal in some breeds, such as Doberman Pinschers, goldens are rarely seriously affected.  Screening for vWD in goldens remains inconclusive.  We no longer screen our breeding stock although will avoid breeding dogs who have been diagnosed with the disease. Only a few U.S. labs provide vWD screening.

Other Genetic Problems. Goldens are affected by other diseases with undetermined or poorly investigated genetic bases. These include panosteitis, cryptorchidism, missing teeth, black spots, and bad bites. In addition, temperament remains the top priority for good golden breeders. We make every attempt to breed only dogs free of the problems listed above and who possess the ideal golden temperament as outlined in the Standard of the Golden Retriever,

...possessing a personality that is eager, alert and self-confident. Friendly, reliable, and trustworthy.  Quarrelsomeness or hostility toward other dogs or people in normal situations or an unwarranted show of timidity or nervousness, is not in keeping with the Golden Retriever character.