longdogs Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I just need to share my excitement. I am in the process of starting back xraying for ivdd in dachshunds in Australia. There is currently no testing for this at present in this country. I am so sick of hearing about paralyzed dachies, and it seems to be happening more and more. A lot of breeders just don't care what they breed with, and I just get so irate. I have been looking for nearly 2 years now for a suitable dog to put my girl to, but there is nothing in this country, bar one, I can use. Either they are too close or they carry health issues, of which ivdd is only one. I am in the process right now of bringing in frozen semen from the US. Denmark introduced back xraying for dachies a few years ago and it is now mandatory over there to xray before breeding, which I think is fantastic. I can only hope in years to come that Australia will follow, probably not in my lifetime, but if I can be instrumental in starting it, I will be very happy for the future of my beloved breed. I have gathered as much information as I can from Denmark and passed it on to my vet, who I must say is fantastic, and is more than willing to purchase the necessary state of the art xray machine, going to cost him a pretty penny no doubt, and me too. The films need to be sent back to Denmark to be read, and the first xray may not be acceptable, so I could need to do it a few times. This happened when Denmark first started it, took a few xrays before they got it right. I am hoping within a few months my vet will be ready to go ahead with xraying my girl. I am quietly confident of a good result as I have been very, very selective over the years what I breed with, and to my knowledge, none of the pups I have bred have ever had a back problem. Thank you for letting me share my excitement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 That is fantastic news - a real breakthrough once it gets up and running. Congrats to you for doing the hard yards to get it so close to up and running - I'm sure many future generations will benefit and thousands of dollars will be saved. also to the vet for investing and showing interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyosha Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Well done for putting so much time and effort for the Dachies! Hopefully it will become as normal as hip scoring in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longdogs Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 Well done for putting so much time and effort for the Dachies! Hopefully it will become as normal as hip scoring in the future. Thank you KellyLouise and Nattylou. That is my dream for the future, that it will be the norm rather than the exception Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Great work 'longdogs'. What exaclty will they be looking for in the xrays? In pugs there is a genetic condition called hemivertibra which causes varying degrees of paralysis of the hind quaters. It's not xrayed for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longdogs Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 Great work 'longdogs'.What exaclty will they be looking for in the xrays? In pugs there is a genetic condition called hemivertibra which causes varying degrees of paralysis of the hind quaters. It's not xrayed for. They are looking for calcifications. Xraying needs to be done between 18 months and 3 years of age. They don't show up before 18 months and are usually gone by 3 years of age. Is there any testing available either here or overseas for hernivertebra in pugs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puggy_puggy Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 So the calcifications are linked to the spine collapsing? How interesting that they come and go. I guess it would throw a spanner in the works of some breeders if they had to xray every dog before breeding with them. And because the calcifications only appear after 18 months that would mean that they couldn't breed before then. What age can hip scores be done? I'm pretty sure that Hemi can be spotted pretty easily just with a normal back xray but it's not something that is tested for by breeders. The xrays usually occur when someones pup starts to lose function in their back legs. I've personally seen enough pugs with hemi to say that it is not exaclty a rare condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longdogs Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 [so the calcifications are linked to the spine collapsing? How interesting that they come and go. ] The spine doesn't "collapse" per se. The disc explodes, and it is this exploded material that causes swelling of the spinal cord and either partial or complete paralysis. [i guess it would throw a spanner in the works of some breeders if they had to xray every dog before breeding with them. And because the calcifications only appear after 18 months that would mean that they couldn't breed before then.] Oh I am more than happy to "throw a spanner in the works of some breeders" There are a lot that deserve it. [What age can hip scores be done?] When I had my gsd's done it was not before 12 months, but I have been out of that breed for quite a few years now, so it may have changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daccies Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Longdogs - brilliant! -- Am about to pm you. months, but I have been out of that breed for quite a few years now, so it may have changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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