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Articles > Keywords > Progressive Retinal Atrophy Progressive Retinal Atrophy Digg this article Bullmastiff and Eye Disorders The Bullmastiff is a very large and strong dog, but like all dogs is prone to some health issues - specifically eye disorders. Although this does not mean all Bullmastiffs will develop these eye disorders, they are more prone to them than other breeds of dog. [...] Comments Email to a Friend Digg this article PRA: Sight-Stealing Genetic Disorder Leaves Dogs Blind, but Not Suffering Among the many eye conditions that can affect dogs is one that isn't painful, but is nonetheless heartbreaking. Progressive Retinal Atrophy, or PRA, is a genetically inherited condition in which the eyes are basically "programmed" to go blind. PRA can appear in any breed of dog, and is equally prevalent in purebred and mixed-breed animals. It's usually transmitted through a recessive gene, meaning two carriers of the gene must mate in order to produce an affected pup. The exceptions to this rule occur in Bull Mastiffs and Old English Mastiffs, where the PRA gene is dominant, so only one parent need have the gene in order to produce pups with PRA. Also, the gene is linked to gender in the Samoyed and Siberian Husky breeds. In these breeds, the disorder appears more often in males than females. [...] Comments Email to a Friend Digg this article The Redbone Coonhound and Eye Problems It's unfortunate that many breeds of dogs suffer from a variety of genetic problems due to the poor decisions of some uninformed or careless breeders. Before bringing home a canine addition to your family, you should do some research into how healthy the breed is; if not, you may be in for a surprisingly large number of visits to the vet and some serious heartbreak. The Redbone Coonhound, fortunately, is an extremely healthy breed, which suffers only rarely from less than a handful of genetic issues. Besides hip dysplasia, common in many dogs, the Redbone tends to suffer from two main eye problems: entropion and progressive retinal atrophy, also known as PRA. Entropion is an eye problem that occurs in many breeds of dogs, including Redbones, though is not as common in Redbones as it is in breeds such as Bloodhounds or Mastiffs. [...] Comments Email to a Friend Digg this article Cardigan Welsh Corgis and Eye Problems The Cardigan Welsh Corgi is a relatively healthy breed, though as usual the breed is not without its typical health issues. These dogs suffer from a series of eye problems that, though not frequently recorded in the breed, do show up from time to time and can cause serious, lasting damage, depending on the severity of the condition. The Cardigan is prone to Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), like many dogs, as well as lens luxation and retinal dysplasia. If you suspect any of these conditions, you should immediately take your dog to the veterinarian, who may suggest you see a veterinarian ophthalmologist. [...] Comments Email to a Friend Digg this article Progressive Retinal Atrophy Progressive Retinal Atrophy, also known as retinal pigment epithelial dystrophy (RPED), is part of a group of genetic degenerative eye diseases that affect the retina. Although it is more common in dogs it is also found in cats especially Persians, Abyssinian, some shorthairs and Siamese cats. [h]Causes[/h] The disease causes vision impairment, which eventually leads to blindness. Progressive Retinal Atrophy appears in both male and female cats and is either a dominant or recessive trait (autosomal trait). This disease is similar in nature to Retina Pigmentosa in humans. In Abyssinian cats there are two forms of the disease, if it is present at birth or shortly thereafter it is a genetic autosomal dominant gene. If it occurs in middle age it is genetic autosomal recessive gene. [...] Comments Email to a Friend Digg this article English Springer Spaniels And Common Health Conditions English Springer Spaniels are generally healthy dogs, but within the breed, there are some common health problems. The breed is prone to hip dysplasia, progressive retinal apathy, retinal dysplasia and phosphofructokinase deficiency. Owners should contact a veterinarian if symptoms present themselves. [...] Comments Email to a Friend Digg this article The Eye Problems Of The Tibetan Terrier Overall the Tibetan Terrier is a healthy dog with few health problems associated with their stock. Yet, there are a few that need to be monitored for including their eye problems. The dogs can develop cataracts and in fact these are sometimes common in the dogs as they age. The cataracts that they have are often the same as you would see in a human cataract situation. Yet, for dogs that can not tell you what is wrong, it is up to the owner to pay close attention to these dogs and the quality of eyesight that they have. There are also several other types of eye conditions that can affect your Tibetan Terrier and that you can monitor them for. [...] Comments Email to a Friend Digg this article Progressive Retinal Atrophy Progressive Retinal Atrophy or PRA is the leading cause of blindness in adult dogs of almost every breed and size. It is a genetic condition from which there is no cure either through surgical procedures or drug therapies. As with any type of genetic disease the only true way to suppress the condition is to immediately spay or neuter any dog, mixed or purebred, that exhibits any sign of PRA. It is linked to a recessive gene that means that both the male and female must have the condition for the puppies to display PRA, but they can pass the genetic component onto their offspring, which then may breed with another recessive dog, resulting in a litter with PRA. There are some deviations to this rule as in Bullmastiffs and Old English Mastiffs the condition is a dominant gene and in breeds such as Samoyeds and Siberian Huskies the gene is sex-linked and is only found in males. [...] Comments Email to a Friend Digg this article Vision and Hearing problems in senior dogs Most aging dogs will experience a decrease in both their visual as well as hearing abilities. When this loss occurs slowly, the dog is actually able to adapt and increase his or her dependence on the other senses to balance out the loss of vision or hearing. In this way an elderly dog can easily live a very happy and relatively normal life even with complete hearing or vision loss. Of course there are some modifications that owners need to make, especially with regards to safety issues for these dogs, but there is no need to feel sorry for your dog or believe that they feel the loss of these senses the same way that humans would. [...] Comments Email to a Friend Digg this article Genetic Testing In Breeds There are several specific genetic testing services that cater specifically to breeders, owners and veterinarians. Genetic testing is often done in pedigree and championship breeding programs as it is one of the only ways to determine if a dog may be a carrier of recessive genetic problems. Of course these recessive genetic issues will eventually become known once the dog is bred, however with some conditions and with the right breeding mate it may be many litters before the problem is noticed. [...] Comments Email to a Friend Digg this article Health Concerns with the Border Collie Most herding breeds, the Border Collie included, are naturally healthy dogs that have been bred to be highly athletic and strong. They also have amazingly strong respiratory and circulatory systems, probably due to the intensive screening done by early farmers and shepherds in only continuing to breed the healthiest and best working dogs. [...] Comments Email to a Friend Digg this article Health Concerns with Australian Cattle Dogs With the intensive and very rugged type of breeding programs, combined with the infusion of both wild dogs, the Dingoes, as well as various domestic breeds, the Australian Cattle Dog is really a very healthy dog overall. Unlike some purebreds that have been extensively line bred or inbred to enhance specific characteristics, the originators of the Australian Cattle Dog breed used out breeding programs to develop the specific characteristics. [...] Comments Email to a Friend Digg this article Health Concerns with the Rottweiler Breed As with any purebred line of dogs or any hybrid dog breed combination, there are inherited genetic problems that can occur. It is important for dog owners to understand that there are no health issues that occur only in the Rottweiler, rather most of these conditions occur in almost all other types of large breed purebred and mixed breed dogs. [...] Comments Email to a Friend Digg this article Health Concerns with Akitas As with any purebred breed of dogs there are some genetic health problems associated with the Akita breed. They are not typically unhealthy dogs and virtually all of the health issues within the breed can be tested for prior to breeding, ensuring that reputable breeders are not producing genetically inferior litters. With this breeds surge in popularity in the early 1970s through the 1980 many puppy mills and backyard breeders produced genetically unhealthy dogs, leading to health issues with the breed. For this reason it is highly recommended to only purchase an Akita from a reputable breeder that completes all health and genetic checks prior to breeding programs. [...] Comments Email to a Friend Digg this article Health Concerns With The Basenji As with most of the hound group, the Basenji tends to be a very healthy breed of dog provided they are giving regular exercise, routine vet visits and fed a high quality food that meets all nutritional requirements. Breeders of this very unique type of dog have worked to prevent any genetic conditions from becoming highly problematic, but as with any breed there are a few issues that potential owners need to be aware of. [...] Comments Email to a Friend