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REPORT OF THE AKC
CANINE HEALTH FOUNDATION CONFERENCE, 10/99
The third Health Foundation
Conference was held in St. Louis over the October 15th weekend.
Representatives from most of the 144 breed clubs attended. As was to be
expected, the majority of the presentations were excellent.
Preliminary remarks were made by
various Canine Health Foundation representatives. Deborah Lynch,
Administrative Director of the CHF, provided some interesting information
about various research grants and the number of breed clubs involved in
these.
I was proud to be representing
the MBTCA, one of the 40+ clubs, which have received matching funds from the
AKC Canine Health Foundation. Although there are 144 AKC breeds, the MBTCA,
although a very small club, is one of the few dozen clubs to have
established a Donor Advised Fund. I think that this sent a clear message to
the CHF that our club was serious about addressing breed health problems and
in setting aside funds to do so. When Lisa Bowers Byrd located a researcher
at the University of Missouri, Dr. Gary Johnson, who was interested in
trying to find a DNA marker for lens luxation in Minis, our first research
project got under way. Last summer Dr. Johnson applied to the AKC CHF for
funding for the Mini Bull Lens Luxation project. As you know, his proposal
was accepted with the MBTCA paying half the cost and the CHF matching this
amount.
The Bull Terriers also have
received a matching grant for research on types of obsessive-compulsive
behavior. The BTCA Welfare Foundation matched this CHF grant.
To date there have been four
grant cycles. Fifteen research projects have been completed, sixty-one are
presently active, and twelve are pending. Several of the research projects
are funded by more than one breed.
Debbie Lynch also reported on
the results of a questionnaire sent to all breed clubs last summer.
Ninety-four of the one hundred forty-four clubs replied. Of those replying,
58% have a code of ethics. 31% recommend specific health tests before
breeding any dogs in their breed.
Dr. Elaine Ostrander gave the
first scientific presentation. She has been an important part of all three
CHF conferences. Her work appears to be instrumental in moving the whole
canine genome study forward. Later in the program, Dr. Ostrander received an
award from the CHF for all she has done and is still doing to assist various
canine health projects. Dr. Ostrander is Head of the Genetics Program at the
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington. Although her
major focus is on human susceptibility to breast and prostate cancer, she
has also worked extensively on the canine genome map. One of the other
presenters at the conference commented on how valuable her "people skills"
have been in getting various "prickly" scientists to agree to share their
work on the canine genome map. This has greatly speeded its development.
Dr. Ostrander reviewed that
there are 38 pairs of chromosomes in the dog, each of these composed of
thousands of molecular units called base pairs. One gene is made up of 1000+
of these base pairs. "Disease is not a random process." Genes change by
losing base pairs. getting extra base pairs, or by getting incorrect base
pairs. Any of these changes affect the formation of the protein controlled
by the gene. Having the wrong protein may result in a minor problem or a
serious one. The entire chromosome may be affected if it breaks, loses a
chunk. or gets another piece from a different chromosome.
There is still a long way to go
in pinpointing exactly which bases on which chromosomes are involved in each
canine disorder. "For most canine genetic diseases, the underlying genetic
cause is yet to be determined."
"The development of a high-
resolution canine map is a major step forward in the improvement of canine
health for two reasons. First, the general location of a gene must be known
before experiments can be undertaken to clone that gene and determine the
mutations that actually cause the disease. This, of course, is the ultimate
goal for every genetic disease. Second, and perhaps more relevant, once the
chromosomal location of a disease gene is known, diagnostic tests can be
developed and incorporated into canine breeding programs. thus allowing
breeders to produce healthier, more long-lived dogs."
One of the most valuable
presentations, particularly for those breeders whose bitches often require
C- sections, was that on reproduction and neonatal mortality. The presenters
focused on the need to plan carefully if a C- section is routine or likely
and on how to rescue distressed pups after delivery.
Dr. Robert Hutchinson began the
presentation with suggestions on ways to prevent puppy loss. Many C- section
problems could be avoided if-
1. Breeders acted more swiftly
when a bitch has been laboring for hours with no results. Not only does
the mother become exhausted, but often the puppies are dead or in bad
shape.
2. The breeder kept exact
records of each breeding. This would avoid scheduling of sections before
gestation is complete and the resulting delivery of "half-cooked" puppies.
3. Breeders avoided
overheating puppies. They do need to be kept warm, but they must be able
to get away from the source of heat. (They need room to crawl away from
the heat source.)
4. Breeders avoided giving
antibiotics unless absolutely necessary (both mother & pups).
Other causes of puppy loss are
genetic defects in the puppies and behavioral problems in the mother such
as cannibalism.
Following Dr. Hutchinson, an
anesthesiologist, Dr. Paula Moon-Massat, discussed neonatal mortality after
caesarian section. Her study was based on data from 808 litters and 3,408
pups. I thought the following of particular interest to Mini breeders:
1. Anesthetics: the correct
anesthetic is crucial! The best are propofol & isofluorane. NEVER USE
XYLAZINE OR METHOXYFLUORANE (Tell your vet!!)
2. Care of the mother during
C-section
a) need to maintain a stable
cardiopulmonary condition
b) keep her sedated but with
an anesthetic which allows rapid recovery
c) minimize fetal hypoxia
d) minimize residual
depression
e) keep her relaxed
3. Routine techniques for
helping to insure mother's well-being
a) Maintain maternal blood
pressure. Give IV fluids; keep on back as little as possible
b) Use a tracheal tube,
preoxygenated ---- (missed the rest)?
c) Insert an IV catheter for
rapid administration of medication if needed
Following Dr. Moon-Massat, Dr.
Stephanie Todd and her lab tech, Deborah Johnson, discussed resuscitation of
puppies that are not doing well after a C-section. (Or after natural birth)
1. Airway- clear mucus from
mouth and nose. Swing puppy, nose down, from overhead down to your knees.
First wrap in towel (slippery!!) and support neck and back of head with
your fingers.
2. Breathing - rub puppy.
Press a piece of gauze on abdomen under rib cage to stimulate breathing.
Give oxygen or breathe into nose and mouth. Try a drop or two (NOT MORE)
of dopram under the tongue.
3. Circulation - warming is
crucial! The recommendation is a technique called CORE WARMING. This
involves intraperitoneal injection of warmed lactated Ringer's solution
with 2.5% dextrose @ 1 ml for 30 grams. Also, pups are placed on a grate
over steaming water in an oxygen tent. (Obviously this cannot be boiling
water because the steam would be much too hot.)
Puppies can be given to mother
or placed in a heated box when they are moving and crying and have normal
heart rates and neurologic reflexes. DO NOT GIVE UP ON ANY PUPPY WITHOUT
DOING A "DROP TEST" TO TEST FOR TOTAL LOSS OF REFLEXES! Drop the puppy,
abdomen down, from a height of about six inches onto a flat, firm surface.
Watch for the limbs to spread out and pull back in a quick, subtle movement.
Some puppies with no detectable heartbeat but a positive drop test have been
"saved" after an additional 15-30 minutes of stimulation and core warming.
I was fortunate to be able to
meet Dr. Gary Johnson and to chat with him about our lens luxation project.
He seems a quiet, relaxed sort of person, very easy to talk to. So far he
has not had much luck in his study of the Mini blood samples we've sent. He
has 66 samples; 8 of these are from luxated dogs. However, genetically the
Minis are so much alike that the DNA testing has not shown any noticeable
differences among the tested animals. The gene alleles so far studied seem
to be the same in each Mini! He suggested that we may need to do an outcross
breeding, perhaps to the Tibetan Terrier, another breed he is working with
which also suffers from lens luxation. There is a good chance that the
defective gene or genes causing lens luxation are the same in both breeds
since luxation in Tibetans has been traced to a stray English "wharf dog"
many years ago which was declared to be a pure-bred Tibetan and widely used
for breeding. Since lens luxation is chiefly a terrier malady, it is thought
that this stray dog was most likely part terrier since lens luxation first
appeared in those Tibetans who were descendants of this dog. Meanwhile, Dr.
Johnson's lab continues to study the DNA from our Minis. As the canine
genome map is constantly improving by becoming more detailed, he may be able
to pick out some clues from the samples he now has.
As an aside, I was pleased when
Dr. Ostrander's lab people reported that with all the DNA test materials
they are constantly receiving from all over the country, those from Dr.
Johnson's lab are the most "error free."
It is still very important to
continue sending the samples and pedigrees to Dr. Johnson. If you lose a dog
due to accident, disease, etc., and you have not yet sent in any blood, ask
your veterinarian to send a tissue sample from the dog. The best tissue
would be the entire spleen, frozen solid and shipped overnight delivery. Dr.
Johnson's lab has sent us new forms to fill out for future blood samples.
You should Xerox a few copies of each and keep them in a safe place to use
when needed.
A copy of the summary of the
presentations on eye research is included. The mini-bull project is
presently the only research being done on lens luxation. Several other eye
research projects are continuing.
There will be other reports from
the AKC Canine Health Conference in future issues of A Little Bull.
-Marilyn Drewes
-MBTCA Genetics and
Health Committee
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