The American Spaniel Club Foundation (ASC-F) is currently gathering momentum to fund the vital research of Dr. Gustavo Aguirre of the University of Pennsylvania into discovery/identity of the gene responsible for inherited cataracts in American Cocker Spaniels. His research will be the spring board for the development of a genetic test that will be able to identify genetically normal, affected and carrier cataract status of all breeding American Cocker Spaniels. Cataracts is one of the most dreaded and insidious inherited conditions in American Cocker Spaniels and has derailed many successful breeding programs and removed some of the top Cocker Spaniel specimens from the gene pool. To my Facebook Cocker Spaniel friends: Please consider a donation to the ASC-F to support the research of Dr. Aguirre. It could be a memorial gift in memory of a loved Cocker who has passed, a fund-raiser among your purebred dog community or a Christmas gift etc. I speak from the heart as, unfortunately, after 35 years in this breed, 12 litters producing 40 puppies in total - years and years of vigilantly eye testing every breeding dam/sire that I own and also following up with eye testing on puppies from those breedings, I am now the breeder/owner of a 13 month old American Cocker Spaniel who has developed bilateral diffuse cataracts and is now nearly totally blind. My beautiful Violet, the singleton puppy from my litter last year, has gone blind virtually overnight. While I am still awaiting an appointment in November with Dr. Cullen, the Veterinary Opthalmologist, my vet confirmed last night that Violet is blind - she may see some shadows but that is about it. I continue to have great confidence in the bloodlines that created Violet - I believe completely and utterly from the hard evidence I have in clear eye reports going back 7+ generations that these bloodlines have a low incidence of inherited eye conditions. As we know, genes dont disappear, they hide - and then come back to haunt us many generations later. Somehow, I lined up the perfect storm - I brought two dogs together that created my beautiful puppy but at a terrible cost. I will explore surgical options for Violet so long as there is a positive outcome. I dont want her to develop glaucoma. We cannot ever become complacent as breeders, blithely going along, attending eye clinics and feeling assured that cataracts will never happen to our puppies. The moral is that no matter what bloodlines you are breeding from, this can happen to you too. We need a surefire way to identify these dogs before we breed them. The relatively new genetic test for PRA will, over time, eliminate PRA in our breed. We can do this for cataracts too. With the help of Cocker Spaniel breeders and owners around the world supporting Dr. Aguirres research, well put an end to stories like Violets and add one more tool to our toolkit in creating healthy and happy Cockers for the world to enjoy. Daria Edgecombe Sunnycapp Perm Regd
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 11:49:20 +0000
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