Australian Shepherds -
Collie Eye Anomaly(CEA)
Treatment of the eye is a major
concern for puppies belonging to some breeds like
Australian Shepherd and Border Collies. They can
be affected with eye diseases like CEA, PHR, micropthalmia
and also cataracts.
Research conducted in 2001 says
that, the Australian Shepherd is less in number
as compared to the Border Collies, with just about
12000 as against 20000 Border Collies. Open communication
between the breeders and the dog owners revealed
that such diseases were common in the breeds since
they were mostly hereditary.
Owners were asked to submit eye
examination certificates done on their dogs and
the breeders too were asked to submit the same for
the entire litter. All information on ocular abnormalities
were recorded.
Invitations were sent across via
dog magazines, mailing lists, word-of-mouth, breed
specific websites and Club publications. Data on
both affected as well as unaffected dogs were required
and both puppy as well as adult certificates were
taken wherever they were available.
It was noted that one-sixth of
the PHR carriers were also carriers of the CEA.
Also, CEA being the second most common disease among
these dogs, it is difficult to get rid of this ailment
without facing breeding restrictions. A direct DNA
mutation test for carrier status can now be easily
availed.
If this is carried out, CEA in
Australian Shepherds can be reduced by a large extent
and this appears to be the only plausible solution
to help in controlling this heritable eye disease.
Dog
Training Secrets
Train Your Dog to Obey You and
Stop All Bad Behavior, Excessive Barking
and Biting
|
|
Click
Here to find out more on Australian Shepherd
Dogs
|