English Shepherd Dogs at risk of incurable blindness if they carry specific genetic mutation
Your dog could be at risk of incurable blindness if it carries a specific genetic mutation that causes progressive retinal atrophy (PRA).
Scientists have identified the variant associated with PRA in the English Shepherd Dog and a new genetic test will eliminate this form of inherited blindness in dogs, but owners usually dont realize their pet has PRA until it is middle-aged. Learn about PRA and the latest study published by the University of Cambridge.
Your dog could be at risk of incurable blindness (PRA)
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) is a group of inherited diseases that causes progressive degeneration of the light-sensitive cells at the back of the eye. Dogs with PRA have normal sight at birth, but they become totally blind by the age of four or five.
Owners usually dont realize their dog has PRA until it is middle-aged, by which time it might have bred, and passed on the faulty gene to its puppies. PRA is not a painful condition, so it is rarely noticed in the early stages of development. Usually, the first sign noticed in a dog is night blindness.
Dogs affected by PRA tend to be nervous at night, may be reluctant to go into dark rooms, or may bump into things when the light is dim. VCA Animal Hospitals explains that people owning dogs that are developing PRA often observe that their pet‘s eyes have become very reflective when light shines on them and that the pupils are more dilated than normal.
There is currently no treatment for PRA, but a new genetic test will be able to identify and eliminate it from dogs.
Scientists at The University of Cambridge have identified the genetic mutation that causes PRA in English Shepherd Dogs and developed a test to help eliminate the disease from future generations of the breed. The results have been�published in the journal�Genes.
A senior author of the report Dr Cathryn Mellersh stated: “An owner won’t necessarily notice their dog has got anything wrong with its eyes until it starts bumping into the furniture. Unlike humans who will speak up if their sight isnt right, dogs just have to get on with things.”
A new genetic test will eliminate PRA in dogs
Having developed a DNA test for PRA in English Shepherd Dogs gives people the ability to know which dogs carry the disease before their eyesight starts to fail, and this provides a tool to guide breeding decisions, so the disease is not passed on to puppies.
The new discovery means that progressive retinal atrophy can now be completely eliminated from the English Shepherd Dog population very quickly. The English Shepherd is a breed of herding dog popular in the United States and is closely related to the Border Collie.
A researcher and author of the report Katherine Stanbury explained that the DNA test means “theres no reason why another English Shepherd Dog ever needs to be born with this form of progressive retinal atrophy it gives breeders a way of totally eliminating the disease.”
The team who found the results offers a commercial canine genetic testing service that will now offer a DNA test for PRA in English Shepherds. The testing kit costs �48 and allows people to take a swab from inside their dogs mouth and send it back for testing.
PRA is similar to a disease called retinitis pigmentosa in humans, which also causes blindness, and the researchers say that their work with dogs could shed light on the human version of the disease.
