Hereditary
Defects Advice - Introduction
Introduction
In most dog
breeds,
hereditary defects do occur. We in the
Border Collie Club of Great Britain are quite willing to admit to the
presence
of hereditary defects in our breed, but would like to point out that in
our
estimation, the Border Collie is still one of the soundest of breeds.
The committee of the BCCGB was,
as most enthusiasts will
know, the first to encourage breed lovers to reduce the incidence of
hereditary
defects in our breed. To this end,
advice sheets have been produced by the BCCGB since 1990.
In recent years it has been necessary to
revise the advice sheets as more is learned about the hereditary
diseases, and
as DNA tests have become available. This
latest advice sheet was revised with the help of the British Veterinary
Association and specialists in each area, in January 2011.
The committee strongly commends
those who have made a
determined effort to reduce the incidence of hereditary defects in the
breed. We applaud those who have had the
courage to state publicly that they have found a hereditary problem in
their
own stock and we would without hesitation recommend their stock to
those
seeking puppies or breeding stock.
There is no shame in producing
an animal with a hereditary
defect. They are unfortunately there in
the breed and will only be eliminated when all breeders are willing to
face the
problems and deal with them. The only
shame that occurs is when less enlightened breeders refuse to face up
to the
facts and seek to hide the truth from their fellows.
If breeders ignore hereditary problems and
continue to breed from stock they know to be defective, there will be
only one
possible future for the breed – a slippery downward slope.
The following information is
intended to guide those who
seek to improve the breed and eradicate or at least reduce, the
incidence of
hereditary problems.
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