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Part IT his has been a very productive year for all of us. The SSDCA joined us to sponsor the Health Survey 2000, and we have all been working very hard to compile enough data so that Dr. Padgett can help us to focus on eliminating/reducing the incidence of many of the diseases we are seeing in our breed. We diligently mailed out a “survey package” that consisted of 17 full (small print) pages to every person that has registered their dog, since our data base started! Over 800 of these packets were mailed. Unfortunately, about 10% of those surveys were returned because many forwarding orders had expired. In each case where we received a new address, or were able to otherwise locate a more recent one, the packets were re-mailed. Yet so far fewer than 100 replies have been received out of all these Shiloh owners. The rest of the data that has been collected came from breeders that supplied information on the dogs they have owned over the past 9 years. We are aware of the fact that hundreds of puppies were also born into the counterfeit “registry” over the past 2 years, and that documentation of the health problems that this group has been experiencing is important to the overall welfare of the entire breed! Yet, we have been unable to locate most of these “Shiloh” owners although we have provided a special section just for them. If you know any of these people, or have a current address for them, please contact the Genetic Task Force (GTF) with this information, or just ask your friends to complete the survey that is available on our web site, with full instructions, and send it in! We have extended our deadline for data collection until 5/31/2001. Each month, as new data is collected, we will be updating our Internet charts.Our GTF leaders have been very busy contacting breeders and owners in order to meet our quota of 700 reports. Hundreds of hours have already been spent on making phone calls across the country, in an effort to collect more data! AWSA (American White Shepherd Association) members were also told that they would need a minimum of 665 completed surveys, but were actually able to collect over 1,000!! I know that if we all team up to help our GTF we can accomplish (and possibly even exceed) our goals too!!!! As a reminder, here are the names and phone numbers of the Genetic Task Force:
Although we now have 2427 Shilohs in our database we also have over 45,000 ancestors, enabling us to run the most intense detailed Inbreeding Coefficient reports ever possible. Out of the 1562 puppies born into the ISSR as of the end of our last fiscal year (9/00) we have registered only 1162 Shiloh Shepherds via the TCCP. This total does not include the hundreds of puppies that were born, out of ISSR parents but taken into the various other club/groups and have obtained some other/fake type of computer generated certificates. The more data we are able to collect on every dog born, the more accuracy we can attain for this survey. Our SSDCA secretary, also a member of the GTF, compiled some very interesting charts for my first seminar, regarding ways to help us eliminate these diseases from our gene-pool, held last November. We will continue to upgrade these charts as more data is collected, but for now I wanted to share a quick preview with all of you.
To begin with, as most of you know, our survey listed the same diseases that were mailed out in the AWSA questionnaire. Aside from the 8 Behavioral Problems listed, we also had 15 other categories with a total of 142 various diseases listed. To date we have received reports back with only 46 (out of the 154 possible) diseases potentially effecting our breed. This is GOOD news, since ALL breeds have defective genes. We are not concerned with proving that our dogs are genetically perfect, but with learning just what defects we DO carry and how often they appear! With this information, we can track back the sources and avoid breeding CARRIERS of the SAME defects, thus reducing the incidence of these problems within the entire breed! Yes, it is THAT simple!
(Please click on the chart to view at full size.) As of January 2001, we have collected data on 351 dogs. The above chart reflects 31% of the actual 1162 that qualify (fall within the age ranges of the above groups). On the next page we are reprinting one of Dr. Padgett’s charts from his AWSA seminar. True REB’s (Reputable Experienced Breeders) have always done in depth pedigree studies prior to selecting their breeding stock. They fully understood how the recessives work, and how to accentuate or eliminate certain desirable/undesirable characteristics. In most cases these breeders had to rely on genetic data provided to them by other breeders that were familiar with the littermates of the dogs in “their” lines. Attaining as much of this information as possible was imperative in making the best decisions for each combination. Using this system (see guide) will also allow us to reduce/eliminate the defective genes that are now permeating our breed! With adequate data, carriers can be identified and not bred to other carriers with the SAME defective genes. Please take some time to study this chart carefully. TABLE 5.6
*This chart is used for Autosomal Recessive Traits as
well as Polygenic Traits Any person that doesn’t fully understand these basic principles has no business producing puppies, much less calling themselves a “breeder.” It takes decades of dedication to a specific “program” before a true REB can expect to see the desired fruits of their labor! To complicate things even more, when working with heavily inbred lines, other principles also apply! A breeder must consider the RC percentages they will be working with, as well as the influence (especially homozygous) of each dog in the extended pedigree!! Most people that produce puppies only look at the “parents” for desirable “type” … without any honest consideration of the more important factors, like eliminating/reducing the incidence of genetic diseases in their stock. They are more concerned about how “pretty” or how “big” their puppies will be, then for the new owner that may wake up some morning to find his dog dead at the foot of his bed! SAS is one of the problems that was noted in our breed way back in the early 90’s when an accidental inbreeding happened. We know the original carriers, and we must continue to work carefully with that line to prevent this disease from fully polluting the entire genepool!! Unfortunately due to “politics’ (people producing puppies for profit) and the many “splinter” groups that resulted, much needed (recent) data has been lost. With this survey, we are working very hard to repair the cracks, and prepare a better future for our beloved dogs!
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| Other
ISSR, Inc. Reports: Breeding Related:
Health Survey (2000) and Ongoing Genetic Task Force Database:
HIPS:
Publications: Litter Evaluation Program Manual other articles of interest:
The ISSR at work, for the betterment of the Shiloh Shepherd™ Breed, since 1991. |
