Health-testing
by Lindsay B. (bahamutt99)
Before I launch into an opinion-loaded piece about the importance of health-testing in a breeding program, perhaps I should define what it is.
Many amateur breeders are not even aware of health-testing, or why it is important to breeding healthier dogs. Unforunately, a lot of people are convinced that a visit to the veterinarian will tell them everything they need to know when they want to breed a litter. A standard vet check prior to a breeding will probably include a check for parasites, maybe some bloodwork. In the end, your vet will probably tell you that your dogs are not sick, and yes, they have a uterus and testicles so they can definitely whelp a litter. True health-testing digs much deeper, and seeks to identify carriers of crippling and increasingly common genetic diseases that are affecting our purebred dogs.
So when I refer to health testing, I am talking about the following:
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) offers tests for hips, elbows, patellas (kneecaps), cardiac, thyroid, eyes, hearing, shoulders, some skin diseases, and a hip disorder commonly affecting small dogs. They also offer DNA testing. PennHip is another organization that offers hip testing, utilizing different methods than the OFA.
Some of these tests are very important for our breed, others not so much so. Most would agree that hips are probably the top concern. My opinion is that the cardiac, elbows and patellas are also important to a working breed.
At any rate, why health test the American Pit Bull Terrier? Especially with all the contention that our breed is a healthy one? Many breeders wont touch health-testing because they feel it is a waste of money. Some believe that by working a dog hard, they will see everything they need to see about the genetic health of that dog. Still others resent the implication that an organization can tell them if their dog is healthy or not. I’ve even heard it suggested that by testing a dog, you are indicating a distrust of that dog’s breeder. I may not be a breeder, but I am an informed puppy buyer, and I aint buying none of that.
Health-testing is a tool. It can help us breed away from dogs carrying these diseases. Because like it or not, admit it or not, these problems are in our breed. They are not exclusive to one strain or type of dogs, and have affected standard-sized, hard-working dogs right alongside the big, bulky, overdone dogs. Being bred for performance is preferable, but it is still not a “get out of jail free” card for the Pit Bull. The working drive and pain threshold is so high in this breed that afflicted dogs may work their hearts out without ever giving any indicator that they are unsound.
When we think of dogs prone to hip dysplasia, we generally think of the German Shepherd (or GSD). At one point, these dogs were the poster child for a world of crippling deformities. However, by careful health testing and responsible breeding, GSD breeders have improved the quality of their hips substantially. Since 1980, they’ve decreased their incidence of dysplastic hips by over 20%. They now rank better than the APBT for hips, with over 8000 dogs tested.
I feel that we’ve really dropped the ball on health-testing in our breed. I’ve heard estimates that there are up to 4 million of these dogs in the US. Even if these numbers are grossly inflated, the registration numbers for APBTs are higher than the AKC’s registration numbers for Labrador Retrievers, which are generally considered the most popular breed in America. For our booming population, which seems to include new breeders popping up daily, we have a mere 483 dogs tested to date for hip dysplasia. The AmStaff (Amercian Staffordshire Terrier) people, who are generally cited as the reason for the decline of the APBTs health, have logged over 2000 dogs already tested. Much as it may hurt my reputation to side with the AmStaffers – before any AmStaff people take offense, that’s satire – I’d say they’ve got the right idea. At least they’re making the effort to identify the dogs who may be carrying the disease.
I am an admitted idealist. I like to hope for the best, and I’ve got some strong notions about how I would do things if I were a breeder. At least the ethics are already in place. For my own edification, I had my female health-tested for several things. I will never make that $234 back by breeding her, but I feel that if I ask her to do any work, even just the weekend weight pull, I owe it to her to make sure she’s healthy. It just makes sense to me that someone who is adding to the gene pool should do the same thing.
A bit off the subject, but still somewhat related. Above I mentioned that Loki’s health-testing cost $234. That is roughly half the price of a nicely-bred puppy. As a person who was several years ago in the position of looking for a dog — and who looked for several years before picking a breeder – I came to realize something. I was not about to give my money to someone who didn’t health-test, because what was I paying them for? If a person is out there showing their dogs, working their dogs, health-testing their dogs, you can see where your money goes. However, if all somebody does is feed ‘em and breed ‘em, why should they profit from that? I want to put my name next to a breeder who is striving to improve the breed, not just add more to its population.
Here are some numbers I’d like to throw out there for those who still aren’t sure about health-testing. These numbers are current as of the writing of this blog. Source for the health stats: http://www.offa.org/
The APBT ranks 27th out of 142 breeds for hip dysplasia. 22.2% of our breed is dysplastic, versus only 4.8% excellent. The rate of dysplastic hips is up more than 7% since 1990. (The AmStaff’s percentage of hip dysplasia dropped 9% during that same period.)
The APBT ranks 15th out of 82 breeds for elbow dysplasia. 14% of tested dogs are dysplastic.
In a poll of 3 Pit Bull internet forums, 88% consider health-testing to be “very important” to a breeding program.
These numbers speak volumes to me. 200K new registrations per year, a whopping 483 dogs screened for hip dysplasia. 22.2% dysplastic. We can breed better dogs than that. I feel we owe it to the breed, especially if we don’t want to see them become just another show breed with all the inherent problems. But you can’t breed away from these problems if you don’t know they’re there. Like I said, health-testing is a tool. And you can’t build anything without the right tools.
Lindsay & Loki - OFA hips/elbows/patellas, CERF