Hip dysplasia is caused by looseness in the hip joint.  The looseness creates abnormal wear and erosion of the joint and results in the development of arthritis. 

Canine hip dysplasia is a very common degenerative joint disease seen in dogs.  The dysplastic dog may have no pain or problems, or it may experience mild to severe discomfort.

Treatment of hip dysplasia can be conservative or surgical.  Conservative therapy consists of weight control, moderate exercise, and analgesics (pain relief medication).  Another medical approach to the treatment of degenerative arthritis secondary to hip dysplasia involves the use of products called polysulfated glycosaminoglycans or PSGAGs. 

Test for Hip Dysplasia

The method used by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) has been the standard for many years.  Radiographs are taken by a local veterinarian under specific guidelines and are then submitted to the OFA for evaluation of hip dysplasia and certification of hip status.  The X-ray can be performed at any age, but the OFA will only give a "Preliminary" rating on dogs under the age of two.  The radiographs are reviewed by three radiologists and a consensus score is assigned based on the dog's hip conformation relative to other individuals of the same breed and age.  Hips are scored as normal (excellent, good, fair), borderline dysplastic, or dysplastic (mild, moderate, severe).  Dogs with hips scored as normal will receive an OFA number.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) is a genetically transmitted eye disease found in about 80 breeds of dogs.  PRA causes the blood vessels of the retina to atrophy, or waste away.  The end result of retinal atrophy is a gradual but progressive blindness.  The condition is irreversible, and there is no cure.

Although prcd-PRA is inherited, it can be avoided in future generations by testing dogs before breeding.  Identification of dogs that do not carry disease genes is the key.  These "clear" dogs can be bred to any mate - even to a prcd-affected dog.

Test for PRA

A service company called OptiGen offers a DNA-based test for PRA.  The test is done on a small sample of blood obtained by your veterinarian.  Tested dogs will receive one of three ratings:

• Normal/Clear (Pattern A *) - clear of the PRA gene
• Carrier (Pattern B *) - will not be affected but carries the gene
• Affected (Pattern C *) - may be affected

* For reports dated March 1, 2004 through May 31, 2005

"Carrier" and "Affected" dogs can be bred to "Normal/Clear" rated non-carriers, as the resulting litters will not produce affected dogs.

Rare and infrequently reported eye problems include cataracts, entropian eyelids, keratoconjunctivitis and PPM (persistent pupillary membrane). 

CERF test

These and other eye problems can be identified by a Canine Eye Registration Foundation (CERF) exam.

The CERF exam is performed by board-certified Veterinary Ophthalmologists throughout the U.S.  Breeding animals should have a yearly eye exam and non-breeding dogs should have a CERF exam at least every 3 years.  Dogs who have had a CERF will have an official certificate that includes the year of the exam.

GM-1 Storage disease is a rare disease which is only found in humans and the Portuguese Water Dog.  It is a recessive, genetic disorder that can be produced only when two carriers are bred together.  The disorder is caused by a lack of an enzyme that allows the build up of toxic substances in the nerve cells.  It is fatal to affected puppies.

Test for GM-1

The Neurogenetics Program of New York University offers a swab test which determines the genetic status of a dog for GM-1.  The test is performed on puppies as young as one week of age and on older dogs at any time.  The test results rate the dogs as Non-Carriers or Carriers of the GM-1 gene.

The ONLY way Affected puppies can be produced is by breeding a Carrier to a Carrier.  A Carrier bred to a Non-Carrier produces some Carrier puppies and some Non-Carrier puppies, but NO Affected puppies.  Carrier and Non-Carrier PWD's are all equally healthy dogs.

This is a recessively inherited heart disease which causes sudden death in puppies between the ages of five weeks and seven months.  At this time, there is no cure.

Test for JDCM

A DNA linked marked test for JDCM became available October 22, 2007.  This blood test is being performed by the University of Pennsylvania.

JDCM Linked Marker DNA Test FAQs by PennGen

Breeders must weigh many factors when making decisions for their breeding programs.  They may have a dog with a known health issue that is outstanding in virtually every other way.  The breeder may decide it is worthwhile to breed that dog, with careful selection of its mate, in an effort to continue the good qualities and hopefully breed out the bad.

It is perfectly ok to breed a dog that carries a recessive disease gene, as long as it is bred to a non-carrier.  The resulting puppies will not suffer from the disease (though some of them may be carriers of the gene).

No one can guarantee that a dog will not ever have any health problems, so a puppy buyer cannot expect a breeder to make such a promise.  But one can expect a breeder to have done the tests that are available and to have made breeding decisions accordingly. 

If you are thinking of purchasing a PWD puppy and would like to make an informed decision, we recommend that you ask the breeder to provide the following information for the sire and dam of the litter:

• OFA Rating
• Optigen Rating
• GM-1 Rating
• CERF Number
• JDCM Linked Marker Test Result