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THE HEALTH OF OUR BREED:
TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL
DISCUSSIONS WITH DR. GEORGE A. PADGETT D.V.M.
Professor Emeritus of Veterinary Pathology, Michigan
State University
AUTHOR OF THE CONTROL OF CANINE GENETIC DISEASE
Co-authored by Dale Malony and Judy Huston
When Judy Huston read The Control of Canine Genetic Disease in
1999, it sparked a flame in her and inspired a new drive in her life. She
was motivated to apply the principles described in Dr. Padgett’s book to
improve the health of a whole breed, and in almost no time, she had
conducted a health survey of over 1000 dogs and generated excitement among
many breed club members. That survey has since developed into a
multi-pronged project independent of any breed club, and is positively
impacting the decision making process for many breeders as they strive to
pick the ideal match and produce the best and healthiest puppies possible.
This project not only includes genetic disease tracking, but also
involves developing projects for breeder/owner education and a worldwide
internet database of our dogs. Since every dog alive is at least carrier
of genetic diseases, there are still a large number of dogs that need to
be surveyed and tracked in order to truly improve the health of our breed.
Inspiration
Kyra Says "PLEASE"
Little did Judy know that her Kyra
(Crystal’s Lady in Red) would become a statistic to be included in the
next genetic health survey. Kyra was the inspiration for Judy’s initial
desire to learn about the diseases which affect our dogs and pushed her to
keep on keepin’ on, even when it seemed progress had slowed to a crawl.
(See Judy’s article, "Loving Kyra" also in this edition of the Annual.)
Kyra was born September 20, 1995,
and until December 2001, she was the healthiest, happiest, highest-drive
dog Judy had ever been around – bossy and spoiled too. Sadly, in January
2002, Kyra was simultaneously diagnosed with Cauda Equina Syndrome, Spinal
Stenosis, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Eosinophilic Ulcerative Colitis/Proctitis).
On January 22, 2002, a discectomy and a nucleotomy of the L7-S1 disc were
performed. |
