I have always loved dogs. Pembroke corgis have been part of my life for over forty years and I have had golden retrievers for more than twenty years. The dogs and I have a wonderful life on twenty acres just outside of Oberon NSW where there are plenty of opportunities to run and play in the paddocks, the Campbells River and our large trout stocked dam.
I occasionally have puppies available to suitable new homes and I go to considerable lengths to prepare them for the best possible adjustment to their new lives. All dogs that leave us are happy, healthy and emotionally secure. They are not available to anyone who cannot provide them with the same level of care, love and safety that they have with me.
We test our corgis for hereditary problems affecting their
hips, elbows, eyes and hearts before we breed from them.
Pembroke Corgis & Hereditary Health Problems
Many breeds of pedigree dogs are prone to hereditary diseases. Responsible breeders and breed clubs attempt to identify problems in their breed and develop programs to test for, minimise and eliminate them. Health testing in Australian pembroke corgis is still at an early stage but the development of a comprehensive assessment and screening program for the Nireno team has been a high priority for a number of years and we now have health results for several generations of breeding.
Our corgis are tested for hereditary problems before we breed from them. The test values are significant, but unfortunately they are unable to provide certainty in regard to the health status of their offspring. The identification and testing programs provide breeders with indications of problems and guidelines for future mating, not comprehensive guarantees. Genetic conditions involve many factors, are extremely complex, and information is not always readily available. In short, health testing is valuable as a means of risk minimisation, not elimination, at least in the short term. We hope that over time risk minimisation strategies will lead to risk elimination.
Hips
Tendency to hip dysplasia is assessed by x-raying adult dogs under general anaesthetic. A specialist then examines the x-rays and 'scores' them. Low scores are preferable. Our dogs are rated using the British system which at present ranks pembrokes with a breed average of 19.9 points. So far Nireno have hip tested ten pemmies resulting in a current in-house average score of 10.7 (out of a possible 106 points). It should be noted that these results do not constitute a statistically viable sample as there have only been fifteen Australian and New Zealand pems x-rayed and scored using this system. More of the team will be x-rayed and scored during 2011 and beyond.
Elbows
It is simple to include an elbow x-ray while the dog is having its hips done and a worthwhile exercise in avoiding possible future problems.
Eyes
Adult dogs are examined for hereditary eye faults by a veterinary ophthalmologist. Only dogs which have clear (no hereditary problems) eye certificates are bred from.
Hearts
Our dogs must be certified as free of hereditary heart problems by a specialist in internal medicine before we breed from them.
VWD
We have not had a problem with VWD but are about to begin a program in order to bring us into line with overseas standards for health testing.
We are happy to provide further information on individual dogs, their scores and our health testing program on request.
Golden Retrievers and Hereditary Health Problems
Many breeds of pedigree dogs are prone to hereditary diseases. Responsible breeders and breed clubs attempt to identify problems in their breed, and develop programs to test for, minimise and eliminate them.
Our golden retrievers are tested for hereditary problems before we breed from them. The test values are significant, but unfortunately they are unable to provide certainty in regard to the health status of their offspring. The identification and testing programs provide breeders with indications of problems and guidelines for future mating, not comprehensive guarantees. Genetic conditions involve many factors, are extremely complex, and information is not always readily available. In short, health testing is valuable as a means of risk minimisation, not elimination, at least in the short term. We hope that over time risk minimisation strategies will lead to risk elimination.
Hips
Tendency to hip dysplasia is assessed by X-raying adult dogs under general anaesthetic. A specialist then examines the X-rays and ‘scores’ them. Australian golden retrievers have an average breed score of 16 points out of a maximum 106. The international average for golden retriever hip scores is 19. Low scores are preferable to high. We only breed from dogs with below average hip scores.
Elbows
There is less information on golden retriever elbows than hips, due to the shorter length of time the program has been operating. However information is being collected and used by responsible breeders. Adult dog’s X-rays are assessed by a specialist and ranked from 0-5. Low scores are preferable and we do not breed from dogs with a score higher than 1/1.
Eyes
Adult dogs are examined annually for hereditary eye faults by a veterinary ophthalmologist. Only dogs which have clear (no hereditary problems) eye certificates are bred from.
Hearts
Our dogs must be certified as free of hereditary heart problems by a specialist in internal medicine before we breed from them.