Letter in the Dog Press concering Blindness in Gordons

[Carol Gill]

It has come to light that there maybe a problem with our Gordons concerning blindness at 7ys and over the letter was put in the paper by Bonnie Scougal(Shannas) and Yvonne Horrocks (Carek) i am just wondering what happens now? are the 3 Gordon Setter Clubs going to take action and let members know what we are to do? i aim to get my Gordons DNA tested but am unsure where i send the info, i think a certain number of dogs carrying these specific dogs in there pedigree need to be tested before the ball can start rolling, anyone got any further info?

[Silvia]

found another little update on the GSA side - hope it is ok to copy it
into this forum ...

[Kim]

Thanks Silvia that you post the update here.

[Wendy Smith ~ Kewstoke]

The subject of PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) has not been discussed lately. So here is the latest information on the collection of DNA samples from dogs clinically diagnosed and blind with PRA. The AHT (Animal Health Trust) are collecting the samples and working towards finding the mutation marker which causes the disease. Once this marker is identified it will be possible for all Gordon Setters to have a DNA test to know whether they are clear, carriers or will become affected and loose their sight. In order to do this research the AHT desperately needs samples from dogs affected with PRA, the minimum number of samples necessary to start the research is 12 - 15 from unrelated dogs, but more is definitely better. The current number of affected DNA samples they hold are 15.

If any of you reading this, know of a dog which lost it's eyesight before the age of 10, would you please encourage the owner to have an eyetest ifPRA is confirmed then contact the AHT in England for a swab kit. Or contact me direct, for any help I will gladly give. The pedigree information is also necessary but will be kept confidential, the affected dogs names do not have to appear on the list shown on the GSA & BGCS websites unless the owner gives direct permission.

The other cheek swab samples absolutely necessary to help in the research are from Gordons over 10 years old that have good eyesight and a clear eye test, these are called controls. An equal number of controls are required to match the number of affected samples. Presently the number of controls submitted for over 10 year olds are only 10. All the people that partake will be making a very important contribution for the future health of this lovely breed. There must be so many of you who do have Gordons over 10 years old with good eyesight, so please make the effort. The cheek swab sample is very easy to do and totally painless for the dog, the eye test also is not stressful.

There are regular updates on the progress of the research available to read online at the GSA and BGSC websites.

Good wishes to all fellow gordoners

[Annette Mappin]

Thanks for the update Wendy