Health

• Education Study
• Important Anesthetic Information
• Combined AMTC/CMTC Thyroid Survey Results
• Health Survey Information
• AKC Canine Health Foundation
• VetGen: Manchester Terrier Findings
• VetGen: Interpreting Results and Planning Breedings

Important Please take time to participate - Heart Study Dedicated to the Manchester Terrier

Health and Educational Studies

The Health Committees of the Canadian Manchester Terrier Club (CMTC) and American Manchester Terrier Club (AMTC) are asking for your help in dealing with serious heart problems affecting our breed.  MORE

Important: Read Updated Manchester Heart Study & Cardiomyopathy information updated Apr '08

Health concerns:

There are two heritable diseases present in the Manchester Terrier:  Legges-Perthes Syndrome (also known as “toy dog hip dysplasia”) and von Willebrand's Disease, which is a bleeding disorder somewhat analogous to hemophilia in humans. As may be discerned from its nickname, Legges-Perthes is more frequently seen in the Toy Manchester than in the Standard, although it has also been found occasionally in the Toy's larger cousin. It is caused by a faulty circulatory system around the head of the femur which ends with the head of the femur dying and pulling away from the hip socket and the hip dislocating.  Hence, its similarity to canine hip dysplasia, although not for the same reason.  Palpation by a vet or even by an experienced breeder can detect looseness in the hip joints which might indicate the presence of Legges-Perthes.   

Von Willebrand's Disease (vWD) results from low levels of clotting factor in the bloodstream, and is hereditary.  The gene for normal blood clotting is the dominant gene; the gene for vWD is recessive.  Therefore, it requires the inheritance of one recessive gene from each of the parents for a puppy to display symptoms of vWD.  Fortunately, there is now a DNA test for vWD which tells whether a dog is Clear (has two normal genes), a Carrier (one normal gene and one vWD gene) or Affected (two vWD genes – a “bleeder”).  Reputable breeders have their breeding stock DNA tested so as to ensure they never produce Affected puppies, and many, through judicious breeding and testing, have established breeding lines entirely clear of vWD. 

Other health issues common to dogs in general exist also in the Manchester Terrier.  Incidents of epilepsy, heart disease(s), and skin disease(s) of various kinds have been reported.  However, the Manchester does not suffer a high incidence of these problems as compared with the general canine population.   Important Anesthetic Information

[ Breed Standard ] [ Breed Health ] [ Breed History ] [ Breed Particulars ] [ Illustrated Standard ] [ Versatile Manchesters ]

Health and Educational Studies

Canine Epilepsy Research at North Carolina State University <Request received Nov 7,2008>

To Whom it May Concern,

We are currently recruiting dogs for a research project which is looking for a genetic link to drug response in epileptic dogs. The project is being performed in the Department of Genetics and College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University. Much current research is designed to find out why some dogs get epilepsy. We're interested in a more practical question, namely why some dogs fail to respond to anti-epileptic drugs, specifically Phenobarbital. The idea is that there is variation among dogs and breeds in their ability to digest the drug, or deliver it to the right part of the brain, or maybe even in how the drug affects their neurons. This approach has already shown promise as a way to help doctors dose drug treatments for epilepsy in humans. We are going to adopt some of the technology from the Human Genome Project for use in dogs. To do so, we need to compare the DNA from blood samples from dogs that do or do not respond to Phenobarbital.

We already have several Manchester Terriers enrolled in our study and felt that this study may be of interest to other owners of epileptic Manchester Terriers. Can you please help us spread the word regarding our research by directing your members to our website: www.carolinacaninee pilepsy.org or they can email me directly at carolinacanineepile psy@gmail. com ?

Thank you for your time,

Erin Kennerly, Doctoral Candidate
NCSU – Dept. of Genetics; Dr. Greg Gibson's Lab
(919) 513-3090   E-Mail:  carolinacanineepilepsy@gmail.com
www.carolinacanineepilepsy.org

K9 Behavioral & Genetic Study

The Canine Behavioral Genetics Project is a collaboration between Dr. Steven Hamilton of the University of California, San Francisco and Dr. Karen Overall of the University of Pennsylvania.  Our project is currently recruiting participants and collecting DNA samples from both purebred and mixed-breed dogs.  Specifically, we are looking for:  1) To explore the relationship between genes and behavior, both normal and abnormal, in domestic dogs. 2) To assess the amount and nature of genetic diversity in domestic dogs, both within and between breeds. <more>

 

Go Back