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| Why Is Genetic Research So Important? by Bernd Völxen |
| It was in October 1998, when I had first met Dr. Jeff Sampson briefly at a seminar in Oxford / UK. My disappointment rose, when I noticed, that only two handful of English Great Dane Breeders attended the Introductionary Seminar into DNA Research. Why was there no more interest for such an important issue? Dr. Sampson was described by the dog-press to be the “genetic guru” and had been appointed by the UK Kennel Club. The dog press was full of articles of his work. Now there is a lot more information receivable by internet pages of the “Health Issues – subtitle: Genetic Co-Ordinator” of the UK Kennel Club.
(see: http://www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/) Let me go back in time for a few years. Most of us breeders look for a breeding, that brings not only healthy puppies, but also do they have to be good for the show ring. There is nothing wrong with this, but what priorities do you set? What is first? Conformation Oh yes, surely. We all do respect the breeding rules set by the club and the Breed Standard and most of us even work in such committees for the benefit of the breed – so we say. We have the hips, the elbows screened. There are different ways to do that, but in the meantime as even after more than 20 years of doing that we have come to the conclusion, that we need more security, as the hip displasy is not yet bred out and we look for more secure ways to deal with it. We do the conformation presentation. The German Rules demand two breed commissioners to inspect the dog visually according to many different parameters. The pedigree with Vet.University’s certification of the hip displasy grade needs to be presented to them too. The bite is controlled, the set of teeth and the gait needs to be seen. Temperament is another item to be scrutinized. Some routines appear a folly. The EuDDC member countries have even agreed to do the same routines. Despite this the president of Austrian Club warned, that breeders go for conformation into countries, where the hip screening is not done – the permission to breed yet is given without it. So, are we safe ? Why then do we still face the large range of heriditary diseases ? Dog shows and breed value Eventually show organizers will tar and feather me, but I still have the opinion, that breed shows should put more emphasis on promoting healthy dogs instead of looking for the “beauty of the beast”. The show circus often is mainly held in order to promote business. Yes business, because look at those giant shows, where thousands of exhibits and exhibitors, let alone the visitors, create huge business. The pet food industry is right in promoting such shows – never kill a cow that produces milk for you. Where on earth do we promote the health of our breed then ? Inside the ring by becoming frustrated, as the breed judge doesn’t agree with our own assessment on our dogs ? Does this show refer to the health of a breed ? I don’t say “stop the shows” NO – we need them to meet and discuss our concerns. We need them to find the breed material we need to go on with our passion. Hence we must be present at those events to unite our aim to improve the breed’s health. There shouldn’t be any national or international title awarded alone by the looks of the exhibit. There are other parameters than movement, angulation, etc. Yes true, but all those don’t guarantee the health of my bitches progeny if I go for a mating with that Crowned Champion. Come think of it – do you really expect to breed Champions out of a Champion as so many advertise on their websites ? For me it is embarrassing that I read in club magazines, that the judges must pay more attention to the set of teeth instead of promoting efforts to apply the revolutionary means of microbiology and genetic research. A missing tooth never has caused the death of a great dane. A dane never starves if the scissor bite is incorrect. But cardiological defects, which are hidden will cause death and mutltiple pain to owners who loose a gentle compagnion. Genetic Pool This word is now being read more often, much more often than in the past. The Veterinary Science has made enormous progress and shows ways out. Out of the dilemma, that we breed with a stock, that is so closely related that we can find in almost all pedigrees the names of the same ancestors by going back about 7 or 8 generations. This alone is a reason to be alarmed. Unless we care for more intensive research on how to improve the health of our breed we may soon end up in having only sick stock. Am I exaggerating ? Well, in the late seventies we still had great danes, that lived by average for 9 to 11 years. Now we regard a dog with 8 years of age as a veteran ? We rear a great dane with utmost care to ensure their good health and a long lifespan. But what efforts do we make to ensure that ? We have to watch them dying at the age of 3 years or younger. I am not the gifted geneticist to throw a few sentences into the discussion and pray for the salvation of breeders who go on unperturbed and breed sick stock. I am sick and tired of having to face so much arrogance and greed. “If the dogs die early I can sell more” a breeder said and was not ashamed of his mean ethics. As constructive criticism is not appreciated by the club officials in many countries, where the breeders hardly have a voice, resignation was often the only conclusion and a lot of knowledge of experienced breeders is lost. Without analyzing the genetic heritage and consequently registering all those datas we cannot expect improvements. It is a must to implement a DNA analysis of all blood samples, that right now are only used to prove parental matters. What a waste! We must arrive at a genetic information sheme, that gives us the opportunity to breed nearest to the parameters, wanted in our Breed Standard. Here we must be ready to disclose problems of our dogs – discuss them openly – help others as we had received help on our problems. I consider it a strong ethical demand of breeders to admit that there are difficulties. Selective breeding with genetic knowledge – does this sound so futuristic ? Colour – a vital aspect We must, I repeat must face the facts. In-colour-breeding limits the chances to get away from our problem. Line breeding can only survive if the breeding stock is healthy. What gurantees are there ? The plain answer is - NONE ! Because we have no clear analysis of the existing stock. The limitation of genetic variability is manifested in our present way of breeding. Let alone the mutation of genes, which goes on uncontrolled as of now. As long as detailed knowledge is still lacking we are “fishing in the dark” . The careful attempts of the French Doggen Club to evaluate the breed value and the heritage of the merle ( gris bigarré de noir) in our breed is watched by the major part of the other Clubs in Europe. “The merle is having standard colour progeny by being bred with harlequin and black “said the president of the Lituanian Great Dane Club in Topol’cianky/Slovakia at the EuDDC-delegates meeting in September 2004.. But the merle coat cannot be bred out , despite the merle puppies have been killed by most breeders since long. Why not selectively, with the assistance and support of genetic knowledge, include this vital variety into our breeding programs ? We will not loose one of the existing colours and must be more tolerant towards what we call “a faulty colour”. Is faulty colour equal to sick dog ? Nature has during its evolution often brought astonishing development . How come, that we impose to breed a breed by its coat colour as priority factor ? The variability is bound to be the survival power of any species - or does this not count for dogs ? Is there a way out ? Is DNA the key ? There again the plain answer is YES! If the breeders and cub officials were just listening to the patient mentoring of the geneticists, who constantly relate to us, that by starting a field research with at least 300 blood samples and analyse the actual population by DNA determination we would find the way to go on breeding with disease free stock. We may not be able have a completely disease free stock in short terms, but we will gradually arrive there. How is that possible ? Let me come back to Dr.Jeff Sampson’s simple explanations on this . The 300 blood donors will be passing a DNA-analysis anonymously and markers will be set at the chromosomes. Out of those samples the ones which are carriers of diseases are found. Each time this procedure, which needs approximately 18 months of laboratory work, allows to determine one (of so many) diseases. Breeding with stock, that was identified as being carrier or non-carrier would give us the possibility to achieve within three generations a stock free of the one disease that was sought out to be screened and eliminated. In 1998 the Great Dane Club est.1883 of Great Britain, that was the first to introduce this new technology and present it to the Great Dane Breeders that decided after a poll to start the DNA Research for the “Wobbler Syndrome”. Since then they try to raise the funds ( which was estimated to be 30 000 Lbs Sterling in 1998 ) however have not yet arrived at this status. This is at slow pace for whatever reason. Whenever in the past few years I touched this subject in discussions with English Breeders I was warned to be diplomatic. No one epxlained to me why. I am ready for suggestions – still. The fear of many breeders to get involved in such a study and be exposed for having sick stock is understandable. Let me add to this as much. No breeder to my knowledge has any idea of the overall genetic heritage his breeding stock possesses. Yes you know about the temperament – about the looks – you know that there are the lines, that produce “Champions”. Come on - do you really? NO – none of us knows about the genes, that are responsible for so many of the hereditary diseases, that we fight against. Consequently, when we select for a mating we go for the looks of stud or a bitch. This has been so for decades. So we breeders are only half way responsible for breeding sick stock ? Not quite, as the visible signs of a wobbler or a displastic dog should forbid to breed them. And the visible signs of a sick dog, suffering from Cardioomeopathy are there – why do we ignore them? But then it is already too late, as most dogs have already sick progeny. As the German Breeder and genetic expert Dr.Krautwurst had said: “it is a quarter past twelve already”. Go and support the research for DNA and Microbiology, please. Our breed, called “the Apoll” will benefit from your efforts. It must not be one country alone to fight for the health of our noble breed. In the modern times of internet we all can join a movement and improve the life of our beloved Great Dane. We have wasted so much time already – let alone the suffering of our beautiful breed. |