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The House of Two Bows 雙寶之屋

~ a basenji, a shiba, and their human companions

The House of Two Bows 雙寶之屋

Tag Archives: orthopedic foundation for animals

DNA test for Fanconi Syndrome

09 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by M.C. in Bowpi the basenji, Health, Links

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

basenji, basenji health endowment, breeders, fanconi, health tests, orthopedic foundation for animals

Basenjis are vulnerable to a hereditary, incurable kidney disease called Fanconi Syndrome. However, there is a DNA test that is publicly available through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals that can let you know if your dog is clear, a carrier, or affected by this simple recessive genetic disease. It is very easy to find out the Fanconi status of any dog, whether they are a breeding stud, dam, or a spayed or neutered pet.

We tested Bowpi back in March 2010 when only the linked marker test was available. Her results came back as probably clear. This was a great relief.

In August 2011, the specific DNA mutation for Fanconi was found and a direct test was made available, replacing the previous linked marker test. Since the Basenji Health Endowment was partially subsidizing dogs that had been previously tested, I submitted a request for a retest kit.

IMG_2639
24 December 2011

For $65 USD (minus $15 for subsidized tests), you get a kit mailed directly to your home, containing:

  • Your order form with pre-printed mailing labels
  • Detailed instructions
  • Test sample card in a little manila envelope
  • Sterile applicator

Bowpi preps herself for her Fanconi test
29 December 2011

Dog not included. You provide your own.

The instructions are very clear. Just make sure that it’s been a couple hours since your dog has eaten. When ready, unwrap the sterile applicator…

Sterile applicator

Swab the inside of your dog’s mouth for several seconds to collect saliva and DNA.

Then press the moistened tip to the area indicated on the test card.

Pressing saliva sample onto test card

Reminds me of those Paint with Water kids’ activity books.

Wet test card

Then let the card air dry for about an hour, making sure that nothing else touches it while this happens.

Test card after drying

When dry, the white areas will show where DNA was successfully transferred.

Then all you have to do is put the card in the little manila pocket provided, put that in another envelope (I re-wrapped the manila envelope in the weatherproof Tyvek sleeve that the OFA originally sent everything in), affix one of the pre-printed address labels and a stamp, and drop it in the mailbox!

Sending the test card to the OFA

You are e-mailed a personal link to track the status of your order. When results are processed (could take several weeks), they’ll automatically be posted at a unique public entry for each dog on the OFA website. For example, here is Bowpi’s direct link:

http://www.offa.org/display.html?appnum=1414418#animal

We have no AKC registration for her, no records of her sire or dam, and her birthdate isn’t even correct (I think I just selected one of the dates on her previous veterinary records, but even those didn’t match). You don’t need any of this information to request a test. However, Bowpi is still searchable in the database by her name and/or her breed alone.

She is spayed and just a pet, but I wanted to have the test done so that I could know what to anticipate in regards to her health. As you can see, it is a simple, inexpensive (relative to the peace of mind offered), non-invasive procedure.

This test is not provided by the vet. It is done at home. Any breeder that claims their dogs have been “vet-checked” for Fanconi is suspect. Any breeder who is in a position to say that they’ve never had a problem with Fanconi in their lines can surely afford the $65 per dog to demonstrate that this is true.

All Fanconi results are made available to the public. Owners do not have the option of keeping test results to themselves, even if they do not come out as desired. Therefore, if a breeder’s dogs are not in the database, and the breeder cannot or will not provide you the public link so you can verify testing for yourself, it is fair to assume that this Fanconi DNA test has not been done.

I can think of no good reason why any Basenji breeder would not be testing their breeding stock.

[EDIT 27 January 2012: We got Bowpi’s OFA certificate in the mail this week. She’s Fanconi clear!]

[EDIT 4 February 2012: OFA website currently states: “It has come to our attention that there are technical problems with the new Fanconi Syndrome test for Basenjis. The reasons for these problems are under investigation. We are temporarily suspending testing until these problems are solved.” Test kits cannot be ordered at this time.]

[EDIT from e-mail received 12 February 2012: “Fanconi testing has been resumed. The problem has been identified and a change in the sequencing process implemented. Fewer than 25 dogs, all originally read as affected, will require retesting.”]

The cost of things: November 2011

02 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by M.C. in Bowdu the shiba inu, Bowpi the basenji, Finances, Stuff you can buy

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

basenji health endowment, basket muzzles, budgeting, dog muzzles, fanconi, inulin, merrick, orthopedic foundation for animals, probiotics, supplements

THE COST OF (PET) THINGS: November 2011

  • FOOD: $59
  • TREATS: $40
  • ACCESSORIES & MISC: $13
  • VET/MEDICAL: $50

TOTAL: $162
(Running average for 11 months so far: $257 / month)

Food:
IMG_3477The usual meat here and there, a refill of enough fish oil to last us months, and something new: a bottle of inulin to “enhance calcium absorption” and “promote probiotic bacteria growth“. A 180 gram container cost $8.99 around my parts. I picked up a bottle manufactured by Jarrow Formulas. It’s going to last a long time since I’m only adding a couple pinches of this sweet powder to the Bows’ wet meals. I’m also adding some to my own diet, when I remember — funny how I am more consistent with the dogs’ supplements than I am with my own. Anyway, we’ll give this a couple months and see where it goes.

Treats:
The usual treats here and there. Also picked up two pieces of Merrick’s Porky Jerky Pumpers (pig heart), since we seldom see pork meat-based treats in the store, aside from ears and snouts.

IMG_3485IMG_3490

At $3.99 for each 2.5 oz shrink-wrapped pack, it felt like a rip-off. I think I’d rather swing through the local Asian market and get the dogs the real, raw thing.

Or maybe it’s time to just invest in a dehydrator. Any recommendations?

Accessories:
Bowdu got a basket muzzle.

Basket muzzle training
1 November 2011

Vet/medical:
The Basenji Health Endowment was subsidizing OFA Fanconi retests for dogs who had previously submitted saliva samples. Even though Bowpi had originally tested Probably Clear/Normal for the linked marker test, even though it was unlikely that a probably clear dog would have their results change to becoming “affected,” even though she is spayed, and even though we have no pedigree information for her, I still wanted to take advantage of this discount for my own peace of mind.

We haven’t gotten the results back yet, but I’m not worried.

Ablaze
20 October 2011

A hypothetical puppy search in seven steps: internet tools to evaluate a breeder

17 Monday Oct 2011

Posted by M.C. in Links, Observations & opinions

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

AKC, aphis, basenji, breeders, commercial breeders, fanconi, Google, nextdaypets, orthopedic foundation for animals, puppies, puppy mills, puppyfind, shiba inu, usda

Well, it finally happened that a reader contacted The House of Two Bows to ask where they can get a Shiba puppy. So after waiting in the wings for weeks, it’s about time I drag out this follow-up to my puppy mill post.

I struggled with redundancy. What advice could I offer that hasn’t already been said a million times by others, and much more succinctly? Numerous versions of “The List” are already in circulation, even breed-specific ones (here is a Shiba-specific one that I can get behind; here is a descriptive list for Basenjis). Domestic puppy mills thrive while the USDA wages spurious battles against an imagined flood of foreign imports. This continues every day, so I may as well toss my tiny little wrench into this perpetual motion machine…

What follows is going to be tl;dr for most folks. You can skip my detailed commentary and jump to the bottom for a summary of useful links provided in this entry, if you prefer.

So say you have your heart set on a Shiba Inu or a Basenji puppy (my example breeds here for obvious personal reasons, though you can generalize). However, you’re starting from zero. What do you do?

airplane ears
29 April 2005. Puppies are irresistibly cute, even when they don’t fit breed standards or come from unethical kennels.

Let’s assume that most of us (or anyone who might be reading this) would take the first step by Googling the obvious — “shiba inu puppies for sale,” or “shiba puppy + [your state or region of residence]”, or “O’ Great Google Moogle, where can I buy a shiba inu puppy?” (since it seems common to address the search engine with a full sentence query as if it were a cognizant oracle).

Babam. Over a million results in less than a second. Three cheers for modern technology that delivers the whole world to your fingertips, in the comfort of your own home! But how do you process all this information?

Let’s pretend for the sake of this hypothetical search that you have no idea of any breeder’s reputation or practices and you have to work with what you find.

We’ll take one of the first sites to pop up and go from there. The steps below detail some ways that anyone can use the internet to help determine if you’re dealing with a decent breeder. There is no set order, nor will every step apply to every situation. But I hope that this demonstration will be specific and instructive enough to show that potential puppy buyers have many resources at their disposal. It would be a pity for you to ignore them, especially if you want to claim that you’ve done your research.

Step one: locate a puppy for sale.

Aha! Looky here! [Note: every screenshot below can be biggified with a click]

This breeder has a 10-week-old Shiba female named “Gorgeous” listed for sale. Sadly, there is no picture, nor is there any information about the puppy’s parents, the seller’s location, the puppy’s personality, or anything. Seems like this is the least she could offer if she’s asking $2000 for a pup. But maybe you’re lured by something like a promise of a beautiful and well-tempered puppy, or a proud declaration that this breeder has been in business for sooo many years, or an offer of pedigree papers or health guarantee or some other lucrative selling point. Perhaps you want to find out more.

Puppyfind and similar broker sites don’t have the puppies on hand, but they connect you to those who do. They give you full access to the breeder’s information if you register (and sometimes you have to pay). However, you realize you can easily bypass the fees if you contact the kennel directly. So you proceed to…

Step two: Identify and learn more about the puppy’s kennel.

Hey, look, the breeder you located on Puppyfind has their own website! Much more convenient! But how are you to scale this wall of text?

This breeder has a large number of links about the legitimacy of the AKC, a lengthy adoption purchase agreement (which is filled with some interesting contradictions that could make up an annotated reading on its own), tips on finding a good breeder, rescue, and so, so much more. Given this bounty of information, you feel like you’re dealing with a breeder who really knows her stuff, cares about her puppies, and loves dogs like you do.

However, it is not always the quantity of information offered that counts, but what is being said and how it maps onto the breeder’s practices. Don’t forget, the webpage is there to advertise the kennel — and they are, naturally, looking out for their own interests (and profits, where applicable). So as a smart consumer, what’s your next move?

Step three: Research the breeder.

This might be a relatively “new” step with altered stakes, enabled by the power of internet archives, but it remains a basic task of the puppy buyer. Researching the breeder is just as important as researching the breed itself. There are a few kennels where a brilliant, usually self-appraised reputation or flashy website masks long trails of bad business practices and heartbreak that would be easily uncovered if everyone would just GTFB.

So Google the kennel name. Google the breeder’s name. Google her e-mail address and phone number. In the cases of puppy brokers, e-mails and phone numbers have often been traced to long trails of online ads that infest across multiple breeds.

This useful post about how to use Google to your advantage will explain further.

Step four: Verify health tests on the public Orthopedic Foundation for Animals database.

One informational link provided by this breeder is a detailed breakdown of “Just why do purebred puppies from a reputable breeder cost so much?” As she charges $2000 for a pet quality Shiba, this is how she justifies her costs. She reminds us,

Health and temperament tests are done to determine if my dogs are even worthy of being bred. Tests are very expensive, but well worth the price of increasing the chances for the puppies to live a longer healthy active life. We do provide a written health guarantee for our puppies, so it is very important that we are breeding healthy dogs to get healthy puppies. We do tests like having hips, elbows, eyes and hearts checked which run about $200.00 per dog. If any of my dogs are questionable as to my findings or my vets findings, we would then have to send the reports and films into OFA or the GDC for clarity and that adds another $50.00 or more per dog.

Remember, if anyone had ‘failed’ any of these tests, they would have been spayed or neutered, and just lived their life as a beloved pet. Also, if that had happened, I would still be out my initial above spent money. A breeder is always gambling with any money spent.

– from our hypothetical breeder’s website (emphasis and links added)
If you are not familiar with the mentioned acronyms, I encourage you to click on the links embedded above. Briefly, the Institute for Genetic Disease Control (GDC) and the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) are legitimate, non-profit institutions that have worked with responsible breeders and researchers to test and track canine (and feline) genetic diseases in their open, publicly accessible registries. These health tests are not the same thing as “vet checks” because your average vet does not have the equipment or specialization to conduct, interpret, and register these tests; rather, specimens usually need to be sent off-site to specifically approved labs.

I agree with this argument that genetic testing is essential to minimize the risk of producing unhealthy pets. But I do want to verify that she walks her own talk. This a very simple step that anybody can take through the searchable OFA database at http://offa.org.

First, we need the names of the puppy’s parents.

Oh, wait. Their registered names are not provided. No names are given at all, just a personality-less label of “dam” and “sire.”

No matter! You can search the OFA database by partial name, and narrow your results by breed if necessary. If you search by kennel name, this might bring up a LOT of results that you’ll then need to wade through, but sometimes also reveals just how seriously a kennel takes health testing. For example, is every breeding adult thoroughly tested before breeding, or only sporadically when something arises? Sometimes searching by kennel name will also show where a kennel has been as far as breed history, though you’ll want to be careful that you’re not conflating multiple, separate breeders especially if the kennel name consists of fairly common terms like “rock” or “ice” or something.

Back to our hypothetical search, our results for this kennel are as follows…

Though she doesn’t mention it on her Shiba website, we find that she’s into Basenjis and Poodles as well. While it is not a bad thing in and of itself for your breeder to have a history with multiple breeds (particularly if they are not simultaneous ventures), what is somewhat incriminating about this result is that there is only a single entry for our hypothetical breed of interest, the Shiba Inu.

One Shiba was tested for one set of hips, when the dog was about 5 years old in 2005. So unless this now 11-year-old dog is the sire (and the pictures of her shiba studs allow us to determine that he’s not), this breeder appears to be charging premium rates for a puppy that has no record of health testing. Though she has a whole page arguing that the high price of a pet quality puppy is due to her “personal experience” with “very expensive” tests, why does she offer no evidence that she has completed the most basic tests to demonstrate the genetic integrity of her breeding dogs? What gives?

Something doesn’t quite add up…

Now, there are a couple of reasons that health tests may not be found in the OFA. With most of the tests, breeders elect to submit their results, and they also have the option of not publishing aberrant results. So it is possible that the breeder still took the trouble to test, but decided to keep their results out of the public database for some reason.

As a puppy buyer, it is in your best interest to regard an absence of public records as if the testing was never done, which is the most likely reason that the results are not found. If you don’t want to jump to conclusions, ask the breeder for the direct link that provides positive proof of testing, as it’s also possible that the dogs are listed under something other than their registered names or there’s some compelling reason that the results haven’t been submitted (although I would also wonder why they have chosen to withhold information that would help form a more complete picture of the overall health of the breed).

However, some tests MUST be published, even if they reveal less than desirable results. DNA tests for Fanconi Syndrome, a hereditary, recessive kidney disease that is most relevant to the Basenji breed, are always published, so if the results are not there, the testing was never done. This is an incurable disease that can potentially be eradicated with selective breeding, but can also be fatal if dogs are bred with the right combination of ignorance and misfortune, so the results are too important to hide.

Thus, with these results, we can also see that this breeder had a Basenji bitch that is a probable carrier of Fanconi, who was bred to another carrier to produce a Fanconi affected pup in January 2009, which was well after the DNA linkage test for Fanconi was made available. Note that the Fanconi affected pup is unnamed in the database, so she won’t appear if you search the OFA database for this breeder’s kennel name. Had all her breeding dogs been tested before breeding, and had she been more careful about holding off on litters until the results were in, this tragedy — which is not an isolated incidence — could have been prevented.

What was all that talk about how these onerous, expensive health tests help justify her outrageous prices for a puppy? If this was what you found after you did your research, would you walk away? or do you continue to give the seller the benefit of the doubt and do some more research?

Step five: Cross-reference the breeder’s name, kennel name, and address with USDA registration databases

For a number of reasons that I and plenty of other people have tried to pound home, USDA licensed dog breeders are bad news. The more that this connection is made public, the less eager these breeders will be to advertise their certification as if it was a badge of honor, as this breeder does. So the more it will be necessary for puppy buyers to take this extra check and verify for themselves that they’re not dealing with Class A/B professional puppy peddlers.

For the record, state licensing does not mean the same thing as USDA licensing. As kennel licensing requirements vary from state to state, and not all of them indicate wholesale dog brokering, I am not able to speak on that level. But I can tell you that the lives of these dogs mean very little in the eyes of federal law. Given that, here are two lists of USDA licensed breeders and brokers from the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) site:

Class A breeders
Class B breeders and brokers

On her website, this breeder claims that she is not required to be USDA licensed, she just prefers it since she feels that “any facility holding animals for any purpose should be USDA (federal) licensed, with no exceptions,” though she doesn’t really explain her rationale. As of my latest search, you can find her name on the USDA list of Class B breeders. You are required to have a B license if you are brokering animals that you did not breed yourself, an option which opens the pathway for acquiring dogs — many, many dogs — from questionable sources.

Since she also runs an “Adoption Center” for which she claims she has not chosen to file 501(C)(3) status so she can willfully continue paying taxes like the responsible state citizen she portrays herself to be, one can see where such USDA licensing may actually be required. I also don’t know of any “adoption center” that contractually obligates its adoptees to be on NuVet supplements for their whole life, but that’s yet another diversion…

Anyway, just how many dogs are we talking about here? This is when it’s handy to know the online, public, searchable database for APHIS inspection reports, accessible here at http://acissearch.aphis.usda.gov/LPASearch/faces/CustomerSearch.jspx

Huh. Well, that’s interesting. Her license is currently… cancelled. Note that the USDA database does not distinguish between a license that they cancelled or a license that was not renewed. At this point, I would click on the tab for Inspection Information:

And click the DETAILS on a recent report to unfold the results within the search window:

The database has a useful feature that shows how many animals were on the property at the time of inspection. In this case, the above screenshot reveals that there were 129 adult dogs, 14 puppies, and 2 bears (!) on the property at the time of the last inspection in 2009. Inspection reports are also downloadable as .pdf files, like this. So you can also peruse the details of the non-compliant conditions in which these dogs were unfortunate enough to be found living in, and marvel at the flat tone of reproach that the USDA takes in documenting these violations.

For example, on the date of this inspection, spilled, damp, molding food was found in the main food storage area, a problem which affected 68 animals (dogs). The USDA inspector cited this and entered the comment, “This does not protect the health and well being of the animals.”

I know this is standard boilerplate that all inspectors include in their reports, which are meant to be bureaucratic documentation and not impassioned works of literary merit. But every time I read this mechanical, generic line, I want to scream, No shit, Sherlock.

My point here is that just because this operation is legal, it doesn’t necessarily clear my test of conscience. Certainly, there is no magical dog-to-person ratio that marks the threshold between a “responsible” breeder and a “puppy mill.” Yet I know the amount of energy that my partner and I have to put into giving our two dogs a quality of life that I consider acceptable — and these are two, non-breeding, fully mature dogs. After a point, feats of lunacy would be required to justify the quality of life afforded to dogs at some of these commercial breeding facilities.

Step Six: Consult with other breed enthusiasts.

Ideally, this step would be the first you take. However, I’m slotting it further down in our hypothetical search in full awareness that we don’t all find our puppies under “ideal” circumstances. Perhaps you get to a point where you’ve done all the preliminary research on your own, you’ve gone through all the steps above, and you’re not finding anything that makes you swing hard either in favor of or against a specific breeder. What if you can’t seem to uncover any info, either positive or negative, on a breeder that you’re considering?

Again, Google is your friend. Use this tool to help you locate the parent club for your breed (like the National Shiba Club of America or Basenji Club of America), and/or a local breed-specific club (like the Basenji Club of Northern California or Shiba Fanciers of Northern California). See if they have contact information for breeder referrals or an education and outreach liaison. The best parent club websites are open and generous with their riches (like breed-specific health information), and that knowledge is there for anyone interested in the breed, not just for show dogs or club members.

The other shift key works just as well
27 September 2011

Find a breed-specific forum for what you’re interested in. I happen to have benefited immensely from two very active message forums for my favored breeds, the Shiba Inu Forum and Basenji Forum. You don’t need to wait until you have your puppy in order to join; many have joined even during the research and shopping phases. If you ask forum members to rate a breeder on either of these sites, you will usually get feedback that is precise, honest, and reasoned. Heed the advice of others who have seen more than you, and keep an open mind, especially if it comes to criticism of a kennel that you’ve all but married.

I have sometimes seen individuals take criticism of “their” breeder way too personally. But the object of scrutiny really isn’t the puppy buyer — that’s the breeder’s job. Where you got your puppy has nothing to do with your potential as a good dog owner, unless you make an ass of yourself by ignoring the cold, hard, documented facts and stomping all over the bigger picture of a breed you claim to love. I start by presuming innocence on the part of the consumer, but also on the part of the puppies, who were willed into existence by a breeder with an agenda.

Whether that agenda supports individual conceit, delusions, and financial self-preservation, or accounts for the long-term and overall welfare of the breed makes a huge difference.

Returning to our hypothetical search, and reviewing what I’ve laid out here, I am comfortable concluding that this is not a breeder whose operation I would choose to support. Yes, I’ve reached a judgment sitting at my computer without bothering to call or e-mail or visit the breeder. Is that fair? From the perspective of a consumer who’s trying to make the most of my own time and resources, I think so. Why should I be the one to bend over backwards to make excuses for a breeder who doesn’t pass muster, just because they happen to have a single “gorgeous” puppy? Any rational buyer would have stopped this search and moved on long ago. But for the sake of finishing out this hypothetical search, I’ll move onto my final step.

Step Seven: Map out directions to the breeder’s kennel, and GO THERE.

Ultimately, even though there are a number of valuable tools to be found online, the amount of research you can do from the comfort of your own home will always be limited when you’re talking about living creatures who can’t be converted into bytes and pixels. Buying a puppy online and having him shipped directly to your nearest airport is certainly convenient, but I cannot think of any situation where this is preferable to an in-person visit.

I’m pretty far from this kennel in our hypothetical search, but Google Maps puts the distance into perspective. It would take about 32 hours to get from here to there. Realistically, no sane person would attempt that in one continuous drive. You’d have to make a road trip of it and there would be more planning involved, but honestly, what does this trip of 5 or 6 days matter when you’re talking about 5000 days or more in the lifetime of a well bred, genetically sound, happily raised pet?

So go out there and see the facility for yourself — with an appointment, of course, which your breeder should be more than happy to schedule. Meet the people behind the operation, family and “staff” included. Meet the parents of your puppy (if both are on the premises, which may not always be the case usually for the sire — and that’s fine). Meet all the other dogs that the breeder keeps to get an idea of their quality of life and the standard of care your breeder strives to achieve. See where they sleep and defecate (hopefully it’s not the same pen). Ask your breeder to physically demonstrate how she handles things like grooming, nail clipping, feeding, monitoring rough puppy play and other social interactions, etc.

And try to determine for yourself, with your best people judgment, if this is a breeder whom you’re comfortable communicating with for the rest of your pup’s natural life. Shiba and basenji puppies are hard, and you’ll need all the allies you can get! If you can start off on the right foot even before your puppy is born, you’ll have that much more energy to devote to the love of your dog.

IMG_6206
8 June 2010. Bowdu and Bowpi thank you for reading this very long entry.

—

Here’s a summary of websites and links for those who didn’t feel like reading everything, with a couple others thrown in for good measure:

Useless sites:
These sites are either far too commercial or generalized in nature, and therefore cannot provide the best guidance or information. While I don’t believe that all breeders who advertise online are automatically “bad,” space and formatting constraints imposed on some sites means that every single one is worthy of further investigation — the very reason I felt compelled to write this entry in the first place.

  • Puppyfind.com
    ~ charges fees for buyers and sellers to contact each other, poor breed-specific guidance
  • K9stud.com, Nextdaypets.com, Terrificpets.com, Animaroo.com, PurebredBreeders.com, etc.
    ~ ditto above
  • eBay Classifieds / Kijiji
    ~ very disappointing to me that eBay, which once enforced a policy against animal sales on its main auction site, decided to foster another venue for this to continue unabated; after all, even Craigslist has some checks in place to monitor against the most flagrant animal sales!
  • Yahoo Answers
    ~ the quality of questions and advice given on this forum frequently makes me despair… please seek your expert advice elsewhere

Public Databases and links of general use:

  • Orthopedic Foundation for Animals: http://www.offa.org
    ~ a publicly searchable database that SHOULD include information for your puppy’s dam and sire!
  • AKC reports: http://www.akc.org/store/reports/index.cfm
    ~ reports must be purchased for an exorbitant fee that impedes true research, but some limited information is available for free
  • PupQuest: http://pupquest.org/index.php
    ~ educational portal aimed at teaching the public to be “puppy-source savvy”
  • USDA Class A Certification holders: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/efoia/downloads/reports/A_cert_holders.txt
  • USDA Class B Certification holders: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/efoia/downloads/reports/B_cert_holders.txt
  • APHIS database of USDA licensed kennel inspection reports: http://acissearch.aphis.usda.gov/LPASearch/faces/CustomerSearch.jspx
  • Top Ten Questions Prospective Purebred Pet Owners Should Ask Breeders Before Buying: http://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/2011/may/top_ten_questions_for_purebred_breeders
  • Buying a Puppy? Google is Your Friend: http://desertwindhounds.blogspot.com/2011/02/buying-puppy-google-is-your-friend.html

Breed specific resources:

Shiba Inu:

  • The Shiba Inu Forum: http://www.shibainuforum.org
    ~ free registration required to view some protected threads
  • Dogster Shiba Inu Forum: http://www.dogster.com/forums/shiba_inu
    ~ free and open to all
  • Shiba Inu Puppycam Forum: http://puppycam.yuku.com
    ~ free registration required to participate
  • National Shiba Club of America: http://www.shibas.org
  • Shiba Fanciers of Northern California: http://www.sfnc.org
    ~ an example of a regional breed club — look for one in your area
  • The Misanthropic Shiba: http://shibainus.ca/chapter-00-the-misanthropic-shiba/
    ~ before purchasing, pay close attention to the chapter on Shiba Inu Breeders

Basenji:

  • The Basenji Forum: http://www.basenjiforums.com
    ~ registration is free
  • The Basenji Companions: http://basenjicompanions.org/board.html
    ~ requires annual membership to participate in active E-mail list
  • Basenji Rescue and Transport (BRAT) Chat List: http://www.basenjirescue.org/
    ~ general discussion list open to the wide network of basenji rescue volunteers – complete a volunteer application for an invitation to join
  • Basenji Club of America: http://www.basenji.org
  • Basenji Club of Northern California: http://www.norcalbasenjis.org/
    ~ example of a regional breed club — look for one in your area
  • Basenji Pedigree Search: http://www.pedigrees.zandebasenjis.com/
    ~ public database of Basenji pedigrees provided by Sally Wallis and Zande Basenjis, which includes limited health information
  • Buying a Basenji: http://kineticbasenjis.tripod.com/Information/Buying_a_Basenji.html

One final suggestion: please consider rescue, even if you’re looking specifically for a puppy. Within this past month, litters of both Shiba and Basenji puppies (less than 4 months old) became available through rescue — and this is to say nothing of adorable mixes that are available every single day. The House of Two Bows keeps a list of breed-specific and all-breed rescues on our blogroll. Consult the sidebar to further expand your options.

Pooped Penny puppy

LINKS: Breeder sites on hypothyroidism

29 Tuesday Mar 2011

Posted by M.C. in Bowdu the shiba inu, Bowpi the basenji, Health, Links

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

basenji, breeders, canine hypothyroidism, health tests, orthopedic foundation for animals, rhodesian ridgebacks, shetland sheepdogs, thyroids

IMG_1204
Photo taken 1 March 2011

I first heard about canine hypothyroidism from Basenji people. With a current rank of #29 on the the list of breeds at risk for thyroid disease according to statistics compiled by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, and #35 according to Michigan State University, Basenji breeders had reason to be concerned. No, they don’t top the list, nor is that an enviable position to be in (that honor goes to the English Setter). But if even one out of every 10 dogs was showing abnormalities in a condition that could be screened, seems like it’s worth the test to me.

So it looks like responsible breeders were and have long been testing thyroids. And breeder websites have been where I have found some of the most informative, publicly-accessible information on hypothyroidism and canine thyroid health. Here are some of the links that I have found to be helpful.

Apu’s Basenjis: Basenji Health
– Karen Christensen, who provided the article on Apu’s page, also wrote up an article for the New York-based Rip Van Wrinkle Basenji club magazine, The Wrinkler. A .pdf is available here.

sinbajé basenjis: Thyroid Problems of the Basenji Dog.
– As far as breeder sites go, this is one of the most well done that I’ve seen, hitting a perfect mix of personal and professional, providing a ton of great information without cluttered design.

Revodana Ridgebacks: Talking About Thyroid: Everything you didn’t know you needed to know
– via a breeder of Rhodesian Ridgebacks. The article is directed primarily at breeders, but also useful in differentiating all the different available tests.

Moonstruck Meadows: Canine Health Testing: OFA Thyroid Tests
– via a breeder of Shetland Sheepdogs, what to look for in proof that a breeder has done proper testing on a dog.

I’m sure there are more out there, but this is enough for now.

Thyrogloblin AutoAntibodies (TgAA)

08 Tuesday Feb 2011

Posted by M.C. in Bowdu the shiba inu, Digging in the Libraries, Health

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

allergies, canine hypothyroidism, hair loss, health tests, hemopet, hyperpigmentation, orthopedic foundation for animals, tgaa, thyroglobulin autoantibodies, thyroids

One of the tests that we ordered from Hemopet/Hemolife labs as part of their Thyroid 5 panel was TgAA, or thyroglobulin autoantibodies. Yeah, say that one three times fast.

Well, we ordered it, but I didn’t really understand what the measure was for, nor how to match it against the reference range; I just wanted to be thorough. To rehash, Bowdu’s test numbers from Hemopet looked like this:

  • T4: 0.87 (reference range 0.80 ~ 3.80 μg/dL)
  • Free T4: 0.53 (reference range 0.55 ~ 2.32 ng/dL)
  • T3: < 10, verified by repeat analysis (reference range 30 ~ 70 ng/dL)
  • Free T3: 1.9 (reference range 1.6 ~ 3.5 pg/mL)
  • Thyroglobulin Antibodies: <1% (reference range: negative [?])
  • TGAA CONFIRMATORY TEST INTERPRETATION
    less than 10% = NEGATIVE 10 ~ 25% EQUIVOCAL greater than 25% = POSITIVE

I didn’t understand why the reference range was supposed to be “negative,” since a number that’s less than 1% is still a “positive” number. At any rate, Bowdu’s TgAA results fell within the reference range, while the others were low enough to diagnose him with hypothyroidism. How did his TgAA relate to the diagnosis?

Well, I’ve done some reading and poking around, and so I’m going to take a stab at rendering my understanding of what TgAA is and what those test results meant. If any experts are reading this and found that I’ve misunderstood what I’ve researched, please let me know. This is NOT my field by a long shot!

Hair loss neck and armpit
Photo taken 4 February 2011

Thyrogloblin AutoAntibodies (TgAA) are present in the system when the dog’s thyroid basically starts attacking itself, when something starts to go wrong with the thyroid glands. If a dog tests positive for TgAA, and other values are low, a dog is said to have autoimmune thyroiditis — the body is basically obstructing its own normal thyroid function. If other values are low, and TgAA is negative, it is labeled idiopathic thyroiditis — there’s some other reason that the thyroid production has atrophied. OR it could be that the condition has already progressed for some time such that you’re actually looking at the end stage of autoimmune thyroiditis, which is what I think is happening with Bowdu given his age and history of symptoms.

Some people called TgAA the “best” test in pinpointing thyroid dysfunction. As I understand it, it’s certainly not enough on its own. TgAA is the best advance indicator of possible thyroid disease further down the road, because if a dog is going to develop thyroid problems, he may test positive for TgAA as early as 1 year old, even without exhibiting other clinical symptoms or low T4 or T3 levels (subclinical thyroiditis). If TgAA comes back positive, it is “highly suggestive of later development of clinical hypothyroidism” (Ferguson, 658), though visible symptoms may not appear until years later. So it’s best to keep monitoring such a dog, and take into consideration all the other values from other thyroid tests.

In reality, the average pet owner is not going to ask for a TgAA test as part of annual bloodwork. But dogs intended to be used in breeding programs should have this measure on the record; it is one of the values that the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) asks for when registering a dog in their database.

The diagnosis of “hypothyroidism” isn’t about a positive or a negative TgAA. But a positive or negative TgAA associated with hypothyroidism varies by breed. Hypothyroid English Setters and Golden Retrievers, for example, tend to test positive for TgAA more often than not, whereas hypothyroid Collies and Doberman Pinschers do not test positive for TgAA as often (Graham et. al, 624). Age at diagnosis was figured into those statistics somehow, which led researchers to suggest that the disease progresses differently, perhaps at a slower rate, in some breeds than in others. Overall, it’s about a 50/50 split across breeds whether you’re looking at autoimmune or idiopathic thyroiditis. You’ll have to consult the article or experts from your own breed club to see where your breed falls (there was no specific information for Shiba Inu, though Ferguson makes mentions the Basenji as one of the breeds with the highest prevalence of hypothyroidism based on some research done by Nachreiner at Michigan State University and others [649]).

This bit was interesting to me:

In a preliminary investigation of the influence of geography on the prevalence of thyroiditis in samples submitted to Michigan State University, some significant differences were observed. The prevalence of TgAA was significantly higher in samples submitted from North Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming, Minnesota, and Colorado compared with Michigan (range of odds ratios: 1.19 – 1.41; P < .05). The prevalence was significantly lower in samples from Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, Texas, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Alabama (range of odds ratios: 0.39 – 0.79; P < .05). There was no interaction with breed prevalence, but the underlying reasons (if any) for these observations have yet to be discovered. (Graham et. al, 623)

Tantalizing, isn’t it? Is it something in the water? Or the presence of puppy mills? Hunters? Urban sprawl? Mountain air? Who knows?!

At any rate, TgAA by itself is not an adequate test for diagnosing hypothyroidism. A dog can test positive for TgAA but still have T4 and fT4 levels within the normal range, which means the body is still producing enough hormone levels on its own, though the rumblings of worse to come are on the horizon. Likewise, a dog may not test positive for TgAA but the T4 and fT4 levels are low because the thyroids are already pooped; there’s nothing left worth attacking, so there’s no need to pump out more antibodies.

So I guess for the average pet owner like me, the TgAA was useful to suggest how far along Bowdu may have been in the disease. I’ll probably skip it next time, along with the T3 and fT3, and just order baseline readings of T4 and free T4 levels for the purposes of general monitoring.

Annotated list of References:
All articles come from The Thyroid special issue of Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice 37.4 (July 2007), edited by Cynthia R. Ward. I am disappointed to report that the veterinary college that delivered this title to my university library passed along a virtually pristine, unread copy. I sincerely hope that these articles are being accessed in electronic form by our future veterinary specialists in training!

  • Graham, Peter A., Kent R. Refsal, Raymond F. Nachreiner. “Etiopathologic Findings of Canine Hypothyroidism.” Vet Clin Small Anim 37.4 (2007): 617-631.
    [too technical for me in some parts, and doesn’t really venture to offer any causes for the occurrence of thyroid disease though the authors tease their readers with intriguing statistics and suggestive avenues for further research; some illuminating charts which show some breed-specific information]
  • Ferguson, Duncan C. “Testing for Hypothyroidism in Dogs.” Vet Clin Small Anim 37.4 (2007): 647-669.
    [clear, easy-to-understand survey of current available testing methods, their usefulness, limits, and attendant problems in diagnosis]
  • Scott-Moncrieff, J. Catherine. “Clinical Signs and Concurrent Diseases of Hypothyroidism in Dogs and Cats.” Vet Clin Small Anim 37.4 (2007): 709-722.
    [also very technical, but covers a broad range and good for anyone who might be searching for answers on the relationship between thyroid disorders and other specific issues like cardiovascular and opthalmologic abnormalities, anemia, diabetes, bleeding disorders, etc.; good for mining additional sources]

Hair loss neck area
Photo taken 3 February 2011

To bring this all back home, here are some pictures of Bowdu’s recent dermatological issues. He’s lost chunks of fur on his neck, one armpit, and a little bit on his belly, though he hasn’t been itching excessively nor does he seem to be in discomfort though he’s bald to the skin in some places, and there are patches of hyperpigmentation which come and go. We’re still monitoring him and treating him with medicated shampoo on affected areas, as well as Sulfodene on the hot spots, which seems to be keeping things from getting worse.

If this is just “allergies,” as I’m afraid the vet is going to say, then allergy season is really starting earlier and earlier each year… I’m still unwilling to admit that allergy season is year round, though this may be our punishment for living in the land of perpetual sunshine and no snow.

Basenjis on Dogs 101

29 Wednesday Sep 2010

Posted by M.C. in Bowpi the basenji, Links

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

animal planet, basenji, dogs 101, fanconi, orthopedic foundation for animals

I was alerted to a scheduled episode of Animal Planet’s Dogs 101 that would feature the Basenji, to air on October 2nd. However, we don’t have a television at home, so I was happy to see that the clip was uploaded in advance of the show.

Click here for a 3 minute 45 second introduction to Basenjis.

I’m certainly no expert on the breed, but even I registered giant question marks over my head at 00:22 when informed that “This breed is still used today by the Pygmies in Central Africa to hunt lions.” Uhm, really…? I understand that African Basenjis are a little larger than the average pet Basenji in the Western world, but even then, I think these lithe little guys would get batted around and mauled much too easily by a lion, even if it was a pack vs. cat. The producers must have gotten their Ridgebacks and Basenjis mixed up…

1:10 to 1:20 had me chuckling at all the squirmy, barely-behaved adult Basenjis, especially the last second when the woman cues her dog to “stay” and he immediately picks himself off the floor and trots away.

Finally, I’m glad that they mentioned Fanconi Syndrome, as too many generic breed profiles don’t mention this inheritable kidney disease at all. Even the woman that we got Bowpi from was in the dark about it. I’m pretty sure it’s an exaggeration to claim that the population was “almost wiped out” by the disease in the 1980s, but the point is that it’s serious business. They could have underscored this even more boldly, not just through the vague suggestion to “know the lineage” of the Basenji you purchase (and to get one from a “reputable” breeder, which could be a show unto itself). They might have taken a couple more seconds to say that it’s now possible to screen for this very specific disease by way of a genetic marker test. A good breeder will make no excuses for not having registered their breeding Basenjis with the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. This level of detail would probably derail the uptempo pace of the show, and granted, the clip is less than four minutes long. But I’m grateful that they went through the trouble of mentioning the disease at all.

Incidentally, we did get Bowpi tested when we adopted her. She came back Probably Clear/Normal. I’m not sure what we would have done if she came back as Probably Affected. It’s a What if that’s in the past for us, and one I’d like to see eliminated within my lifetime…

IMG_8251
Photo taken 28 September 2010

Hypothyroidism and thyroid testing

18 Wednesday Aug 2010

Posted by M.C. in Bowdu the shiba inu, Bowpi the basenji, Health

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

aggression, basenji, breeders, canine hypothyroidism, health registration, lick granulomas, michigan state university, orthopedic foundation for animals, shiba inu, temaril-p, thyroids

Aside from more antibiotics for Bowdu’s feet, I’m asking my vet to test his thyroid levels based on the following observations:

IMG_6972
Photo taken 14 July 2010

— Bowdu’s been more lethargic for some time now. This could be the side effect of Temaril-P, but his energy levels have obviously not been the same. He tires quickly on long walks, and will take advantage of a pause to lie down and rest, if I wait too long.

IMG_7665
Photo from 17 August 2010

— Weight gain. He’s at 33 pounds now, up from 29 pounds last fall, about 28 pounds the year before. It’s not a super dramatic jump in weight, but he is definitely chubby though he only gets 9 nuggets of Primal Raw a day plus minimal treats.

— Skin infections. He’s been treated for infections due to broken paw pads twice now, and this upcoming visit will probably be the third, as his paw gets really swollen and pink when he does manage to lick it — believe me, we’re trying to make sure he doesn’t!

IMG_7445
Photo taken 7 August 2010

— Hair loss. His tail is still quite bushy, no “rat’s tail”, but there’s been significant hair loss around his neck/collar area, though he hasn’t been scratching himself there excessively. This could be due to the plastic cone or seasonal coat changes. The main thing is that his skin itself doesn’t appear to be marked, but his hair has been falling right out as if the follicles no longer hold.

— Musky, distinctive “dog” odor. He’s a shiba! He usually NEVER smells like this!

IMG_6960
Photo taken 13 July 2010

— Discoloration of the skin, especially inside of his thighs and armpits. I’m not sure what color the skin turns on dogs with thyroid problems. His is currently very pink and even dark gray/black in some spots. Obviously, the primary reason for his black, calloused skin is due to him licking himself, like his front left paw above (the photo was taken when it was at his worst). But I wonder if his skin would’ve gotten as dark as it did if there wasn’t something else going on? I don’t know.

IMG_5542
Photo taken 4 April 2010

— Dry, brittle hair. This is more evident by touch than by photos, because he still looks so fluffy most of the time. His back and chest are fine, but the fur on his back legs/thigh is pretty rough. I was thinking that his fur is often like this in the summer, so again, it may be more associated with seasonal coat changes and not necessarily hypothyroidism. However, I dug up a picture from earlier in the year that gives a good visual indication of the dryness of his fur, shown above. Bowpi had been with us for less than two weeks, he had just started on Temaril-P and his paws were not yet calloused though if I recall, the black spots had just started to appear on his digits.

— Erratic behavior. Granted, Bowdu’s generally pretty “cranky,” to the point where we joke about him being a “Grumpy Old Man” or a “Hothead.” But looking at the scar on my wrist from a bite that’s still healing, I’m wondering if there could be a medical explanation for his bouts of violence.

I haven’t written much about this, because it’s complex and a touchy subject and one of the most difficult things to discuss about our shiba. The short version is that he has been known to bite. What leads up to the bite is usually quite easy to explain. In this particular instance, I was trying to dissuade him from licking his foot and I came up on him far too quickly and physically startled him — it was very poor judgment on my part. But he has not always been so quick to retaliate with his teeth. On the other hand, his relationship with Bowpi has only improved over time, so I’m not sure how to explain his behavioral changes. One commentator, Marie, over at Inu Baka (a wonderful multi-dog shiba blog, whose author has been pondering hypothyroidism as well) noted that “Thyroid issues are a very common problem in akitas. So common that for any aggressive akita the first thing we recommend in rescue is to do a thyroid test.” Which leads me to my last bullet point.

— Breed prevalence of hypothyroidism? It is prevalent enough in Akitas that it is noted. The National Shiba Club of America describes hypothyroidism as “not uncommon” in Shibas. But it is disappointing that Shiba breeders as a group don’t consider it notable enough to test or register thyroid health, as they don’t even crack the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals list for breeds having at least 50 evaluations between January 1974 through December 2009. To be fair, Shiba Inu were not recognized by the AKC until 1992, but that still leaves a lot of time for them to have accumulated 50 thyroid evaluations from US breeders, especially if the national breed club association has noted it to be a health issue of possible concern. The Akita is on the list, with 77.6% out of 415 testing normal for thyroids. So are Basenji, with 82.9% normal out of 251.

In fact, I first heard about thyroids being linked to behavioral as well as skin problems from Basenji folks. Kudos to Basenji breeders for being proactive about registering thyroid (as well as Fanconi!) information with the OFA, and making that an integral part of responsible breeding practices. As I hear more and more about Shibas with thyroid problems, I’m hoping that Shiba breeders will do the same, if only to help formulate a more complete breed profile.

EDIT 19 August 2010: I just found the .pdf file from the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health at Michigan State University (East Lansing, MI) breaking down thyroid statistics by breed. This file was not appearing on the OFA website when I checked.

It’s located here:
http://www.animalhealth.msu.edu/Sections/Endocrinology/

Scroll down to the file “Canine Thyroid Registry Information.”

The stats are up through 2005. Of 305 Shiba tested, 2.3% tested for autoimmune thyroiditis and 3.0% were equivocal. That puts them at rank 127 of 140 breeds.

Akita, by contrast, at rank #46:
2673 Akita tested, 8.6% autoimmune thyroiditis, 8.2% equivocal.

Basenji are ranked at #35:
741 Basenji tested, 10.8% autoimmune thyroiditis, 5.5% equivocal.

Some breeds from the MSU list show significant discrepancies as compared to the OFA testings.

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