Breed Standard | Characteristics | History | Health Concerns | FSS® Information
Health Concerns
Almost every breed of dog has some type of health problem that you should be aware of. In general, Entlebuchers are a very healthy breed. However, they can be afflicted with some genetic diseases. Due to this, it is extremely important that you ensure all necessary health checks have been done before purchasing, or breeding, an Entlebucher.
PRA
Progressive retinal atrophy is a hereditary eye disease that causes blindness. It is inherited as a simple autosomal recessive in most breeds. Early in the disease, affected dogs are nightblind, lacking the ability to adjust their vision to dim light. Later, their daytime vision also fails. As their vision deteriorates, affected dogs will adapt to their handicap as long as their environment remains constant, and they are not faced with situations requiring excellent vision. At the same time the pupils of their eyes become increasingly dilated.
We now have a new tool to help combat this disease within the breed. A company, OptiGen, will conduct a test upon receiving a small sample of blood from your dog. This sample can be taken as early as 3 weeks of age. The OptiGen test analyzes the specific DNA mutation causing prcd-PRA. The test detects the mutant, abnormal gene copy and the normal gene copy. The result of the test is a genotype and allows separation of dogs into three groups: Normal/Clear (homozygous normal), Carrier (heterozygous) and Affected (homozygous mutant).
With this test available, breeders have the opportunity to eradicate PRA from the Entlebucher gene pool. Many breeders have decided to test all the litters from their kennels. As a minimum, the parentage types should be known, and matings must be chosen accordingly, with great consideration.
Canine Hip Dysplasia
Canine hip dysplasia is a very common degenerative joint disease seen in dogs. There are many misconceptions surrounding it. There are many things that we know about hip dysplasia in dogs, there are also many things we suspect about this common cause of limping, and there are some things that we just do not know about the disease.
Hip dysplasia results from the abnormal development of the hip joint in a young dog. It may or may not be bilateral, affecting both the right and left sides. It is brought about by the laxity of the muscles, connective tissue, and ligaments that should support the joint. Most dysplastic dogs are born with normal hips but due to genetic and possibly other factors, the soft tissues that surround the joint start to develop abnormally as the puppy grows. The most important part of these changes is that the bones are not held in place but actually move apart. The joint capsule and the ligaments between the two bones stretch, adding further instability to the joint. As this happens, the articular surfaces of the two bones lose contact with each other. This separation of the two bones within a joint is called subluxation and this, and this alone, causes all of the resulting problems we associate with the disease.
-Veterinary & Aquatic Services Department, Drs. Foster & Smith, Inc.
Cataracts
Cataracts are basically any opacification of the lens of the eye. This cloudiness can range from tiny punctate cataracts (similar to a piece of dirt on your glasses) to fully mature cataracts, which give the eye a whitish appearance and block vision, causing blindness. I might add that there's a common old age change in the lens called nuclear sclerosis which can give the pupil a bluish/whitish cast, but does not interfere that much with vision. Entlebuchers are afflicted with a Posterior Polar Cataract. You should have your dog's eyes tested yearly by a board certified Optomologist and all breeding animals should be clear of eye diseases prior to breeding. You can check the results of Entlebuchers that are free of any eye diseases by checking the CERF website, listed on our links page.
