[Cares4Dogs]

Originally Posted by Woogie Man

From what I've read, LS is thought to be genetic but has not been proven to be. The research has shown LS clear parents can throw an LS pup and LS affected parents can throw a clear pup. It doesn't seem to follow Mendel as I understand it.

The thing is, so many diseases and conditions may either be genetic or acquired. The studies on LS in Irish Wolfhounds was for intrahepatic shunts so not sure if that data could be transferred to extrahepatic shunts. In the IW, affected breeding dogs were identified and the incidence was lowered by about 50%, if I remember correctly.

I seem to remember something about the incidence rising in the last 30 years or so. The question is.....is that due to better diagnostics and reporting or is there a true rise in cases?

What I have taken from various research on health issues is that toy breeds are often more severely affected than larger breeds for certain things. One notable thing is auto-immune disease due to over-vaccination. I think that is largely undisputed. I also feel that introducing toxins into a small dog's system (especially early in life) can have a tremendous negative effect on their health. I'm talking specifically about flea preventatives and heartworm prevention being used before the dog's organs are fully developed and the immune system is immature. With everything that is put into a dog's bloodstream passing through the liver, it's not a stretch to consider these toxic products as being partly to blame for some liver issues.

There are practical, conservative protocols that can minimize the risks from these products. How can a breeder be sure the new owner isn't overdoing it with these products, or if their vet isn't overdoing vaccines and administering non-core vaccines or administering too often, especially in the case of the rabies vaccine. And how does a breeder protect themselves from reckless use of these things as far as liability goes while still standing behind their pups?

As for identifying pups with compromised livers, I feel that challenging the liver is effective early on, and is practical, since bile acid testing isn't reliable before 5 months of age, the age at which the organs mature. By 'challenging', I mean feeding a pup a high protein food. If the liver is compromised, the ammonia from the increased protein should provoke a reaction that we could associate with liver disease. I also feel that reactions to vaccines are an indicator of compromised health in a pup.

To me, testing the parents for something that may or may not be genetic gives a false sense of security. It's no guarantee by any means. I'm just not comfortable with the notion that testing is all we can do for now and just wait for a marker to be found. I feel there are things we can do to gauge the health of a young pup and to prevent un-necessary exposure to toxins that may be a bigger culprit than we have previously acknowledged.

I agree 110%