Health Condition

Possible Genetic Traits Among the Australian Labradoodle Breed

We strive to keep our dogs healthy and living a good quality of life, ensuring a clean home environment, good quality food, and moderate exercise. 

We do genetic testing for all our dogs before breeding, and we breed them with careful consideration for DNA health and trait tests, in order to responsibly avoid passing on combinations of genes that could be harmful to puppies' health.

We list our breeding dogs' DNA results for diseases and traits on the Our Dogs page. These include:

PRA 

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) is an inherited disease that occurs in many breeds of dogs, including mixed breeds. In the majority of dogs, it appears to be inherited in an 'autosomal recessive' pattern, meaning that the affected dog must have inherited the defective gene from both parents. Breeds commonly affected include Bedlington Terriers, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Labrador and Golden Retrievers, Rottweilers, American Cocker Spaniels, and English Springer Spaniels. 

PRA is one of the more straightforward diseases genetically, as a dog can have 1 copy of the PRA gene and be unaffected. Their healthy gene protects them and they have normal vision their whole life. However, when a dog inherits 2 copies of the PRA Gene (one from each parent) then it will sadly lose its vision at an older age. 

DM 

Degenerative myelopathy (DM) is a disease affecting the spinal cord, resulting in slowly progressive hind limb weakness and paralysis. 

DM is considered a disease of middle-aged to older dogs including German Shepherds, Siberian Huskies, and Collies. Several other breeds have been identified as at risk for developing DM, including Bernese Mountain Dog, Boxers, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Poodles, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, Pembroke Welsh Corgis, and Pugs.

DM can occur even for non-carrier dogs but higher risk for dogs who have two copies of the gene.

vWD 

Von Willebrand Disease (vWD) is an inherited bleeding disorder that makes it difficult for blood to clot. It is the most common inherited bleeding disorder in dogs (and humans) and it can be seen more frequently in certain breeds, such as Doberman Pinschers. Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Poodles, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Irish Setters, West Highland White Terriers, and also mixes of these breeds.

This variant is recessively inherited, which means that a dog is at risk of developing vWD if they have two copies of the variant.

NEWS

Neonatal encephalopathy with seizures (NEWS) is an inherited progressive brain disease of Standard Poodles and related crosses that is characterized by weakness, mobility issues, and seizures in newborn puppies. The disease quickly progresses to severe seizures that become non-responsive to treatment. Affected dogs typically die or are euthanized by 7 weeks of age. 

Two copies of the defective gene must be present to cause the disease. 

EIC

Exercise-induced collapse (EIC) is characterized by muscle weakness, lack of coordination, and life-threatening collapse after intense exercise in otherwise apparently healthy dogs 

This disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner, meaning that affected dogs must have two copies of the mutation to show clinical signs. However, this mutation is incompletely penetrant, meaning that not all dogs with two copies of the mutation will show signs of this disease. 

Familial Nephropathy (Cocker Spaniel Type) 

Familial nephropathy (cocker spaniel type) is an inherited disorder of the kidneys affecting dogs. Dogs with this disease usually start showing symptoms of chronic kidney disease between 6 months and 2 years of age. Normally protein is not present in the urine, but in affected dogs, there is a defect that allows protein from the blood to be filtered by the kidneys and lost in the urine.  

Familial nephropathy (cocker spaniel type) is inherited they must receive two copies of the mutated gene (one from each parent) to develop the disease. 

OCD

Osteochondrodysplasia (OCD) is a growth and developmental abnormality of the bone and cartilage, which results in lack of normal bone growth and bone deformities. Where osteo refers to the bone, chondro refers to the cartilage, and dysplasia is a general term that is applied to abnormal growth. Dog breeds that tend to be predisposed to this disorder are great Pyrenees, Alaskan malamutes, Samoyeds, Scottish deerhounds, Labrador retrievers, basset hounds, and Norwegian elkhounds. 

IVDD

Type I Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD) is a back/spine issue that refers to a health condition affecting the discs that act as cushions between vertebrae. With Type I IVDD, affected dogs can have a disc event where it ruptures or herniates towards the spinal cord. This pressure on the spinal cord causes neurologic signs which can range from a wobbly gait to impairment of movement. 

This variant is extremely common in many small and chondrodystrophic (short leg, long body) dog breeds. In these breeds, this variant may not be the strongest predictor of IVDD risk compared to other genetic or environmental factors. 

In some breeds, especially small dogs such as Beagles, Cocker Spaniels, Shih Tzu and Dachshunds (among others), this variant is found in nearly all dogs. While those breeds are known to have an elevated risk of IVDD, however, many dogs in those breeds never develop IVDD.  The good news about the IVDD/CDDY variant is that it is not a determinate gene like PRA; even in dogs who have 2 copies of the gene, in most cases the symptoms do not appear.

In Dachshunds, Beagles and Corgies nearly 100% of dogs have two copies of this gene, in Cocker Spaniels more than 90% have one or two, as do 40-60% of Miniature Poodles. For these breeds, it is difficult or impossible to breed out the gene, as doing so will affect the desired standard appearance of the breed.

IVDD as a disease can occur even for non-carrier dogs, as it can be caused by living environment, excessive body weight, and high-activity sports. For example, repeated jumping from a high surface, quick turns on a slick floor, being overweight, etc, can all contribute to IVDD. 

For these reasons, to prevent the development of symptoms, particularly in small breeds which naturally carry this gene, it is important to maintain a healthy weight, avoid activities that stress the spine (such as high jumping and twisting), and provide good moderate exercise.