The Importance of Genetic Testing our Dogs

I never knew about the importance of testing our animals for genetic defects until I got into breeding Maine Coon Cats. This was back in 1995.

Little did I know when I decided to enter this wonderful field of breeding and showing these beautiful creatures what all it would entale.

Maine Coons are Magnificent Cats and I'm proud to say that I raised them, showed them, have Champions and Grand Champions in the US as well as overseas. I am still proud of my cattery!

Then one day some of my placed kittens started dying. HCM (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy) was the culprit. So the heart testing began. Some of my adults had to be spayed and neutered to keep this awful disease from manifesting any further. But to my surprise not a lot of the breeders I knew were doing the same. Therefore what I was doing was just a drop in the 500 gallon bucket. So, after a few years I decided to get out of breeding. I spayed and neutered all my adults and placed them in their forever homes. I swore I'd never do that again.

Now, here I am with my Pomeranians. And come to find out there are genetic issues that no one told me about with them as well. DM (Degenerative Myelopathy), heart problems, luxating patella to name a few. What???

But finding out if your dog has some of these is much easier than it was back in the early 2000's! Now you can send in a DNA saliva swab and find out so much about your Pomeranian or any other breed.

So I am a firm believer in genetic testing. Also evaluation of hips and knees which I'll touch on at a later date.

This is the only way, I believe we can all work together on keeping our breed free of genetic defects.

#degenerativemyelopathy; #hipdysplasia; #luxatingpatella

Tikka and Janie hanging out on the Tiki Bar