Elbow scoring to be moved to Best Practice
Following discussion with the KC Health team regarding elbow status,please see the summary from Alison Skipper. I can confirm that elbow scoring has now been moved to Best Practice.
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Elbow scoring. You reported that the breed community would prefer this to sit within BP rather than GP. We discussed this situation during the meeting. We agreed that current scientific thought is that there is a similar pathology underlying hip and elbow dysplasia and that therefore a breed which has issues with one condition is also likely to have issues with the other – this is certainly true of many gundog breeds that have extensive testing data for both. Speaking anecdotally, many dogs with ED show few signs until later life but can then have significant issues with elbow arthritis, so this can be an overlooked source of discomfort in older dogs.
Originally, we had linked hip and elbow scoring and placed them in the same category (GP or BP) in breeds where the evidence suggested that both were advisable. However, during our discussion we acknowledged that elbow scoring, unlike hip scoring, is not yet widespread within your breed. While we would still like to encourage breeders to screen elbows and hips at the same time going forwards, we realise that there will therefore be dogs of current breeding age that have already been hip scored, and we appreciate that breeders will be reluctant to subject these animals to a separate elbow screening. Therefore, we agreed that it was more suitable to place elbow screening within BP at present, and to clarify that this expectation applies to future screening decisions rather than to older animals that have already been hip scored. Since elbow radiographs are less tricky to position correctly than hip radiographs, this shouldn’t add much time to the procedure, although it will of course incur an extra cost. We will be altering the introductory wording on the relevant sections of the KC website to explain that while testing requirements are in transition some dogs may not have completed all tests within the Health Standard. Breeders can refer to this wording (or this letter) when discussing health tests with puppy buyers. Once we have more data on the prevalence of ED in Gordon Setters within the UK, we can then alter the Health Standard categorisation accordingly (i.e., remove it altogether if there is no problem with ED in the breed, or move it back to GP if there is actually a major problem)
Outcome: Elbow scoring to be moved to Best Practice, as requested; this can be reviewed when we have more UK data.''
Gordon Setter Health
Generally Gordon Setters are a healthy breed with an average lifespan of approximately 10-12yrs. However there are some potential hereditary conditions which owners should be aware of.
These are -
• Hip dysplasia
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy [PRA rcd-4]
Health Schemes;
The GSA, along with the other Gordon Setter breed clubs have as part of their Code of Ethics that all breeding stock should be tested prior to breeding and should use the following official schemes (this advice should apply to anyone prior to their stock being used in a breeding programme);
•BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme
•BVA/KC Eye Scheme
•AHT PRA [rcd-4] DNA test [www.ahtdnatesting.co.uk]
The Kennel Club website http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/308 gives you links where you can go to get further information on the above schemes.
You can also log onto the Kennel Club ‘Health Test Results Finder’ at http://www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/services/public/mateselect/test/Default.aspx which gives you access to health test results for any dog who has been through the official Kennel Club schemes.
Other conditions owners may need to be aware of include;
•Gastric dilation volvulus [GDV/’bloat’]
A life threatening condition where the stomach fills with gas and then twists causing shock and death if not treated immediately. Any deep chested breed may be at risk of this.
•Hypothyroidism
The thyroid hormone is responsible for many metabolic processes so if deficient symptoms may include lethargy, weight gain and poor coat growth. This condition is treated with lifelong medication and blood tests will be required to test thyroid levels
•Vaccinations
A word of advice - Gordon Setters and some other black and tan breeds occasionally do not take to the initial parvo vaccination [due to high maternal antibodies] and there have been cases in recent times where vaccinated Gordon puppies have died of parvovirus. Be aware of this and talk to your vet about it. The dog will be covered when it has its booster at a year old but it may be at risk before that. You could either ‘titre test’ (A titer test is a blood test that measures the amount of antibody in the blood to a given disease agent. So, for example, a parvo titer would show the amount of antibody against parvovirus that a dog has in their blood) this usually takes place two weeks after second vaccination or you could give a third vaccination at 16 weeks of age [by this time maternal antibodies should have gone and allow the vaccine to work]. Ask your vet how much of a parvo risk there is in your area.
Health Survey;
The Gordon Setter Breed Council is currently working with The Animal Health Trust to produce a health survey. All Gordon owners, whether their dogs work, show or are family pets will be encouraged to participate. The purpose of the survey is to monitor the health of Gordons and to gather information on the conditions which may affect the breed with a view to ensuring it remains as healthy as possible for future generations. Watch this site for further updates.
Please feel free to contact the Gordon Setter Health Co ordinator Kathryne Wrigley on -
