~ Below are some hereditary conditions commonly found in the French Bulldog. ~ The specific disorders listed below can easily be screened for by using a simple swab for DNA markers.
* The purpose of doing these genetic screenings is so that breeders don't unknowingly pair two dogs that are carrying the same unwanted disorder(s). Pairing two dogs that both carry the same disorder can result in 25% affected offspring that may or may not become symptomatic of the condition. * Dogs that carry one copy of an unwanted condition will not be affected or become symptomatic.
Removing every dog that carries an unwanted disorder could vastly reduce the overall gene pool within the breed, & eventually could result in extremely inbred dogs with new additional disorders.
We screen ALL of our breeding French Bulldogs for the hereditary conditions listed below. We will not knowingly breed two dogs that carry the same disorder.
* Cystinuria Type 3 (Cy3) * Cystinuria is a hereditary condition in which the kidney is unable to process cystine, an amino acid, correctly, leading to the formation of cystine stones and can cause blockage in the kidney, bladder, or ureter. Symptoms have only been seen in intact males, however both genders can carry this disorder. Cystinuria needs hormones, particularly testosterone to develop stones. Neutering a male cystinuria-positive Bulldog will prevent his body from forming stones. We use and recommend PennGen or Canine Health Check for this test.
* Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA-cord1/crd4) * ~ Progressive retinal Atrophy, cone-Rod dystrophy 4 ~ This is a hereditary condition of the eyes in which can progress to complete blindness.
* Canine Multifocal Retinopathy 1 (CMR1) * This is a hereditary eye condition in which fluid accumulates under the detached retina. This fluid accumulation results in blisters or lesions in the eye, usually seen in puppies ages 11-16 weeks. This is not found to cause blindness, however vision loss is possible.
* Hyperuricosuria (HUU) * Hyperuricosuria is a hereditary condition that predisposes dogs to stones in the bladder.
* Juvenile Hereditary Cataracts (JHC) * This hereditary eye condition affects both eyes symmetrically. Cataract formation starts by 1 year of age and progresses to blindness by 2-3 years of age.
* Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) * This is a hereditary condition that causes fatal spinal cord degeneration in older dogs.
* Additionally, we screen our foundation French Bulldogs & all of our Stud dogs for the following... *
~ Cardiac Disease ~ This is done through our Veterinarian or through a Veterinary cardiologist & results are submitted to the OFA.
~ Patellar Luxation ~ This is done through exam by our Veterinarian with results submitted to the OFA.
~ Tracheal Hypoplasia ~ This is done through X-rays taken by our Veterinarian then sent to the OFA for evaluation.
*** Common issues seen in French Bulldogs; *** Brachycephalic Syndrome (breathing difficulties) Elongated Soft Palate (can be corrected with surgery) Pinched Nares / Collapsed Nares / Stenotic Nares (can be corrected with surgery) Snoring (common among brachycephalic breeds) Overheating / Heatstroke (especially when overweight) Respiratory Issues (especially when overweight) Entropion (in-turned eyelids, can be corrected with surgery) Cherry Eye (can be corrected with surgery) Glaucoma Cataracts Corneal Ulcers (due to injury) Inverted Vulvas (can be corrected with surgery or can correct after first heat cycle) Luxating Patellas (can worsen with environment and/or injury) Loose Hips / Mild-Moderate Hip Dysplasia (can worsen with environment) Tail Pockets Kinked Tails, Crooked Tails, Inverted tails (inverted tails require amputation) Wry Jaw / Crooked Teeth Spinal Issues (including hemi-vertebrae (due to shortened back & lack of full tail) Ear Infections (due to yeast or allergies) Allergies / Yeast Infections / Skin issues (mostly diet & environment related)
*** Although we do our best to breed away from these breed specific issues *** we cannot eliminate all the common issues within the breed itself. We do not cover these common issues within the breed.
Realistically there is no such thing as a 'Perfect dog', and although we are always striving for perfection, we do not expect perfection within our dogs. We take the time and money to perform the above mentioned screenings in hopes to produce offspring that are as close to 'Perfect' as we can possibly get within our breed. By learning as much as we can about each one of our breeding dogs, both inside and out, it will help us make better breeding decisions. Before deciding whether a dog will be used for breeding, we weigh all the positives and negatives of that individual. In order to be considered for our breeding program, each dog must have positives that vastly outweigh the negatives.
Contact us: Mark & Heidi Schad remarkabull_dogs@yahoo.com 252-481-7252 (please leave us a message)