Hybrid Vigour

Hybrid vigour

Some breeders would like you to believe that Labradoodles have hybrid vigour. In my opinion this is not true. The crossing of two dog breeds will not automatically produce healthier dogs, you still have to know the genetics behind them. Perhaps in a first generation cross you will be lucky to avoid problems but once these dogs are bred from they will carry any faults from both parents and then you have a Labradoodle which can suffer from all of the faults of both original breeds. There are far too many people out there breeding F1s from endorsed Labrador and poodle dogs/bitches, without a clue of what is going on in the genetics. Responsible breeders endorse their pedigree puppies for a reason and they have yet to breed the 'Perfect dog'  all lines have faults, some more serious than others, breeders who are dedicated know what they are and breed to avoid them but in the hands of a novice the outcome can be fatal.

Poodles suffer from Addisons, SA, PRA, HD, Labradors suffer from CPRA, GPRA, HD, ED, OCD you can also add to these the problems not associated to breeds but the cruel hand of nature such as Epilepsy. Lets just look at one fault PRA which is present in both breeds, I have lost count of the Labradoodle pedigrees I have seen with known carriers of PRA, if crossed to a Poodle which is also a carrier, the result is Labradoodle puppies suffering from PRA.If people continue to breed indiscriminately they will destroy a breed that is not even established yet and if it continues the Labradoodle is doomed. For an explanation of the terms used above please see 'Health Issues' below. There are lots of health issues associated with Labradors and Poodles and ultimately Labradoodles if people are not careful.

GPRA = Generalised Progressive Retinal Atrophy  in simple terms 'night blindness'  

CPRA = Central Progressive Retinal Atrophy  'daytime blindness'

PRA prcd = Progressive Rod Cone Degeneration. Late form of Progressive Retinal Athrophy, called PRA-prcd (progressive rod-code degeneration), is just one of all retinal defects. Rods degenerate at first. Affected dogs become night-blind. This is very often the first symptom that dog owners recognise. Dogs usually have poor sense of directions and they crash into things. Pupil is widely open even when direct ray of light hit the eye (dogs have shining eyes in pictures). Later, cones start degenerating. Final disease symptoms are cataracts and total blindness.

PRA-prcd defect arises after normal photoreceptors development. Degree of degeneration differs in parts of retina. Lower retina part is affected sooner and more than upper part (this is not obvious by ophthalmology examination). Disease recognition should be made during dog adolescence. Clinical diagnosis by electroretinogram (ERG) or ophthalmoscopy of PRA-prcd can be difficult. ERG identifies affected animals sooner than ophthalmoscopy.

HD= Hip dysplasia. The hip is made up of a ball and socket joint, clearly anything that goes wrong with this close association of one bone with another, in this case the femur (thigh bone) and the pelvis (hip) leads to disability.

ED = Elbow dysplasia is a general term used to identify an inherited polygenic disease in the elbow of dogs. Three specific aetiologies make up this disease and they can occur independently or in conjunction with one another. These aetiologies include: 1) Pathology involving the medial coronoid 2) Osteochondritis of the medial humeral condyle in the elbow joint (OCD) 3) Ununited anconeal process (UAP) OCD of the shoulder = Osteochondritis Dissecans has been reported to occur in the shoulder, elbow, stifle, hock, and spine, and can be unilateral or bilateral. While the exact mode of inheritance is unknown, osteochondrosis is considered to be an inherited disease. Most affected dogs that develop clinical signs are less than one year of age. OCD is seen in many breeds but appears to be more common in the larger body type breeds.  It is also seen more frequently in males than females.   This disorder occurs when calcification does not follow cartilage growth. The cartilage continues to grow, becomes thicker than normal, and vessels from the bone marrow are unable to penetrate. This results in aseptic necrosis and when the weakened area collapses, the articular cartilage fractures resulting in lameness.

SA = Sebaceous Adenitis is a hereditary skin disease, visible symptoms are thickening skin, scales, excessive production of dandruff (hyperkeratosis), patchy hair loss, and often secondary infections accompanied by a musty odour. While SA may be an autoimmune disease, it is recessive in its mode of inheritance, requiring defective genes from both sire and dam. Currently it appears to be a simple autosomal recessive, meaning it is transmitted by a single gene from each parent and not sex linked. Such genetically produced diseases cannot be cured, but they can be treated and can be bred away from.

ADDISONS DISEASE (Hypoadrenocorticism) is a rare but serious disorder of the endocrine system caused by the gradual destruction of the cortex of the adrenal gland, most commonly by the body's immune system. (Cancer, haemorrhage, or certain drugs can also cause adrenocortical destruction.) The result is a decrease in production of glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids - adrenal hormones that are necessary for a wide range of body functions. Deficient production of these hormones produces a diverse array of clinical signs, many of them vague. Both Standard Poodles and Labradors are breeds that appear to have an increased risk for this rare disorder.

PFK  The deficiency of the muscle phosphofructokinase belongs to the group of glycogenoses (Inherited Glycogen Storage Disease). The PFK-deficiency or glycogenose, type VII affects people and even other mammals, in particular dogs.When purchasing a Labradoodle puppy you must ask the breeder what the results are for health testing, ask to see the health certificates for proof of hip and eye results, examples are shown.

When purchasing a Labradoodle puppy you must ask the breeder what the results are for health testing, ask to see the health certificates for proof of hip and eye results, examples are shown.Hips are scored from 0 to 53 on each hip, 0:0 is perfect and 53:53 is a disaster Hips are scored from 0 to 53 on each hip, 0:0 is perfect and 53:53 is a disaster.

The Breed Mean Score (BMS) for Labradors and Standard Poodles is total 15.Miniature Poodle BMS is total 16It is not common practise to hip score Miniature Poodles in the pedigree dog world but when breeding to a Labrador or a Labradoodle, it is in my opinion imperative.

Eyes are tested  annually, so please ensure that you see an up to date certificate. There is an argument that if the dog is Optigen Tested they may not require an Annual eye test but ask to see the Optigen Certificate.

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE IN A BREEDER, IT SHOULD BE AS IMPORTANT TO THE BREEDER WHERE THEIR PUPPIES GO, AS IT IS FOR YOU WHERE YOU GET YOUR PUPPY FROM.