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Official genetic screening results should be made avail- Breed maintenance and improvement requires:
able to prospective breeders, and to the pet and breeding- - A large or expanding breed population
stock purchasing public. This is facilitated through open
genetic health databases like the OFA. It doesn’t matter - Avoidance of the popular sire syndrome
whether a breeder is a large commercial breeder, or only - Avoidance of extreme phenotypes that can
breeds once. It is no longer acceptable to say that genetic
disease “just happens.” In today’s environment, not test- produce disease liability
ing for documented breed-related hereditary diseases is - Monitoring of health issues in the breed
irresponsible and unethical breeding. Breed-specific pre-
breeding health screening should become as universal - Constant selection for quality and health
as equine pre-purchase examinations.
(This article was published in the September 2016
Perspectives – AKC Delegates Newsletter.

Photos for this article © Carol Ann Klein

This page sponsored by
Phil & Vicki DeGruy, Thunderhill Chow Chows

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