ruthcatrin
Well-Known Member
So. Back at the show I took Apollo to at the end of March they were offering OFA Heart, BAER hearing, and CERF eye testing. I decided what the hell and signed Apollo up for testing. Not because I suspected any problems, but because it was convenient and inexpensive and cheaper than driving to Cornell if I ever decided I wanted it done. Plus the CHIC has just recently added CERF eye testing to their list of recommended tests for the TM.
He passed the BAER testing with flying colors (the vet got rumbled at, but I'd rumble too if you were sticking wires into my skin at various points of my skull).
The heart test was a bit more of a pain, fluff-ball here was hot and grumpy and didn't want to trot around to get his heart moving for the final part of the test, but we managed and he also passed his heart test with flying colors. He also refused to trot around the breed ring that morning, not sure what his problem was, but even the judge was laughing at us. Oh well.
The CERF eye exam went smoothly, but the Ophthalmologist informed me that Apollo has a strand of PPM (iris to iris) in his right eye. Otherwise his eyes are perfect. He stated that the PPM, as Apollo has it, does not mean anything bad for Apollo, both now and in the future. However it MAY have a genetic component and so I should consider requiring any bitch he's bred to to also have her eyes checked so as to avoid concentrating the genes that cause it.
A bit of research agreed with the Ophthalmologist (see the above linked article from CERF). In SOME breeds, including the EM, PPM (in any form) results in a "do not breed" designation as they have been shown to produce offspring who are blind due to severe PPM.
A check of CERF's database shows that of the 34 TMs who've had their eyes officially certified two have had PPM (one of them is Apollo).
Its not considered a significant problem for the breed. But part of me wonders if thats because so few TMs have been checked. I do know that I don't want it to become a problem for the breed!
I have discussed it with Apollo's breeder. She's not overly concerned, but will be having Apollo's brother's eyes checked when she can arrange to get him into a certified Ophthalmologist, just to see.
Does anyone here have any experience dealing with PPM in their dogs? I'm pretty much set on requiring that any bitch he'd be bred to have her eyes checked first. I don't really care if its a CERF certified Ophthalmologist, I just want to know if they have PPM or not. And its not like I'm requiring them to put their dog under and have a 2nd set of expensive xrays done!
He passed the BAER testing with flying colors (the vet got rumbled at, but I'd rumble too if you were sticking wires into my skin at various points of my skull).
The heart test was a bit more of a pain, fluff-ball here was hot and grumpy and didn't want to trot around to get his heart moving for the final part of the test, but we managed and he also passed his heart test with flying colors. He also refused to trot around the breed ring that morning, not sure what his problem was, but even the judge was laughing at us. Oh well.
The CERF eye exam went smoothly, but the Ophthalmologist informed me that Apollo has a strand of PPM (iris to iris) in his right eye. Otherwise his eyes are perfect. He stated that the PPM, as Apollo has it, does not mean anything bad for Apollo, both now and in the future. However it MAY have a genetic component and so I should consider requiring any bitch he's bred to to also have her eyes checked so as to avoid concentrating the genes that cause it.
A bit of research agreed with the Ophthalmologist (see the above linked article from CERF). In SOME breeds, including the EM, PPM (in any form) results in a "do not breed" designation as they have been shown to produce offspring who are blind due to severe PPM.
A check of CERF's database shows that of the 34 TMs who've had their eyes officially certified two have had PPM (one of them is Apollo).
Its not considered a significant problem for the breed. But part of me wonders if thats because so few TMs have been checked. I do know that I don't want it to become a problem for the breed!
I have discussed it with Apollo's breeder. She's not overly concerned, but will be having Apollo's brother's eyes checked when she can arrange to get him into a certified Ophthalmologist, just to see.
Does anyone here have any experience dealing with PPM in their dogs? I'm pretty much set on requiring that any bitch he'd be bred to have her eyes checked first. I don't really care if its a CERF certified Ophthalmologist, I just want to know if they have PPM or not. And its not like I'm requiring them to put their dog under and have a 2nd set of expensive xrays done!
