Excellent Hips (OFA Website)

STRUCTURAL/JOINT PROBLEMS

· Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Rupture - The knee along with the external support (i.e., collateral leg)
has two ligaments inside the joint that help prevent forward movement (i.e., cruciate). Insult/injury can
cause this ligament to rupture and result in acute lameness (the animal will not want to bear weight) on the
affected limb.

 ·Elbow Dysplasia - Elbow dysplasia encompasses several different conditions, all of which are indicative of abnormally formed or fused elbow joints and all can result in lameness and pain for the animal:

· Fragmented Coronoid Process (FCP) - This form of elbow dysplasia is generally the most difficult to treat if the fragments are actually loose in the joint.

· Osteochrondritis Dissecans (OCD) - A nutritionally based developmental disease. It is separation of joint
cartilage caused by too rapid growth. It is known to occur in elbows, shoulders, hocks and stifles but it can
occur anywhere in the body. It is a defect in the cartilage overlaying or attaching to the bone.

· Ununited Anconeal Process (UAP) - In BRTs the Anconeal Process can close later than in smaller breeds, as late as one year of age.

· Hip Dysplasia - Hip dysplasia is a painful condition caused by abnormally formed hips. The animal becomes
lame in the hind quarters due to the pain associated with the degeneration of the hips.
Hip Dysplasia information.

• EYE PROBLEMS  
• Cataract - Lens opacity that may in part or in total affect one or both eyes. Blindness results when cataracts are complete and in both eyes.
• Distichiasis - Eyelashes abnormally located in the eyelid margin which may cause ocular irritation.
• Ectropion - Conformational defect resulting in eversion of the eyelids, which may cause ocular irritationdue to exposure.Entropion - Conformational defect where eyelid margin inverts, or rolls inward, toward the eye causing eyelashes and hair to rub against the cornea resulting in ocular irritation.

· Retinal Dysplasia - Abnormal development of the retina present at birth and recognized to have three forms: folds, geographic, and detachment. A BRT with just folds will pass CERF and the folds may disappear over time.

MISCELLANEOUS OTHER PROBLEMS IN CANINES

· Cancer - Most forms of cancer have been diagnosed in some members of the breed. Probably some forms of cancer are hereditary while others occur spontaneously or even due to environmental toxins.

· Cystinuria - (from Dr. Giger's description of Cystinuria): Cystinuria is an inherited metabolic disease caused by a defective kidney transporter for cystine and some other amino acids. Because cystine readily
precipitates in acid urine crystals and later calculi (stones) can form in the kidney and bladder.
These calculi can result in serious illness, especially in males. Cystinuric animals may show recurrent
clinical signs of a urinary tract disorder from a few months of age until late in life.

· Epilepsy - seizure disorder which can have multiple causes. Age of onset of the inherited form is
6 months to 5 years of age. Generally difficult to treat successfully in large breeds.
There are two research efforts at this time.

· Gastric Dilation, Torsion, Volvulus (Bloat) - Bloat is a killer of giant breed animals. Without warning, the
stomach fills with air (dilation), can twist 180 degrees (torsion) on its long axis, or more than 180 degrees
(volvulus) thereby cutting off blood and oxygen to vital organs.
Bloat can be primary or secondary, caused by emotional or physical stress, improper nutrition or
feeding habits, guzzling water, inappropriate exercise, as well as other causes that we do not understand.
Every large dog owner needs to familiarize themselves with bloat symptoms and have a plan of action
to get the animal to an emergency medical facility at the onset of the first symptom.
A dog that is bloating has approximately 3 hours to live without medical intervention.

· Heart Disease - The most common heart problems are aortic stenosis, mitral valve dysplasia and
cardiomyopathy.
Early detection and treatment are essential for a good prognosis. Many dogs have heart murmurs that are
mild and not a cause for concern. If a heart murmur is detected it is essential to have it checked to see
if it is an "innocent" murmur or a serious problem.

 · Hypothyroidism - Hypothyroidism is the result of an abnormally functioning thyroid gland resulting in a lower
than normal level of thyroid hormone (T3 or T4). This lack of thyroid hormone can have
serious health consequences including coat and skin problems, intolerance to cold, weight gain or loss,
infertility, sudden aggression, and immune system malfunctions.
The inherited form is autoimmune thyroiditis
where the body's own immune system attacks
and destroys the thyroid gland or
reduces it's function. Autoimmune thyroiditis is diagnosed by
measuring the FT4D, cTSH & TgAA. Acquired
hypothyroidism can be caused by various problems such as stress
for long periods of time, poor nutrition,
prolonged infections, and chemical agents..

   Addison's Disease - Auto Immune disease of the adrenal glands.
While Addison's Disease might not be
hereditary, various autoimmune diseases will appear in the line. 
Without proper treatment Addisons is fatal.  Main symptoms
are vomiting, loose stools, lethargy, depression, weight loss.  Electrolytes become unbalanced. 
Blood work will show renal failure.  Treatment is daily prednisone
to replace cortisol that the adrenal glands
are not producing and once a month shot of Percorten-V. 
With treatment a normal lifespan is expected. 

   Hyperuricurosia - Urate Bladder Stones.  The Black Russian Terrier
has been involved in a study of this disease by the University of California/Davis.  A test has been developed
to identify whether dogs are clear of the genetic marker, carry
one copy of the genetic marker
(and are carriers of the disease), or carry 2 copies of the
genetic marker and have the potential to be affected
with the disease.

 

	Female	Female	Female
Male	N/N	N/HU	HU/HU
N/N	100% N/N	50%N/N, 50% N/HU	100% N/HU
N/HU	50% N/N, 50% N/HU	25% N/N, 50% N/HU, 25% HU/HU	50% N/HU, 50% HU/HU
HU/HU	100% N/HU	50% N/HU, 50% HU/HU	100% HU/HU

Results Reported as: 

N/N:      No copies of hyperuricosuria mutation; dog is normal

N/HU:   1 copy of hyperuricosuria mutation; dog is normal but is a carrier

HU/HU: 2 copies of hyperuricosuria mutation, dog is affected and susceptible to develop bladder/kidney stones.