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Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis.(NCL) NCL is a neurological disease that is found in a number of canine breeds including the American Bulldog. It is passed on genetically from dogs that are affected/carriers to their offspring. Testing and research is currently being undertaken at veterinary colleges in the United States, whilst testing is available in Germany and a blood test is available to determine if a dog is affected or not. The main research body in the USA states that whilst all efforts should be made to eradicate the disease a dog that is shown to be breed worthy should not be excluded from your breeding programme if it is a carrier of NCL Presently many uk and european vets are unaware of NCL, so you may find the information below useful when approaching your on the subject Here are some relevant links: Canine Gentetic Diseases Network Columbia College of Veterinary Medicine University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover Definition of NCL According to the NCL test result, a dog will be "Clear", "Carrier" or "Affected". Clear: The gene responsible for causing NCL is not present in the dog. Carrier: One copy of the NCL gene is present. The dog will not display any symptoms of the disease but can pass the NCL gene on to it's offspring. (it must be noted that a carrier dog can NEVER develope the disease or pass the disease on to its offspring if bred to a clear partner) Affected: Two copies of the NCL gene are present. The dog will go on to develop symptoms of the disease and will ultimately die as a result. The NCL gene will be passed on to it's offspring.
Hip And Elbow dysplacia
Hip and elbow dysplacia is a significant and crippling problem in the American Bulldog, It is a genetic condition – i.e passed on from its parents, although there can be environmental factors that could cause the onset of the condition within a dog In the UK experts from the British Veterinary Association in partnership with the kennel club determine a dog’s hip/elbow score. A score number is calculated for each hip/elbow based using readings measured from the dog's x-rays. At this time, individual scores are not made public, but a basic list is published annually showing the lowest and highest scores for each breed along with the average scores. In Europe there are similar schemes in operation to the BVA which also directly compare with the OFA system, there is also the Penn Hip system available in the USA and in limited surgeries in the UK. Within the European schemes the minimum age requirement is for the animal being tested to be at least 12months of age, whereas the OFA scheme requires the animal to be 2 years of age. Although the OFA will give a preliminary rating before this age. Hip-Scores: The OFA System BVA Hip Dysplasia Page |
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