I have a year old pedigree KC registered male dog who has cryptorchidism.
Cryptorchidism is generally considered to be an inherited autosomal recessive condition. This means the sire and the dam both have to be carriers for a puppy to be affected. Of the puppies born, one might be affected, others will be carriers. Bitches obviously will not show any evidence of being carriers.
I have waited a year to make sure the testicle was not just going to come down late.
Now, my dog will have to have the hidden testicle removed which will be a more expensive and invasive operation than ordinary castration would have been. Moreover, as I have had no trouble from him being entire, and might have liked him to be able to have puppies, I would not necessarily have had him castrated, however it would be irresponsible to breed from him now.
My vet considers the condition to be genetic too.
I bought my puppy from a person who had bred from his pedigree family pet for the first and only time. He would not have been able to know that she is a carrier.
The stud dog used has a great many progeny. He must have been spreading the cryptorchidism gene everywhere and many male puppies in his line must have shown the condition.
I reported the stud to The Kennel Club. I havve not got the email in fron of me to reproduce it word for word but the gist of their reply is that it is 'unclear' that Cryptorchidism is a hereditary condition. They do not require dogs with this condition to be registered as such.
As by any common understanding cryptorchidism is indeed an inherited condition, the Kennel Club is, in my opinion, hiding behind a technicality.
They say that if I get my vet to write a letter saying it is an inherited condition they will send it to the breeder of my dog and it will be up to him to let the other owners of the litter know. As the dogs were £400 a year ago I would say he would be unlikely to do this!
Meanwhile the Kennel Club will go on keeping the stud dog which is a cryptorchidism carrier registered on its books, and this dog will go on to produce carrier puppies year after year.
There can be other conditions clustered with cryptorchidism too such as luxating patella. This is less the case with the breed I have, but the same principle would apply to the other breeds where this could happen.
I do not therefore agree that the Kennel Club promotes the well being of a breed as they claim they do. Kennel Club registered puppies go for double the price of unregistered ones.
I wonder what would happen in Germany where breeders have to follow very strict rules?
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The Kennel Club's seemingly irresponsible policy regarding cryptorchidism.
4 replies
KindDogsTail · 29/03/2016 13:48
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