Potential Hip Dysplasia

[Iceniii]

I have a 2 year old Maine Coon. My first non moggy. I've rescued for 20 years prior to this.

I know that they come with the potential for certain conditions and this could be linked to genetics. They potentially have arthritis and hip dysplasia.

Wanted to understand more about a breeders responsibilities really. For example, if the blood line of the cats goes back for a couple of decades, could they potentially be knowingly breeding with cats with this condition? Or could it just appear?

The breeder seemed reputable, members of certain bodies, good following who discuss their cats, said they screened, provided insurance for first months, etc

I guess I'm asking because I'd hate for them to be knowingly be breeding cats who could potentially suffer from a painful condition. If its just bad luck, then that's different. It will be moggies from now on though.

We rescued a German shepherd who had this, and it was pretty sad to watch.

Anyone?

I'm thinking, why aren't vet systems centralised, and breeder details tracked alongside the animal. Continous hits of animals with condition could easily be picked up with software. It would tackle bad breeding.

Not thinking my boy may have been badly bred, but there are ways this could be tackled.

I don't know. But my Persians were rescued from a kitten farm. The were breeding queens . One of mine had severe HCM which is hereditary. And they should be screened for it. I dread to think how many of Maia's off spring had it too.

@Iceniii

I'm thinking, why aren't vet systems centralised, and breeder details tracked alongside the animal. Continous hits of animals with condition could easily be picked up with software. It would tackle bad breeding.

Not thinking my boy may have been badly bred, but there are ways this could be tackled.

Vet's are private businesses hence why their systems are not linked. And we would require consent for each individual animal from each owner to share data - their medical records are protect in the same way that yours are. As yet there is not a screening program for cats like there is for dogs. It took many many years to get the fig program up and running effectively. Thus paper from 2019 has been to look retrospectively at hip dysplasia and Maine Coons and my personal experience would also be that it is the larger cats that tend to be affected. It could be worth looking at similar breeds that don't seem to be affected like the Norwegian Forest or Siberian's.

He's having xrays on his spine, hips and knees. On his knee they think his ligaments may have torn.