All breeds of dog have health issues. These problems are swept under the carpet in many breeds.

The Portuguese Water Dog community are very open regarding health issues and are working tirelessly to eradicate them.

  
prcd-PRA

PWD's can be affected by prcd- PRA. This disease leads to late onset slowly progressive loss of sight. An affected dog may not show any symptoms until they are 7 years of age. The earliest indicator being night blindness. Athough prcd- PRA isn't fatal, it has no cure. Prcd-PRA also affects breeds such as Labradors, Cocker Spaniels and Poodles.

OptiGen have found the gene mutation which causes prcd-PRA. A simple blood test identifies the dog's status.

NORMAL- Does not carry the abnormal gene

CARRIER- Has one copy of the abnormal gene but will never be affected by PRA

AFFECTED- Has two copies of the abnormal gene and will most likely develop PRA

All dogs can be mated safely as long as one is tested OptiGen Normal, A or A1, as this will never produce a puppy affected by PRA. 


Prior to 1 st June 2005 dogs were given the following ratings. A/ A1 = Normal , B/ B1 = Carrier, C/C1 = Affected.


CANINE HIP DYSPLASIA

Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD) results from incorrect development of the hip joint. At this time it is unknown what causes CHD, but research has shown that environment (diet, exercise) and polygenic factors (many genes) contribute.

Symptoms of CHD are limping, stiffness and possible loss of muscle tone. Symptoms usually don't show themselves until middle or later years in a dog's life. However severe cases of CHD can show themselves at 5 months.

In the UK dogs can be tested for CHD after 1 year of age. X-rays are submitted to the BVA and then each hip joint is ‘scored' by a panel of Vets, '0' being the best posible score and '53' the worst score per hip joint. The score per hip is then combined. The lower the combined hip score signifies the least change to the hip area.

ThePWD average hip score in the UK is 16. The BVA recommend that only dogs with scores below the breed average are mated.

                                                   X-ray of good hips                       X-ray of dysplastic hips

                                                         low scoring                                       high scoring

JUVENILE DILATED CARDIOMYOPATHY

Cardio or JDCM is a fatal inherited disease and results in the sudden unexplained death of puppies between the ages of 2 and 27 weeks. Both parents need to be carriers of Cardio to produce affected puppies.

The decline in health is extremely rapid and it may take only 12 hours from onset of symptoms (vomiting, breathing problems, lethargy) to death.

This dreadful disease is of major concern to the PWD community and in 2007 a test became available. This test doesn't identify the actual affected gene but a 'linked marker' on the same chromosone, very near the gene that mutates to JDCM. Results are proving accurate as dogs tested probable cariers have known grandparents that have produced one or more pups affected by JDCM. Research is ongoing.

LINKED MARKER TEST RESULTS

PROBABLE CLEAR  1 : 1

PROBABLE CARRIER  1 : 2

The only sure way of knowing if a puppy has died from Cardio is by autopsy. Common traits are enlarged, thickened heart muscle and lung congestion.

Only one known mating has possibly produced Cardio in the UK . Both Sire and Dam were immediately withdrawn from breeding and remaining puppies from the litter were spayed/ neutered.

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Storage Disease

GM-1/ Storage Disease has not seen any new cases since September 1999. GM-1 is caused by the absence of an enzyme which removes toxins from nerve cells. It has no cure and is fatal to the affected puppy.

Thanks must be given to responsible American breeders of the PWD who have worked diligently since the advent of a genetic test in 1987 to conquer this disease.

Addison's Disease

Addison's Disease occurs when the adrenal glands deteriorate. Symptoms include lethargy, depression and weight loss – symptoms of many illnesses making Addison 's difficult to diagnose. Once found it is easy to treat and then medication means a virtually normal life. Addison 's is also found in other breeds such as Bearded Collies, English Springer Spaniels and West Highland White Terriers