LAST WEEKEND saw Pekes and Bulldogs under the spotlight, after finding themselves the first and second UK breeds respectively to participate in the Ostrander Lab/ NIH genome study looking at Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome (BAS).
The ground breaking event was organised by the The Pekingese Club (in association with many other Pekingese Clubs), the Pekingese PROGRESS group and the recently formed Brachycephalic Dog Open Group (BCDOG).
The special guest speaker was Dr Terill Udenberg, a Canadian Veterinary Surgeon and
authority on BAS. His lively and energetic presentation also stimulated an active debate. Dr Udenberg said that relatively small shifts in nasal shape was a major contributor to the ability of Pekingese dogs and other Brachycephalic breeds to breathe more easily. He recently helped launch the joint US National Institute of Health and Pekingese Club of America's BAS genome study at their Centenial Show in Indiannapolis. There was considerable interest in the launch of the genome study in the UK.
Many Pekingese owners demonstrated their commitment to the health of the breed by bringing their dogs to be tested and the launch was given further impetus by the participation of Bulldogs in the study.
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The innovative collaboration between Pekingese owners worldwide was a landmark event for the breed and, with the commitment from several leading breeders in the UK to register with the project, there appears to be an excellent chance of being able to identify genetic markers in the future.
Dr Udenberg said, ‘To my knowledge this is the first time that three countries (USA, Canada and the UK) have united for the improvement of any health issue within any breed. The Pekingese breed should be proud of this landmark development.’
During the conference many aspects of Pekingese and Brachycephalic Health issues were addressed and, for the first time in the breed, owners and breeders were able to hear directly from senior figures in the Kennel Club and the Animal Health Trust.
Dr Jeff Sampson, Genetics Adviser to the Kennel Club, explored genetic principles that could be applied to breeding programmes and delegates were also able to scrutinise the data from the 2004 Purebred Dog Health Survey in greater detail than had been possible before, due to Katy Evans of The Animal Health Trust's (AHT) presentation.
Barry Offiler, Chairman of the Pekingese Club said; ‘Everybody is very excited by the prospect of much closer collaboration between the breed and the AHT.’
The conference also agreed to explore the possibility of developing a far-reaching epidemiological research programme which will look at Pekingese Health issues over a number of years.
In addition, the conference heard from Damien Bush, who has been taking surgical referrals from veterinarians for over 10 years. Mr Bush explained how back problems can be identified and treated in the breed. However, it was encouraging to note that Pekingese dogs presenting with spinal issues represented a small proportion of total spinal problems seen in his specialist practice.
Brenda Oades, Secretary of the Pekingese Club, said: ‘We are delighted with the extremely positive feedback that we received from the Conference's many participants. This is an exciting time for Pekingese as well as other Brachycephalic breeds.’
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