The Necessity for a Thorough Eye Examination
by Gisela Aach (30 May, 2003)
(Any copies, or excerpts, only with permission by the author)
Since the beginning of the regular veterinary health checks as a precondition for the assessment for breeding (Körprüfung), the eye examination of our ZG Eurasiers is part of this standard procedure. Occassionally, since 1963, we have had a few cases of entropion, more than ten years later distichiasis was diagnosed in rare cases. Fortunately, other hereditary eye diseases have not become known in our Eurasiers yet.
The entropion, the "rolling in" of the eye lid, can be recognized fairly well by a layman, because it usually causes the affected dogs severe problems: runny eyes, conjunctivitis, and, if it is not treated, it can damage the cornea due to the constant rubbing of the eyelashes on the cornea. Entropion can be corrected surgically by stretching the lid slightly, and usually the dog is then rid of this problem permanently.
Distichiasis, where "eyelashes grow in the wrong place at the tip of the lid towards the eye", is more difficult to recognize and to treat. In mild cases, this eye disease causes the affected dogs no or only light problems, after all, runny eyes every now and then can have all sorts of other reasons. Up to the early 90ies, this disease was only diagnosed in severe cases because the lashes in the wrong place had to be removed surgically, or because this "double row of lashes" was detected by pure luck. And so it was generally agreed that dogs with distichiasis were not to be considered for breeding.
During the past years much progress has been made in the field of ophthalmology in dogs (better instruments, specialist training and greater focus on this disease) and, as a result, we had to realize that one fifth to one third of our Eurasier population has distichiasis - in most cases it probably stayed undetected, because the dogs did not show any sign of it and had no problems. It is difficult to make out which of the three breeds of the Eurasiers' foundation stock was responsible for carrying distichiasis into the Eurasier population, as the dogs bred then had not been "examined" the same way as nowadays, and also dogs with distichiasis have occassionally been diagnosed in all three breeds. Finding the responsible breed would therefore not really help us now.
Two things make it so difficult to overcome distichiasis:
1. Many, actually most of the affected Eurasiers show absolutely no problems and only a specialist/ophthalmologist can find this disease by using special instruments.
2. Just like all other hair of a dog (guard hair, underwool), these distichies (eyelashes) underlie the same shedding process, which means that distichies can have just fallen out short before the eye examination, and they can also grow again later. This disease can even show up in later years, so that a single eye examination for this disease can only give a momentary result.
But this eye examination is the only chance we have if we want to overcome distichiasis. It is certain that the offspring of Eurasier parents who are both affected with distichiasis will most likely have distichiasis as well (approx. 90 %). But there is only little difference between the offspring where both parents are free of distichiasis and the offspring where only one parent had distichiasis. In both cases the percentage is 20 % to 30 %. Surely there is also a high percentage of undetected carriers.
Already at the end of 1993, and on the basis of these findings, the ZG breeding board therefore agreed to the following interim solution:
All Eurasiers must be examined thoroughly and opthalmologically by a specialist.
Dogs with only very few distichies can be accepted for breeding, but must be mated with a partner free of distichiasis.
This agreement is to be verified once a year and, if need be, will be adapted in accordance to new scientific findings, so that we can achieve our breeding aim - healthy Eurasiers without eye diseases.
A tremendous help would be the results of all those Eurasiers who have not yet had this examination (because, for example, they were never considered for breeding, etc.). Therefore please: If you own a Eurasier who has not yet had an eye examination and you must see the vet for some other reason, please ask for this eye examination (you can get the necessary papers and the form for the vet from me, even via email). Please inform me about the result as soon as possible. (Again, I am just as happy to receive this result via email, but please, attach the report of the vet!)
Dogs with a negative result (no distichiasis) in younger years have been diagnosed with this disease many years later. Please do not hesitate to inform us about this as well. Only if we have as much information on this field as possible, can we overcome distichiasis. Without your assistance, dear Eurasier owners, we will be fighting against windmills.
Thank you very much for your cooperation and the information
you will provide.
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