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Optimisation of breeding strategies to reduce the prevalence of inherited disease in pedigree dogs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

TW Lewis ,
JA Woolliams  and
SC Blott
TW Lewis
Affiliation:
Kennel Club Genetics Centre at the Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 7UU, UK
JA Woolliams
Affiliation:
The Roslin Institute & Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh EH25 9PS, UK
SC Blott*
Affiliation:
Kennel Club Genetics Centre at the Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 7UU, UK
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: sarah.blott@aht.org.uk
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Abstract

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One option for improving the welfare of purebred dog breeds is to implement health breeding programmes, which allow selection to be directed against known diseases while controlling the rate of inbreeding to a minimal level in order to maintain the long-term health of the breed. The aim of this study is to evaluate the predicted impact of selection against disease in two breeds: the Cavalier King Charles spaniel (CKCS) and the Labrador Retriever. Heritabilities for mitral valve disease, syringomyelia in the CKCS and hip dysplasia in the Labrador were estimated to be 0.64 (± 0.07), 0.32 (± 0.125) and 0.35 (± 0.016), respectively, which suggest encouraging selection responses are feasible based upon the estimation of breeding values (EBVs) if monitoring schemes are maintained for these breeds. Although using data from disease databases can introduce problems due to bias, as a result of individuals and families with disease usually being over-represented, the data presented is a step forward in providing information on risk. EBVs will allow breeders to distinguish between potential parents of high and low risk, after removing the influence of life history events. Analysis of current population structure, including numbers of dogs used for breeding, average kinship and average inbreeding provides a basis from which to compare breeding strategies. Predictions can then be made about the number of generations it will take to eradicate disease, the number of affected individuals that will be born during the course of selective breeding and the benefits that can be obtained by using optimisation to constrain inbreeding to a pre-defined sustainable rate.

Keywords

animal welfaredoghip dysplasiainherited diseasemitral valve diseasesyringomyelia
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 19 , Issue S1: Proceedings of the UFAW International Symposium ‘Darwinian selection, selective breeding and the welfare of animals’ Bristol, 2009 , May 2010 , pp. 93 - 98
Copyright
© 2010 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

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