For legitimate breeders: Genetic predisposition for torn ACL’s?
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For those of you with legitimate breeding programs or who are familiar with multiple generations of purebred dogs, have you seen a pattern of familial predisposition towards torn or ruptured ACL’s?
A good friend and Hall of Fame breeder once said that she felt it was an inherited weakness in her lines and she would not breed any dog who was affected. It seems to be more common these days, but that may be due to the fact that we are doing more activities that stress the dogs legs in ways that they would not normally be doing (agility training, flyball, frisbee, open-utility obedience training, schutzhund)
Any thoughts? ( I realize that by asking this during the day, I may be hitting the younger crowd and missing my target audience, but hoping for a few good observations)I don’t know that it’s the ligaments exactly. I would guess it’s more from the structure of the knee; an instable knee will put the ACL at risk. This structural flaw can certainly be genetic.
Obviously, improper conditioning and pushing a dog too far will also influence it.
For increasing occurances, dogs are getting heavier and heavier as the human population does. This has a HUGE affect on ACL’s. I’m talking about general population dogs here, not competition level dogs.
I know a TON of orthopods (for humans) and have had numerous knee surgeries (not ACL), so I apply that knowledge towards dogs. : )It would seem there is. I had a Newf many years ago who ruptured both ACL’s…..as did the other two dogs from his litter of three. After talking to vets at Cornell, they also felt there was a predisposition to it as well. And none of these were agility dogs or anything like that.
How can three dogs from the same litter ALL rupture both ACL’s by the time they are 4????? To the above=luxating patellas are a skeletal defect-the groove isn’t deep enough.
How does that translate to weak ligaments?
Is that a "chicken or the egg" question?
I won’t breed from wonky knees,even though my breed isn’t usually that athletically inclined
Yes, it there can be a genetic predisposition to weak ligaments in the knee, this is the major cause of patellar luxation, especially in small breeds. Hmmm…. I haven’t heard that one before.
FWIW, I’ve only had one of mine with an ACL injury. Fortunately it was fairly minor and we were able to cure it with crate rest and pred. She was NOT a preformance dog.Vets will tell you that my breed is "prone" to ACL tears — however, I can tell you from experience that, 99% of the time, it occurs in pet dogs kept obese by their owners.
Sometimes pet owners just don’t believe that a neutered male Siberian can live of 1.5-2 cups of food a day.
I haven’t seen a genetic link — and considering how athletic these dogs are, and the crap I see them pull both on the trail and in the yard (double 360 leap and twist off the top of a snow covered dog house, anyone?) — seems like genetically weak knee ligaments would have become an issue by now, if it were there.
Would I breed a dog with a blown ACL? I guess it would depend on the circumstances of the tear. I certainly wouldn’t want to knowingly pass on weak ligaments. But I wouldn’t rule that dog out just because of an ACL issue.My belief is that its a combination of things:
Genetics- a predisposition towards weak ligaments
Genetics- structurally unsound dogs- especially those with a lack of rear angulation
Lack of conditioning/muscling- caused by either genetics or lack of sufficient exercise to create sufficient muscling to help support joints/ligaments
Poor nutrition- a bunch of kibble fed dogs who don’t themselves eat the building blocks necessary to support joints/ligaments
I don’t believe the sports themselves are the issue. I believe its more a case of a lack in the dog, the breeding of the dog and the raising of the dog. Too few people make certain their dogs are stretched out/warmed up adequately. Too few people make sure the dog is in condition to do the activity. Too many people like to either push their dogs too fast (too young) or beyond the dog’s capabilities.
Dogs, in general, no longer work all day.. they aren’t removed from the genepool because they "broke down".. and so, as a whole, the structural soundness seems to be deteriorating.
heart away & it appears that his "peepee" wont ake contact.