Pro Club News

A healthy, active Golden Retriever who recently retired from agility competition, "Daphne," at age 8 ½, has earned many titles, including Master Agility Champion, to prove her success: MACH Pine Run A L'il Daph'll DoYa, WC, AAD, OD, ADHF, OF.

When a German Shepherd Dog experiences idiopathic diarrhea and vomiting, veterinarians generally suspect canine inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This is because the breed is predisposed to the chronic gastrointestinal condition.

When her 9-year-old Scottish Terrier, "Frankie," began frequently straining to urinate, Laurie Hoffman of Schereville, Ind., recognized the potential seriousness of the condition.

Twenty-seven years later, Sandy Jessop still remembers her Siberian Husky "Dax" battling inflammatory bowel disease.

Performing brilliantly over 10 challenging series of multiple land and water marks and blinds, a 9-year-old black Labrador Retriever named “Roxie” stylishly won the 2015 National Amateur Retriever Championship.

Labrador Retrievers, like all breeds of dog, are susceptible to hereditary eye diseases that potentially can cause blindness. Breeders who take advantage of genetic testing and annual eye examinations are helping to prevent eye diseases.

Researchers studying exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), a disease in which food is not properly digested and absorbed, believe that the condition may have a complex mode of inheritance.

Hypothyroidism, the end stage of lymphocytic thyroiditis, or auto­immune thyroid disease, is the most common endocrine disorder in dogs. Considered a hereditary condition, hypothyroidism affects virtually all dog breeds and even mixed breeds. 

When her 4-week-old miniature Dachshund puppy “Piper” was diagnosed with megaesophagus, Pam Giles of Des Moines, Iowa, began learning all she could about the potentially fatal congenital condition.

Though Dachshunds are not among the breeds considered at high risk for developing the cancer hemangiosarcoma, concerned breeders and owners, along with the Dachshund Club of America (DCA), are taking steps to increase awareness and collect DNA samples to su

Collaborative research, involving key canine cancer researchers, is focusing on developing markers to help diagnose and guide cancer treatment.

The recent discovery of the gene mutation that causes a crippling dwarfism in Miniature Poodles, and the subsequent development of a direct DNA test to identify carriers, represents a successful collaboration between breeders and researchers.