ProjectDog Fundraiser: Vestibular Deafness in Dobermans

A few years back (in 2012, I've been blogging here for awhile!) I wrote about ProjectDog, and how they had a Doberman survey. I was contact recently by a breeder who would really like to see ProjectDog get some much needed funds, asking me if I was willing to blog about them again. I was provided with a linki to a fundraising campaign to fund research on Vestibular Deafness in Dobermans (affected dogs are referred to as "dings", but I'm going to use the other, less mean sounding, DVDob). It's "vestibular" deafness rather than the usual sort, because frequently it also severely impairs the dog's equilibrium.

According to this article (which quotes Ann Ramsbottom, the Doberman breeder who uses the Cambria prefix, who has had a lot of very beautiful and successful dogs), a gene for DVDob was isolated in 2012, and is an autosomal recessive mutation. Meaning that, like Von Willebrand's Disease, a dog who is a carrier can be bred to a dog who is "clear", and the resulting puppies will not be affected by DVDob. But they still don't know if the gene is related to other things, more prevalent in certain lines, associated with other genes, etc. and would really like the research to move forward. Frequently puppies are so badly affected that they are euthanized before they get very old. To paraphrase the Cambria breeder's quote from the above article, They seem to be in constant discomfort, have trouble locating the nipple to nurse, have trouble latching, and that's if the mother doesn't push them away.

Breeders don't want to have to watch their puppies suffer, and definitely don't want to have to make the tough decision to euthanize puppies when they're still only a few weeks old. It would be a great boon to learn more about DVDob and its causes, and build a database of dogs who are carriers, clear, and affected to be aware of these factors as well while breeding.

And before you think "It's just deafness, what's the big deal?", take a look at the video on the top of the Go Fund Me page for ProjectDog to study Doberman Congenital Deafness. It's of a three week Doberman puppy affected by DVDob. The puppy struggles around on the surface where he was placed (granted, there's only so well three week old puppies move anyway), unable to even maintain an upright posture. His head movements are jerky, unnatural and heartbreaking, as are the little cries he's making. He looks, to me, like a wounded animal. It seems rough to say, but it doesn't surprise me that a dam would reject a puppy like that, if the rest of the litter seems "normal" and viable.  There's another video on the page of a 10ish week old puppy affected by DVDob, and these physical symptoms have not gone away. She falls over for no reason, she cries, she staggers around. It breaks my heart (and might break yours, so if you don't want to sit weeping at the computer, perhaps don't watch those videos).

So, if you're able, I urge you to donate what you can to ProjectDog so they can resume funding research in this area.

Really, Time Magazine? The Problem With Pit Bulls?

Time Magazine, on June 20, ran the article "The Problem With Pit Bulls". I only just read it, and haven't really heard it discussed in my usual online watering holes. Go read it; I didn't watch the video or anything, so can't vouch for that, but otherwise it doesn't have any terrible pictures or language or anything.

It's hard to read things like that, because they aren't wrong. This is Time Magazine here; they're able to present a compelling argument and back it up with sources. It's what they're for.  But they aren't right, either, and I feel leaning on PETA for citation weakens their case. "Even PETA, the largest animal-rights organization in the world, supports breed-specific sterilization for pit bulls" says Time magazine. Well, PETA thinks it would be best if this convention of keeping pets never existed. We all probably know by now about PETA's high euthanization rate of animals surrendered into their care (that one's from Time, here's one from The Washington Post).

Doberman Health ~ Health Testing outside the United States

I live in the United States, and as a result have a rather ethnocentric view. I try not to, but there are times I find myself falling into it.

One of those times is with regards to health testing in Dobermans before breeding. Many of the health tests I know about, and thus recommend when looking for a breeder are ones based in (or mostly available in) the United States. But it's a big world out there.

Image of Earth taken from the International Space Station

New Canis Maximus hearing tomorrow, June 6 2013

At 2 p.m. on June 6, there will be a public hearing at 10 Hotel Street in Warrenton Virginia. to consider Irina Barrett's new special permit application for her kennel. 

I write about this back in February, when the story first "broke". It took this long because applications were submitted and then removed at the 11th hour when it looked like they would not be passed. Things like that. My understanding is that Ms. Barrett has continued to operate.

Regardless of peoples' feelings on her breeding practices (and not everybody agrees that there is a problem), the focus for this hearing, according to the above linked article, will be on the land use practices. When it comes down to it, she has too many dogs on that property.

Ms. Barrett has also brought a defamation suit against the humane inspector to the tune of $1.3 million. I've heard on the Internet that she's looked up nearly everybody that has mentioned her and included them in a suit as well, but that sounds a bit over the top.

The AKC (famed for their recent letter on how they're doing the best they can) did send an inspector to Ms. Barret's property in April. They sent a letter to the county's Sheriff, which was quoted in the above linked article, and I'm going to quote below:

An American Kennel Club field agent on April 17 found “very poor sanitary and/or health conditions” at Canis Maximus.
AKC’s director of compliance support shared the report and a summary in an April 22 letter to Sheriff Charlie Ray Fox Jr., whose department includes animal control officers.
The field agent reported “that water containers for dogs were empty. There was a protruding wire in the chain link kennels which needed to be repaired. The is a metal futon frame and debris in the kennels. The breeder needs ventilation in both the kennel building and puppy room as there was a slight urine odor in both places.”
Jack Norton closed his letter to Sheriff Fox with: “We trust that your agency will look in to conditions at this kennel.”

Even with pending hearings, neighbors who are unhappy with the amount of dogs, and public scrutiny, Ms. Barrett apparently has not improved conditions for the dogs on her property. The AKC field agent found remarkably similar issues to what the humane inspector found in the first place, kicking all this off.

I feel very bad for the dogs who live there.