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Because we know, now.
Many purebreds are subject to various health issues, due in large part to breeding practices before genetic testing was discovered and then available outside of the scientific community.
For example, a beautiful dog wins at a big show or is just admired by another owner of another beautiful dog. That beautiful dog becomes sought after to reproduce but unbeknownst to anyone, the dog carries mutated genes that cause life threatening or life altering disease.
That beautiful dog is mated to another beautiful dog who doesn't have the mutated genes. Their beautiful puppies are now carriers too.
Then their beautiful puppies grow up and get mated to more beautiful puppies, some of whom are also carriers. Half of those puppies develop the life threatening or life altering disease, half don't but are still carriers.
You can see where this is going.
It became apparent that many health issues were inherited but until the tools of science became available, it was best guess work to try to reduce or eliminate those genes or heritable health issues.
Standard poodles probably have the brunt of it, and most likely due to what's known as the Midcentury Bottleneck. Due to "inbreeding starting in the middle of the twentieth century that involved a small group of founders that produced show winning offspring. These offspring and their descendants were widely used by Standard Poodle breeders in North America and exported to the UK, Scandinavia, Australia Continental Europe. This artificial midcentury bottleneck (MCB) has created a severe imbalance and probable loss of genetic diversity."
From <The effect of genetic bottlenecks and inbreeding on the incidence of two major autoimmune diseases in standard poodles, sebaceous adenitis and Addison’s disease>
Toy and miniature poodle varieties have their own share of genetic or heritable health issues.
As an example, and I'm not even going to talk about breed standards, the cute, short legs of many toy poodles are a genetic mutation, in fact a genetic disease. The gene responsible is inserted as "an extra copy of the gene "fibroblast growth factor 4," or FGF4." (with 2 variations of note)
From <Chondrodystrophy (CDDY and IVDD Risk) and Chondrodysplasia (CDPA) | Veterinary Genetics Laboratory>
In and of itself, beyond the expected challenges that shorter legs present, this isn't a life threatening issue. "Dogs with chondrodysplasia (CDPA) have short legs; this phenotype is characteristic of many breeds such as Corgis and Dachshunds…"
But "Chondrodystrophy (CDDY), caused by a separate mutation, also includes a short-legged phenotype as well as abnormal premature degeneration of intervertebral discs leading to susceptibility to intervertebral disc herniation."
From <Doggone Legs: Dog Breeds with Short Legs Have an Extra Gene | Understanding Genetics>
IVDD, Intervertebral Disc Disease, can be life altering, up to and beyond, paralysis.
This doesn't even come close to all the info available that might help people understand.
There was a time that we all had to take the hand dealt when adding a four legged companion to our families. We don't have to accept that any longer. The deck can be stacked in our favor if a breeder does the correct testing for breed and variety, and we only support breeders that do.
If someone chooses to breed their beautiful, beloved dog without health testing or profits from doing that with many, and then sells that heartbreak along with those big puppy eyes, I can only say that I hope they never sleep well again.
Many purebreds are subject to various health issues, due in large part to breeding practices before genetic testing was discovered and then available outside of the scientific community.
For example, a beautiful dog wins at a big show or is just admired by another owner of another beautiful dog. That beautiful dog becomes sought after to reproduce but unbeknownst to anyone, the dog carries mutated genes that cause life threatening or life altering disease.
That beautiful dog is mated to another beautiful dog who doesn't have the mutated genes. Their beautiful puppies are now carriers too.
Then their beautiful puppies grow up and get mated to more beautiful puppies, some of whom are also carriers. Half of those puppies develop the life threatening or life altering disease, half don't but are still carriers.
You can see where this is going.
It became apparent that many health issues were inherited but until the tools of science became available, it was best guess work to try to reduce or eliminate those genes or heritable health issues.
Standard poodles probably have the brunt of it, and most likely due to what's known as the Midcentury Bottleneck. Due to "inbreeding starting in the middle of the twentieth century that involved a small group of founders that produced show winning offspring. These offspring and their descendants were widely used by Standard Poodle breeders in North America and exported to the UK, Scandinavia, Australia Continental Europe. This artificial midcentury bottleneck (MCB) has created a severe imbalance and probable loss of genetic diversity."
From <The effect of genetic bottlenecks and inbreeding on the incidence of two major autoimmune diseases in standard poodles, sebaceous adenitis and Addison’s disease>
Toy and miniature poodle varieties have their own share of genetic or heritable health issues.
As an example, and I'm not even going to talk about breed standards, the cute, short legs of many toy poodles are a genetic mutation, in fact a genetic disease. The gene responsible is inserted as "an extra copy of the gene "fibroblast growth factor 4," or FGF4." (with 2 variations of note)
From <Chondrodystrophy (CDDY and IVDD Risk) and Chondrodysplasia (CDPA) | Veterinary Genetics Laboratory>
In and of itself, beyond the expected challenges that shorter legs present, this isn't a life threatening issue. "Dogs with chondrodysplasia (CDPA) have short legs; this phenotype is characteristic of many breeds such as Corgis and Dachshunds…"
But "Chondrodystrophy (CDDY), caused by a separate mutation, also includes a short-legged phenotype as well as abnormal premature degeneration of intervertebral discs leading to susceptibility to intervertebral disc herniation."
From <Doggone Legs: Dog Breeds with Short Legs Have an Extra Gene | Understanding Genetics>
IVDD, Intervertebral Disc Disease, can be life altering, up to and beyond, paralysis.
This doesn't even come close to all the info available that might help people understand.
There was a time that we all had to take the hand dealt when adding a four legged companion to our families. We don't have to accept that any longer. The deck can be stacked in our favor if a breeder does the correct testing for breed and variety, and we only support breeders that do.
If someone chooses to breed their beautiful, beloved dog without health testing or profits from doing that with many, and then sells that heartbreak along with those big puppy eyes, I can only say that I hope they never sleep well again.