Breed Information and Health Testing

The diseases or conditions listed above are being control by good breeding practices by the majority of Border Collie breeders; however it is important that you ask questions regarding these conditions to make sure the puppy you fall for will have the best chance at growing up happy and healthy. They are an issue for the breed and can cause problems if ignored. A breeder should be happy to discuss these issues with you and the practices they have undertaken to minimise the risks.

Below is a very brief summary of the main conditions and how they are being handled. The Border Collie Club of Victoria has some excellent information regarding all of these conditions so we recommend you have a look there to prepare you for your quest to find your ultimate Border Collie. A link to the site can be found on our 'Contacts' page.

Basic Genetics

Throughout the following information, we will refer to dogs as either Clear, Carrier or Affected. Below is a basic diagram showing the most probable outcomes of breeding each combination.

CL is a particularly nasty disease that affects the brain of the Border Collie. A puppy appears normal at first, but around the age of 12-18 months they will start to show symptoms of brain malfunction. An affect dog will die by the age of 2 years. Luckily it is very rare in the breed and now DNA tests are available to identify carriers of the disease. A carrier is not affected and should live a normal life, but if bred to another carrier will almost certainly produce affected puppies. The DNA test is relatively inexpensive when compared with other testing.

CEA is a disease that affects the dogs eyes. It has not been known to be severe enough in Border Collies to make a dog blind but could bring about problems all the same. Again a DNA test has been developed to identify dogs that are clear, carriers or affected. Again dogs that are carriers will not develop any symptoms of the disease and will lead a normal life but if bred to another carrier will almost certainly produce affected puppies. The DNA test is expensive but in order to ensure the disease is eliminated from our breed over the coming years it is important to continue testing and never to breed carriers together.

Prior to 2005 when DNA testing became available the only way to test for CEA was to perform an optical eye test at the age of 8 weeks. A specialist vet can determine if a is affected with the disease or not, but they can not determine if a dog is a carrier. In the past we used the knowledge of which dogs produced affected puppies to trace which dogs were carriers. The DNA test has taken out this risk and we can go forward with certainty.

TNS is rare in Border Collies and little is known about the condition relative to other breed issues. It is a serious neurological problem that affects the growth of puppies. There is a DNA test that is currently being developed and is expected to be widely available in 2007. Early test results indicate that this condition is much more wodespread in the breed than first throught.

HD is a condition that can affect many breeds of dog. It is caused by an ill fitting joint in the elbow or hip of the dog. Many studies have been carried out to determine the cause of the condition and how it relates genetically to breeding lines. We can however have dogs x-rayed to assess the condition of the hips and elbows. This is done typically over the age of 12 months of age and x-rays are sent to a professional for 'scoring'. Scores can be affected by interfering factors such as the dogs age, or any injuries prior to scoring. These scores help breeders determine which dogs to breed on with to minimise the risk of puppies developing the condition. The x-ray and scoring process is not cheap but if parents and grand parents of puppies are known to have low scores the probability is that offspring will also have low scores. Scores are generally displayed as x:x and the total is simply these two numbers combined, ie 3:4 is a Total of 7. The breed average for Border Collies is approximately a total of 9, but this is hard to validate as not all dogs are tested. Elbow scores should be zero.

OCD is a condition that again, can affect many breeds of dog. It is caused by an ill fitting joint in the hock of the dog.

Again we reiterate, ask questions about these conditions. There is plenty of information around, the breed club web sites are a very good resource.

Below is a summary table of our dogs testing and results. Some dogs have not yet been tested as they are not entered our breeding program as yet. If you are unsure about the meaning of any information on this record, please feel free to ask us. We strongly believe that publishing these results will aid with eliminating these conditions from our breed. We are constantly testing and improving our dogs and the knowledgebase as we look to improve our dogs for the show ring and for the families owned by Borders.