Golden Retriever Update - Summer 2022 - 7

GOLDEN RETRIEVER Update
not pass the OFA eye exam because
ultimately they could produce affected
dogs having this painful condition. "
When clinical cases of GRPU were
first described in Golden Retrievers
in the Northeastern U.S., a pedigree
review indicated a common ancestry
and suggested a founder effect in
which a popular sire may have proliferated
the disorder throughout the gene
pool. More recently, it was suggested
that GRPU has an autosomal dominant
inheritance with incomplete penetrance,
explaining why some dogs but not all are
affected and why some have more severe
cases than others. Dr. Townsend speculates
that a polygenic mode of inheritance
could explain the pedigree.
Her research aims to determine the
genetic risk for individual dogs to
develop GRPU via gene sequencing
and analysis of RNA expression. " If we
could develop a risk score for GRPU,
that would allow dogs to be treated
sooner and potentially delay or reduce
disease progression, " she says. " I also
hope we can learn more about the
fibrinous material that is seen in severely
affected dogs so we will know how to
treat them better. "
In the meantime, annual eye examinations
by a board-certified veterinary
ophthalmologist and close monitoring
of dogs showing early signs of GRPU
may help save their vision. Likewise,
breeders should study OFA CAER vertical
pedigree records of dogs being considered
for breeding and their ancestors
to avoid using at-risk bloodlines.
To help provide breeders with as much
important pedigree data as possible, the
GRCA Code of Ethics states: " Dogs that
produce offspring should continue to
have ophthalmology examinations on
a yearly basis for their lifetime, and if
the findings permit recertification, the
results should continue to be recorded
in an approved database. "
As GRF president John Cotter says,
hopefully, one day GRPU will be
stamped out. n
1
Genetics Committee of the American College
of Veterinary Ophthalmologists. Ocular Disorders
Presumed to be Inherited in Purebred
Dogs. Phoenix, AZ. 1996;2nd ed.
Purina appreciates the support of the
Golden Retriever Club of America,
particularly Rhonda Hovan, GRCA
research facilitator, in helping to identify
this topic for the Golden Retriever Update.
7

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11397310/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11397310/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11397310/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11397310/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11397310/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11397310/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11397310/ https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vop.12293 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vop.12293 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vop.12293 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vop.12293 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vop.12293

Golden Retriever Update - Summer 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Golden Retriever Update - Summer 2022