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Umbilical Hernias in Dogs - Causes and Implications

12/16/2022

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Marcella's October 2021 Litter, with the navel cord spray still staining several puppies' coats as well as Marcalla's fur, 3 weeks after birth, due to the excessive amount of spray used.
Part 1- Backstory - October 2021 Litter
In October 2021 I had a litter of eight puppies born to two of my dogs, Unfinished Acres Sevro and Marcella of MoonAcre Maremmas. I later discovered that 4 of the puppies had umbilical hernias, or more accurately, delayed closures. An umbilical hernia is an actual hole in the abdomen which remains permanently open, allowing fat or intestines to slip in and out. An Umbilical Hernia can sometimes pose a risk to the dog, but usually only if it's severe and these types of umbilical hernias are rare. In a delayed closure the opening does eventually close, but takes longer than usual. Sometimes a little piece of fat can get trapped in the area when it does close, forming a "bubble" that can be felt under the skin, but there's no hole and no intestines or fat slipping in and out. The risk of danger from a delayed closure is extremely small.  ​

Hernias can be genetic or they can be mechanical - meaning damage was done to the puppy, usually by the mom chewing the cord too close or worrying it too much, or by human intervention (a breeder cutting the cords too close) or other causes. There's really no way to know 100% for sure what the cause is. But going by the evidence you see is a good starting point in making a rational, scientific and educated judgement. Do one or more of the parents have a hernia, or do any of their known relatives have one? That probably increases the odds that it's genetic. Did the puppy bleed excessively from the mom chewing the cord too close, or from a human cutting the cord too short? Or did the mom "over worry" the cord, licking and chewing obsessively? Then chances are high this is a mechanical defect.

Some females can be quite obsessive about chewing or licking the cords. In an effort to keep the pups clean they can inadvertently do damage to the umbilical area, causing hernias in some pups. This doesn't mean they are bad moms or shouldn't be bred. As with all things related to breeding dogs there are no perfect animals and each breeder must weigh all the traits a dog possesses to decide which animals are right for their program. Being proactive in managing the bitch and her pups during whelping may help prevent hernias in some cases, though this doesn't always work. Knowing your dog is helpful, but in reality some mechanical, non-genetic hernias may be inevitable in some cases, particularly with some dogs who are prone to worrying the cords. 

As far as whether or not a dog with a hernia should be bred people have varying opinions about that, too. Some feel strongly that breeding any dog with a hernia is an absolute no-no, no matter the cause. Others will breed a dog with a hernia if they believe it's mechanical and not genetic. Others feel that a hernia is a very small matter, even if it is genetic, especially in light of all the other factors that need to be considered when choosing breeding stock, and that culling an otherwise great dog from a breeding program based on a hernia is ignorant and backwards. This is a decision that each breeder should make for themselves based on what traits matter the most to them in a breeding dog.

When I discovered the hernias on the puppies I immediately suspected that the cause was mechanical, not genetic. Why did I think that? Because neither Sevro nor Marcella have hernias, nor do their parents, to my knowledge. Both Unfinished Acres Sevro and Marcella of MoonAcre Maremmas were bred by MSCA Code of Ethics breeders and these breeders would not knowingly be passing genetic defects on to their pups. I don't know if hernias are dominant or recessive but it makes sense that if the hernias in that litter were truly genetic at least one parent would have them. And likely one or more grandparent would, too.

From the moment I first discovered the hernias I strongly believed that I had inadvertently caused them. The spring before the litter was born I had several cases of Joint Ill (Or Navel Ill) in my dairy goat kids. Navel or Joint Ill is a horrible disease caused by bacteria getting into the umbilical cord site. It can travel into the joints, causing crippling pain and fever. In goats it takes at least a month of daily injections of very strong antibiotics (Baytril 100) and fever reducing medicine (Banamine) to cure. Kids can have lasting damage from the disease as well as the medications required to cure it. Preventing Navel Ill is serious business because prevention is much better than trying to cure the disease. Part of the prevention is spraying or dipping the navel area with a strong antiseptic solution to kill bacteria. I always spray the cords with Vetericyn Super Navel Spray but for some reason I still had a lot of cases that year. So after that experience I began being very diligent in spraying my baby goats thoroughly, not just once as I previously did, but several times over the first day or two. Thankfully this protocol worked and I have not had a case of Joint Ill in my goats since I made these changes.

Marcella's October 2021 litter was the first Maremma litter born after that spring kidding season, so I decided I should be just as cautious with the puppies to prevent a navel infection in them.  As each puppy was born I sprayed it with the bright orange navel spray. Then every time a new puppy was born I sprayed all of the puppies again. The reason I did this is that unless I was watching very closely I couldn't tell which puppy was the new one each time another pup was born. And rather than accidentally miss one, I just continued to spray them all each time. If you look at photos of that litter you'll see the orange spray all over the puppies and Marcella. The earlier born pups got more doses of the spray and their stains took several weeks to fade compared to the later born pups, who only got a few doses of spray. Spraying the pups so much turned out to be a big mistake because each time I sprayed the pups, Marcella continued to lick them over and over. In her efforts to be a good mom she was inadvertently causing damage to some of the pups' umbilical cords, most likely the ones that were born first and got sprayed more times. Of course, I didn't realize all this until the puppies were several weeks old and I discovered the hernias, and by then it was too late.

Once I realized that half the puppies had hernias (Three females and one male.) I explained the issue to all the puppy buyers and told them my belief that the cause was mechanical, not genetic, but that I couldn't know this for sure. I also explained to the clients that were waiting on a breeding candidate puppy that there were different opinions about whether a dog with a hernia should be bred or not. I told every client that they should do their own research and let me know what they decided. They could take a puppy with a hernia or without one from this litter, or wait for a puppy without a hernia from the next litter, that had been born in December. Some chose a puppy with a hernia, some chose a non-hernia puppy from this litter and some chose to wait for the next litter. I had planned to retain one of the puppies with a hernia, because I felt that overall she was the best quality puppy in the litter and had the best temperament. But because I didn't want to unduly influence any of the buyers I made all the puppies from the litter available and didn't retain one for myself.  
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Marcella's October 2022 litter at 2 weeks old. Very little evidence of the navel spray is left because I was much more careful not to use too much. (The orange on these pups is sheep paint, used to mark the pups.)
Part Two - The Story Continues - October 2022 Litter
I knew that Marcella would be having another litter in 2022. Even though she had produced 4 hernia puppies in her previous litter she's a fantastic Livestock Guardian Dog with great conformation, excellent PennHip scores, a diverse pedigree and a trustworthy, gentle temperament. She has a lot to offer my breeding program and the breed. She doesn't have a hernia herself, and I strongly believed the hernias were mechanical, not genetic, so I was willing to try again. I was originally planning to breed her to Benson Ranch Pax, or perhaps to my newly imported Italian stud dog, Pegaso, but after thinking it over I decided instead to breed her back to Sevro. I did this for two reasons. First because I had wanted to keep a puppy from the last litter but hadn't done so and I wanted to repeat the breeding in hopes of getting another puppy as nice as the one I had let go. And also because I wanted to repeat the exact same breeding that had produced hernias last time and see if I would get the same results. I wanted to see if my theory about the cause of the hernias was true. I expected that I might get one or two hernias. Marcella is a super attentive mom and does have a tendency to sometimes chew the cords too short or lick them a lot. I knew that despite my best efforts she could cause a hernia in this litter, but I was hoping she wouldn't if I was very diligent. So I repeated the breeding and hoped for the best. And I promised myself I would be very careful not to overspray the cords this time!

​The puppies were born on October 4th, 2022. Ten lovely pups, 6 males and 4 females. As each puppy was born I very carefully sprayed the cord one time only and then marked the puppy on the head with a tiny dot of sheep dye, so I would know that these pups had already had their cords sprayed and wouldn't spray them again. I also kept notes as each pup was born of any issues as far as the cords or anything else. There were two puppies that Marcella bit the cords too close on before I could stop her. These pups bled profusely and I thought for sure they would herniate. But I quickly clamped the cords and tied them with dental floss and hoped for the best. (I took photos and marked these pups so I would know which ones they were later.)

Fast forward to the day the pups turned 10 weeks old. I had been casually inspecting the pups whenever I handled them but hadn't done a thorough "belly button exam" until that day, when I microchipped the puppies. On that day I took the time to carefully and thoroughly examine each puppy's navel area. And lo and behold there isn't a hernia on any of the pups! Not even the pups that had bled a lot. The pups are 12 weeks old, as of this writing, and still no hernias. And if there are no hernias at this point there won't be any hernias.

So that begs the question. Were the hernias in the other litter genetic or mechanical? The same parents (who themselves do not have hernias, nor do they have hernias in their lines) produced 4 hernias out of 8 last time and 0 out of 10 this time. The difference? Not the parents. They are exactly the same for both litters. The difference is the management of the whelping situation. My management of the situation. And in my opinion, the evidence shows that the hernias in the last litter were mechanical, not genetic. Of course, in the end there's no way to know 100% for sure which is true. Bit in my opinion, two dogs without hernias, managed differently this time and producing no hernias, is pretty convincing for the mechanical cause theory.

Ultimately breeding dogs is full of unknowns. Full of risks and chances. We can't input everything we want into a computer and get a "perfect" dog out of a 3D printer. No dog is perfect and expecting perfection leads ignorant people to make rash decisions, possibly removing dogs that have a lot to offer from the already limited Maremma gene pool over trivial things. They focus on things like hernias or coat length or other coat traits. Or size. (Some people are obsessed with big dogs. Big dogs are not necessarily better guardians. I have big and small dogs and they all have much to offer.) People will cull a dog over a hernia or a curly coat without even considering more important traits. That dog could have had stellar hip scores or could have matured into an outstanding LGD. Was a tiny bubble on the belly really more important? Ultimately each breeder (or potential breeder) must decide what matters to them. And maybe to some breeders (or puppy buyers) belly buttons and curly coats really do matter more than other traits.

But ultimately each breeder or aspiring breeder should decide what is right for their own program, based on thorough, careful, scientific research. Of course we will all make mistakes and we learn as much from our mistakes as from our successes. But what truly matters is how we handle those mistakes. Some are quick to blame others while others try to figure out what they could have done differently, so that they will do better next time. It is the latter type of people who will truly make an impact for good on the breed. These are the breeders I seek when choosing breeding stock. And this is the type of breeder I aspire to be.

And what traits matter to me as a breeder? A dog that is absolutely safe with livestock - no chasing or harassing once mature. (A LGD isn't considered fully mature until around 2 years old. Anyone who judges a puppy or young dog for normal adolescent behavior has unrealistic expectations.) A dog that is fearless in the face of threats to that livestock. A dog that's safe with humans - has an affectionate, friendly temperament with people it knows. (It's ok for a LGD to be wary of strangers.) A dog that isn't overly dominant and gets along well with my other dogs. A dog with excellent PennHip scores and good results on other genetic testing. (A breeder or potential breeder should educate themselves on how to properly interpret these results.) A dog with correct conformation. A dog with a good pedigree full of other great dogs that went before them. A dog that brings diversity to the breed, which has an already too limited gene pool. Sevro and Marcella check every single one of those boxes. And with no hernias in this litter of ten, to boot. That's a bonus. So I will very happily and proudly be retaining one of these four lovely female pups for my breeding program. And she will carry on her parents' legacy, producing more fantastic Livestock Guardian Dogs.
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How to Choose an Ethical Breeder - Let's Talk About Hip Dysplasia

11/8/2022

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I am one of the admins on a science-based Maremma Facebook group called Maremma Sheepdog Open Forum. One of the main goals of our group is to provide accurate, scientific and up to date information to anyone interested in this wonderful breed. We have had some great posts lately from people seeking to learn more about how to find an ethical breeder to buy Maremmas from, as well as how to choose breeding stock and make wise decisions for those who would like to start their own breeding programs. These are such wonderful questions that I decided that I would start a series of blog posts on the topic, breaking down each area of importance and examining it further. 

There are so many considerations when choosing a breeder: temperament and working ability (number one in my book), the health and soundness of the breeding stock, pedigrees, conformation, DNA testing, COI's, how the parent dogs are utilized by the breeder, (Are they true working dogs or just pretty lawn ornaments?), how the puppies are socialized both with stock and with people and in other ways. Puppies locked in a barn and barely handled are really no better than pampered pups raised by a pool as "estate guardians" with no stock exposure. Both are being deprived of what they need to grow into great LGD's. I can't cover all the things to look for in one post so I will start with one of the most important, in my book, the importance of sound hips in breeding dogs.
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Benson Ranch Pax, PennHip scores: R 0.28, L 0.28

When I first began building my program I knew nothing about health testing and definitely knew little about Hip Dysplasia. I had previously bred small dogs and hadn't really owned many large breeds. I googled "health problems of Maremmas" and couldn't find much. I knew that Hip Dysplasia was a problem in many large breeds so I asked other Maremma owners and breeders about it and was mostly told "Maremmas don't get Hip Dysplasia". I was also told that Maremmas can be sensitive to anesthesia and this seemed to be a common reason some people gave for not doing radiographs on their breeding dogs. It definitely scared me. Who wants to send their dog for an elective procedure and risk losing it? What I later learned is that the first part is absolutely not true and is usually told by people who don't test their dogs because of financial reasons. And as for the risk of anesthesia I learned it's really very minimal. And after watching my own veterinarian perform procedures on several of my dogs under anesthesia I'm no more worried about anesthesia than I would be about any other risk.

My first Maremmas were unregistered so no one did hip testing on them. But when I decided to start breeding registered dogs I contacted a lot of MSCA breeders, looking for suitable dogs. I was surprised at the disparity I found. There were the breeders that did no hip testing at all. They told me things like "I've had these lines for years and none of the dogs have had hip dysplasia." Or the "Maremmas don't get HD" line. I almost fell for it but I decided if I was going to go to the expense of buying expensive breeding stock I needed more reassurance than that.

I bought only dogs from parents who had passing hip scores according to the MSCA. All were Code of Ethics breeders, but getting the hip testing info was a little tricky, and understanding it was even trickier. But I trusted that if they were a COE breeder they were breeding the best dogs possible and making all the right decisions. What I later learned was that some breeders use the Code of Ethics more as a marketing tool than anything else. The COE says that dogs should have at least a fair OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) score or a PennHip score of 0.51 or lower to breed. So some breeders aim for the lowest passing score. As long as it passes they will breed it. That can be disastrous. What I didn't know until later is that while "fair" is passing you shouldn't breed a fair to a fair, or you have a higher chance of passing on hip dysplasia. And that a 0.51 PennHip score is really too high. The breed average is 0.42, so why does the Code of Ethics accept much higher scores? That's not a question I can answer but personally I want to breed better than average dogs. 

Another thing that took me a really long time to learn and that was very shocking, is that some Code of Ethics breeders will breed a dog based on preliminary OFA scores. There are two ways you can score a dog's hips: PennHip or OFA. PennHip can only be done by specially trained vets with very expensive equipment. It costs a lot more to do than OFA ($600-700 the last time I had it done, about 2 years ago.) and the dog must be anesthetized to do it, but the results are accurate as early as 16 weeks.

For OFA rads the dog doesn't have to be anesthetized (though a good vet will insist on it) and it's much, much cheaper to do ($150-300 in my area) and any vet can do it. The drawbacks are that the interpretation is very subjective (the opinion of 3 vets, rather than the precise measurements of PennHip) and that you can't get a final score until the dog is 2 years old. That's a long time to wait to see if your dog will pass or fail. But most ethical breeders will do just that. They will wait. Sadly not all breeders are ethical. 

With OFA you can test as early as 16 weeks, just like PennHip. The difference is that with OFA that's only considered a preliminary score. Why? Because the score often changes with age with OFA, and usually not for the better. I have heard a fellow Code of Ethics breeder lament that their dog had an "excellent" preliminary score but later was downgraded to fair. But this very same  breeder routinely breeds dogs that are under 2 years old, based on their preliminary OFA scores. Their reasoning is that the COE doesn't say it has to be a final score, so they are within compliance. But just aiming for compliance wise, or ethical? What if they breed the dog and later it scores poorly? You could now have hip dysplasia  in the gene pool and there's nothing you can do about it.

This breeder could get a PennHip exam on their dogs and know for sure but they feel that it's "too expensive". They could wait until the dogs are 2 years old and have had their final OFA exams done, but they feel that's "unfair" for them to wait. So they take a calculated risk with their breeding program. Which is their right to do. But let the buyer beware! If you buy from such a breeder it is YOU who are taking the risk! And I, for one, am not willing to take that risk, now that I fully understand it.

Luckily all my dogs passed their PennHip exams and received excellent scores, but it was pins and needles waiting for the results. But I was not so lucky. I know of people who have bought dogs under such conditions who not only didn't pass but who acquired hip dysplasia. The saddest case I have heard was a sweet dog named Marco, who was diagnosed with bilateral Hip Dysplasia at under a year old. This dog was bought for breeding and the buyer paid extra for breeding rights. The breeder offered the buyer no compensation at all. Not even the extra that was paid for breeding rights. The buyer had to purchase a new stud dog and Marco had to be neutered. He can't even work a full day as a LGD. He will live the rest of his life on expensive pain meds and joint supplements. So much for the "Maremmas don't get Hip Dysplasia" line. Tell that to Marco's owner.

Now I'm not saying that Marco's breeder purposely did anything unethical, and sometimes no matter how hard you try bad things happen. But I am saying that there most definitely is hip dysplasia in the breed, and the best way to prevent it is for breeders to make ethical breeding decisions and for buyers to do their research and ask lots of questions. And if you don't like the answers find another breeder! 

Another sign of commitment in a breeder is whether they have requirements the owners and the dogs they sell must meet in order to get obtain breeding rights. Some breeders only require the buyer to pay more money and breeding rights are given, without knowing whether the dogs will pass or fail their testing, and with no plan for what will happen if they don't. (Or testing isn't required.) Other breeders either require hip testing to be done by the new owner in order to obtain breeding rights, or they do it themselves before the puppy is picked up, for an additional fee to cover the cost of the test. If the dog doesn't pass they aren't bred. We considered doing the PennHip on breeding candidates we sell but have chosen to have the new owners do it, so that they are showing a financial and ethical commitment before they can breed. All puppies leave here in Limited Registration, which is only changed to full if and when all the requirements of the contract are met, number one being a passing hip score not only for the dog purchased from us, but for any intended mate. And we never charge extra for breeding rights. Breeding rights are earned by the puppy and the owner, not bought.

The breeder (now retired) who taught me the most about Hip Dysplasia in Maremmas is Cindy Benson, of Benson Maremmas Training. Cindy has single-handedly raised the bar for Maremmas by testing every puppy from every litter she's ever produced. The real reason the myth that "Maremmas don't get hip dysplasia" exists and the reason that a score of .51 used to be "normal" is because before Cindy started breeding very few people did test Maremmas. Hip testing used to not even be required by the MSCA Code of Ethics. But because of the efforts of ethical breeders like Cindy that changed. Not enough, apparently, but baby steps are better than nothing.

Cindy used to have an entire page on the subject of Hip Testing but she deleted it when she stopped breeding. It was quite impressive so hopefully she can recreate it, because its very needed information. For now she has shared two radiographs with me. One is of a dog she bred, with an unbelievably impressive score. The other is of a nine month old female dog who was imported for breeding purposes but who failed her testing terribly. Even if you know nothing about judging radiographs its easy to see the difference. Which dog do you want in your breeding program? Or even just guarding your stock. Being a LGD is hard work. Hip Dysplasia isn't just painful. It can prevent a dog from doing the job it was bought to do. So if you think it only matters for breeding dogs think again. Marco's owner would beg to differ. She didn't just lose a breeding dog. She lost part of her work force. She loves Marco and wouldn't trade him for the world, but she will have to watch him deal with the effects of a disease that might have been prevented if different choices had been made. A disease that could be greatly reduced if breeders act in a truly ethical manner.
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Nine Month Old Female Maremma, Imported for Breeding
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18 Week Old Maremma Puppy Bred by Cindy Benson
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PennHip Scores for the Benson Ranch Puppy

Above are photos of the rads on a 9 month old female dog that was imported for breeding, who failed her hip testing, and an 18 week old female puppy bred by Cindy Benson. Cindy's puppy has an incredible score of R 0.15 and L 0.14. I know which dog I would choose!

I don't have this specific dog in my program but I do have four dogs bred by Cindy Benson. All have fantastic scores. Below are their scores, as well as the scores of my other current MSCA registered breeding dogs. This is what everyone should look for in a breeder or strive for as a breeder. Embark testing, COI's - all that stuff is great, but no hips, no LGD's. Let's start with what really matters.
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Breeding Dogs & Screening for Genetic Health Issues

9/28/2022

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Good Question, Kayla. Thanks for Asking!
Lately I've been getting some comments and questions about DNA and Health Testing on my blog and social media. While I do test my dogs for genetic defects, both through PennHip screenings for Hip Dysplasia, as well as DNA testing, in no way do I consider myself an expert on the topic. Therefore I wasn't planning to write about the subject. All of my dogs' DNA and PennHip results are listed prominently on their individual pages on my website. So if someone wants to know about the health of my dogs and the breeding decisions I have made based on those results the info is very easy to find. But if someone was asking for an explanation of health testing in general then I felt that they could find a better resource than me.

However I feel strongly that anyone with a social media following at all should take that responsibility very seriously. If they are someone with any kind of expertise or credibility in a field they should strive to always use their platform for the good of others, whether those "others" are humans or animals. In this case answering these questions is for the good of the Maremma Sheepdog breed and the people who love and utilize the dogs. People need  responsible, educated and articulate people to go to for information and education about these amazing dogs. People like Cindy Benson, of Benson Maremmas - published author of a Maremma Sheepdog Training Manual (available on Amazon) and a certified dog trainer (KPA CTP) who specializes in Maremmas. Platforms like YouTube,  and TikTok have their place but they are usually heavy on entertainment instead of education. And sadly some of them rely on clickbait, controversy and manipulating people's emotions to make money. Even innocuous ones are no substitute for true education, or for professionals who have long-term and wide experience with the breed. Ethical Maremma breeders and certified dog trainers experienced with Maremmas are who people should go to for trustworthy advice about Maremmas.

As a Maremma Sheepdog Club of America Code of Ethics breeder, dairy goat breeder who utilized Maremmas to keep her animals safe, a business owner, LGD trainer and admin of multiple Maremma related social media pages or groups, I do feel I have a responsibility (and honor) to educate people about the breed I love, breed, rely on and work with daily on my farm. So though I'm no expert on the subject I'll give it a shot!
If you would like to DNA test your own dog or learn more about DNA testing go here:
Embark Vet

To Illustrate how to interpret DNA tests and use it to make breeding decisions I'll use one of my own dogs, and her test results through Embark.

Here's my dog, with 3 of her puppies. Her name is Sky Island's Gianna. 
​She's a beautiful dog, isn't she?
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Now for a little background info on Gianna. Gianna was imported en utero by a MSCA Code of Ethics breeder who imported her dam, a Finnish champion, while she (the dog, not the breeder) was pregnant. Gianna's sire is an Italian champion so Gianna has all imported lines, bringing much needed new genetics to the breed. Gianna will be 4 years old in October 2022 and she has had two litters, of 7 and 13 puppies. If you would like to see Gianna's pedigree, full health test results (PennHip and Embark results) and other info you can click on the button below and go to her page. Below that is a screenshot her Embark profile:
Sky Island's Gianna

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And now Gianna's Embark Health Summary results:
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Oh my, Gianna has positive results for DCM2 and ALT Activity! Yikes! This looks bad. Really bad. I should probably spay her. It's the responsible thing to do, right? Or is it? Hmmm...maybe I should click on the next screen and read what these results actually mean before I call my vet. ​

First the DCM2 results. Let's do some reading:
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Wait, Embark themselves say that Gianna is not likely to be at risk for developing the disease and that DCM is not known to be common in Maremmas, nor should these results be the primary factor in breeding decisions. The disease is most common in Dobermans, which are not at all closely related to Maremmas. And even in Dobermans it is not recommended to remove all dogs with one or even two variants (Gianna only has one) from the gene pool. Why? Because by removing dogs from the gene pool of an already small breed you increase inbreeding, which in turn increases the risk of other genetic defects. Defects we may not even have a test for yet.

I did a quick google search on how many registered Dobermans are in the USA and got 39,000. Now I'm no expert but I'm pretty sure there aren't 39,000 registered Maremma Sheepdogs in the USA.

We aren't counting unregistered dogs because without registration and "official" pedigrees from an accepted registry you can't 100% prove what breed a dog is, nor who his parents are, even with DNA testing. If you could then all registries would accept DNA tested dogs into their gene pool. As far as I know, no reputable registry does, including the Maremma Sheepdog Club of America.

In fact, there was a big push to add DNA tested dogs to the MSCA stud book earlier this year and it was not approved because, according to those who did the research, the science doesn't support it.  So though I have nothing against unregistered dogs, owning 4 of them myself, they aren't really relevant to this discussion. You can certainly DNA test an unregistered dog to determine if they carry genetic defects but without actually knowing where they came from through a registry sanctioned pedigree you can't do a lot with the information, since you don't officially know where those defects, if any are present, came from. 

So registered Maremmas in the United States are a much smaller breed than Dobermans, without a known predisposition to the disease and with a very specialized purpose as working LGD's. So would it be "the right thing to do" for me to remove a dog from my breeding program that has a lot of other great qualifications (stellar hip scores, correct conformation, working ability as a LGD, diverse genetics from imported lines) because she carries one gene for a disease that Maremmas aren't known to be at risk for and for which the testing company says it's not an important factor in breeding decisions? In my opinion that would be a very stupid reason to remove her from my breeding program. I prefer to use science and proven results (how my dogs perform as LGD's) over emotion when making breeding decisions.
​
​So no, I won't be spaying Gianna over her DCM2 results.
Now lets look at the ALT Activity:
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Oh no, Gianna inherited this "ALT Activity variant! That's bad, really bad! Call the vet, we better spay her TODAY! Right? It's the right thing to do, isn't it? Or is it? Hmmm... I better read the next screen and see what these results actually mean. 
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Wait, what does that say? "This genetic test can be used as a clinical tool by veterinarians." "This genetic test does not diagnose a disease." "Dogs with one or two copies of this variant may have an ALT value that is low or on the low end of the normal reference range."

Wait what?! This only means that Gianna's "normal" ALT range is lower than average, but that it's still HER "normal" and is not at all indicative of any disease? Just like a person can have a resting heart rate that's higher or lower than the "average" person their age, or their temperature can naturally run higher or lower than 98.6, or any number of factors can be above or below "average" in humans or animals. And actually the results say it "may be" lower than normal, not even that it is. Hmmm...

Let's not forget what "average" means. You can't have "average" anything without some things in that category being above or below average. That's how you get average! And below or above "average" isn't always bad.

Now if someone else chooses to not breed a dog because their ALT activity  "may be low normal", which is still perfectly normal for them but not "average", and not indicative of a disease, then that's their choice to make. Maybe they only want "average" dogs in their breeding program. That's ok. But again, I prefer to base my breeding decision on more important factors, like science.

So no, I won't be spaying Gianna because of her "Low Normal" ALT Activity.

So What Health Test Will I use First to Base my Breeding Decisions on?
Now let's look at a health condition that really is a problem with Maremma Sheepdogs - Hip Dysplasia. Maremmas are a giant breed of dog that grows fast and can mature in excess of 100 lbs. They are also hard working dogs, bred to guard livestock in a variety of terrains. They need sound hips to have long, productive, pain free lives as LGD's. A LGD can't fight off predators or even navigate the outdoor terrain they may be guarding if they have crippling pain from arthritis. So while DNA testing is a great tool, smart Maremma breeders (or breeders of any large breed dog) will first take a look at the dog's hips to rule them in or out for breeding. Good scores of the parents' doesn't guarantee their puppies won't get hip dysplasia but its still a very important diagnostic tool. 

In fact, hip testing is the ONLY health test required to be a MSCA Code of Ethics breeder. DNA testing isn't required. Why? Because most of the things you DNA test for aren't a big concern for Maremmas. As far as I know only one or two other MSCA Maremma breeders besides myself DNA test their dogs.

Now it's not that I think DNA testing isn't a valuable tool for the breed. Of course not. Anything breeders can do to improve the breed is a good thing and that's why I started DNA testing my dogs. It's not very expensive and it gives me useful information to make breeding decisions. And if more breeders tested we would have a bigger database to compare our dogs to, and would really see the big picture for the breed. So I hope more Maremma breeders do start DNA testing and I hope the MSCA starts to educate their members on the benefits and limitations of DNA testing. Maybe one of the BOD members could write an article in the MSCA newsletter. 🤔

This may offend some people but, in my opinion, DNA testing Maremmas (or any large breed dog) without also doing hip screening is often times nothing more than virtue signaling and pretending to be ethical without putting your money where your mouth is. I see breeders listing their dogs (all breeds, not specifically Maremmas) as "health tested" with no hip testing. Often times that's just tricking the uneducated potential customers, IMO. (Someone I know bought a Great Pyrenees puppy and proudly told me it was from health tested parents. I checked the website. No hip testing whatsoever. Let's hope that puppy doesn't end up with Hip Dysplasia.) Anyone can afford the $100 DNA test and it's quick and easy to do. Add a check in the "health tested" box. But if you really want to prove your dogs are sound and healthy to breed how about forking over $600-700 for a PennHip exam, or even $300-400 for an OFA hip exam? (PennHip is proven to be more reliable and scientific so that's what we use, but OFA is acceptable if done right and certainly better than no hip testing at all.) That will prove something of real value to the breed. And that, along with the DNA testing, would be even better.
So let's look at Gianna's PennHip Scores:
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Gianna's Distraction Index is 0.32 R and 0.32 L. There's no evidence for osteoarthritis and no cavitation.

The breed average is .40 (lower is better) and to qualify as a MSCA Code of Ethics breeder (see below) dogs must have a score of less than 0.51.

This means that Gianna has outstanding PennHip scores. And she is much more likely to pass on those good hips to her puppies than she is to pass on DCM, which isn't known to be a problem in Maremmas or low ALT activity, which isn't even a genetic defect at all. 
MSCA Code of Ethics Testing Requirements
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The Limitations of DNA Testing:
DNA testing is a good thing. I'm not saying it isn't or I wouldn't have spent the money to test my dogs. I plan to continue DNA testing my breeding dogs and learning more about how to utilize the information. But DNA testing has its limitations and needs to be used wisely and put in perspective. In my opinion breeders who make their breeding decisions only based on DNA results are throwing the puppies out with the bathwater and potentially harming the breed. As I've said, there are a lot of factors to consider when breeding dogs. Below is a little more info on that topic.
​(The ICB is a GREAT scientific resource for breeders, btw.)
  • Why DNA Tests Won't Make Dogs Healthier - Institute of Canine Biology
  • What Does "Health Tested" Really Mean? - Institute of Canine Biology

So What Else Should I Base My Breeding Decisions On?
When breeding any breed of dog there are a lot of factors to consider and focusing too much on a few traits while ignoring others can cause many problems, not just in our own breeding program but long term, with the breed. If this is true of companion dogs it's especially true of working Livestock Guardian Dogs, who are responsible for the safety and well being and the very lives of other creatures. Then consider a breed such as the Maremma Sheepdog, that has a much smaller gene pool than a lot of breeds and it's a big responsibility to breed these dogs. Breeders must be discerning, wise and able to keep their long term goals in mind when breeding Maremmas. They should always be evaluating their program as well as seeking out new information (through reading, taking dog breeding and training courses and having discussions with reputable experts in the breed or the dog breeding world, in general) that will help them do the best job possible with their dogs.

As far as making individual breeding stock selections some of the things to consider are temperament, working ability, pedigrees, Coefficient of Inbreeding (kept as low as possible), correct conformation, sound hips and other health testing.
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So How Does Gianna Measure Up?
  • Temperament - Gianna is a bit dominant with some other female dogs (not uncommon in the breed) but otherwise has a good temperament. She's not aggressive with people and is a well mannered, sweet dog.
  • Working ability - Gianna is a good LGD. She's good with goats and excellent with chickens, which many LGD's struggle with. She's strong, athletic and fearless and there's no doubt in my mind that she would kill a predator if she had to. If I were a coyote I would not want to meet Gianna in the dark!
  • Pedigree - both of Gianna's parents are European dogs so her lines are very diverse from what's generally available in the US.
  • Coefficient of Inbreeding - Gianna's pedigree based COI is 0.00. Her DNA tested COI is 11%, with high diversity. I'll be perfectly honest here and admit that I am still learning about the difference between pedigree based COI and DNA COI, and what it all means. But basically Maremmas as a breed have a very small gene pool so a lot of dogs that aren't closely related by pedigree will still have higher COI's based on DNA and can still share more DNA with dogs that they aren't actually related to. Meaning that if I found out that one of my other dogs shared a high percentage of Gianna's DNA it's not because that dog is her cousin or something. It's just that they have more ancestors in common way back in their background than would appear by reading their pedigrees. Since no one did a DNA test on Gianna and her "cousin" before I bought Gianna there would have been no way for Gianna's breeder to know they were so closely related, since the pedigrees we have don't go that far back. It might be a shock to find out such news but it's certainly not some deep, dark secret and no one did anything wrong. It's just another result of having such a small gene pool to work with. And that's why DNA testing for COI is a useful tool. (Of course you have to have an "official" MSCA pedigree to even begin to tell if two dogs are related or not, which is one reason why I won't allow anyone to breed one of my registered dogs to their unregistered dogs, since they can't prove their dog is who they say he is. If I bred Gianna to an unregistered dog it would be entirely possible that he was her REAL cousin! 😳) I plan to do a lot more research on DNA COI's and how that all works, but either way, Gianna brings a lot of diversity to my program and the breed in America in general.
  • Correct Conformation - Gianna has stellar conformation and, IMO, is one of my most correct and beautiful dogs. She's a large, impressive dog and of a good size for guarding against any sized predators and for easy whelping. She whelped 13 puppies in her last litter with no problems whatsoever. And all the puppies survived, too. Easy whelpers that produce healthy, strong puppies is worth a lot in a breeding dog.
  • Sound Hips - Gianna had excellent PennHip scores, well below the breed average and even further below the maximum score for Code of Ethics dogs. I will most certainly consider those amazing hips above some other, less relevant test results.
  • Other Health Testing - Gianna's Embark Results, despite having two variants checked on her profile, are still not concerning. The ALT Activity is a clinical tool only and the DCM2 is not considered breed relevant or a big risk factor.
So when I weigh all the traits Gianna has going for her against the small things that are less than "clone perfect" it's an easy call. Gianna stays in my breeding program, to help improve future generations of these amazing Livestock Guardian Dogs.
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So What Are My Thoughts About Genetic Health Testing and Dog Breeding?
These are my thoughts. No dog is perfect. They all have faults of one kind or another and they all have strengths. Wise breeders will weigh the pros and cons of their dogs and decide if they bring enough value to their breeding program and to the breed in general to be included. If the answer is yes then they will match that dog with a mate who is likely to improve the areas that aren't quite perfect, or to compliment them well. It's the same with breeding any animal - goats, horses, cattle, cats, whatever. We are working with living, naturally created animals here, not laboratory grown clones. It's as much art as science. We will make mistakes. Things don't always turn out how we planned. There's no shame in that as long as we learn from those mistakes so that we can do better the next time. The best breeder in the world will still never achieve breeding all "perfect" dogs. But if they are smart enough and dedicated enough to continue to learn and research and to look beyond the surface (and to read the fine print on the DNA test) then they just might achieve breeding "almost perfect" dogs. Which is still a pretty worthy goal.

​I know what I will do with the time that is given to me. I'm going to breed the best "almost perfect" Maremma Sheepdogs I can. What about you?
 “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” 
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
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    Hi I'm Kim. I have been an avid animal lover all my life but goats and dogs are my favorites so I built a business around them, breeding registered Mini Nubian & Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats and MSCA registered Maremma Sheepdogs. I love sharing my passion and knowledge of these amazing creatures with others.

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