CNM - EIC u.a.
About a forgotten disease - a true Story
About one years ago I bought an older dog, Cypher Jet Moonshine, from England. He was trained for hunting. Besides having been X- rayed on HD and ED he was also tested on prcd_PRA.
He came to us and proved to be in every respect as a great dog - both in the field and as well in his social behaviour. He mated some bitches and everything seemed fine.
One of my puppies buyers returned and told the puppy was a poor eater-. As I also had a puppy, who was always nagging on the food, we compared the two - they both liked only dry food, but no rice or meat. At the same time another breeder who also had Cypher as a stud dog called, and said that his three puppies seemed somewhat slow. Some time later he came to me and showed me a puppy, and I was shocked - the puppy was thin as a rake without any muscles. These two puppies had many visits to the Veterinarian (VET) and many times x - rays taken but without any producing any diagnosis.
After having discussed the whole thing over the phone with some befriended Vets,we came to a diagnosis - it must be, what they call in the literature congenital myopathy with Labrador Retriever, in English it is called Centro Nuclear Myopathy withLabrador, CNM.
None of our veterinarians never made this diagnosis. The puppies were tired, acted as if they lacked muscle and always eating poorly.
It is unusual that CNM develops later than the age of 3 to 4 months. The characteristics of CNM is that the muscles are not properly developed. Therefore it is believed that a dog who has developed at first normal muscles, and lateron degenerates the muscles is having probably a different disease.
Many years ago I heard in England of puppies and young dogs that seem to have the shinking effect, but lateron in Sweden I have never ever heard again of this disease, therefore I didn't pay much attention to this matter. And so it can happen to all of us that when we see healthy kennels and healthy animals. We may not believe that these bad dispositions have been carried through generations.
The inheritance for myopathy is, same as for (prcd) PRA, recessive; meaning there must be at least two diseased dispositions to make a dog sick.. A genetic carrier (Carrier, mated with with a genetic carrier will bring - statistically considered - 25 % sick , 50% genetic carriers and 25 % healthy puppies. For the same reason, a dog that is genetically free himself, can never give birth to sick puppies.
Now many investigations began. What can you do? After several contacts with Germany, where there were several cases, we finally learned that there is a possibility that a genetic test for this disease in a laboratory in France can be done by ( www.labradorcnm.com ). There has been a lot about Myopthie researched and in 2005, a DNA test developed. There is also a so called "White List" with dogs metioned by name which had been genetically free tested. The disease is both in show and in working lines documented.
Those others who took Cypher for breeding and had puppies, had their bitches tested and luckily it showed that they did not have the disposition, and none of the puppies was affected. Cyphers kennel in Britain were dismayed and they tested both mother and sister and it was found out that both of them had been carrier.
In my litter and the other breeders litter there were three puppies in each litter that were put to sleep, this is the most feared situation for a breeder. From a puppy we took biopsies and sent them to a neurologist at the Karolinska Institute and eventual to be passed on the United States.
In the laboratory in France it was said that the DNA test is simpler than the biopsy specimen. The biopsies were for the puppies very painful. Samples had to be taken from the front and back muscles, and afterwards they had to be sewed up with 30 stitches. Later, the poor puppy still had to be put down.It was a difficult time with a lot of worries and suffering, for all of us.
You can't detect sick making dispositions on healthy dogs. Therefore, I felt that this was a good occasion, to test even my other stud dogs Cherry Combe Teal of Lake Down, White City Black, Fenway Dealer and Gold Shadow Ben to be sure that they are not having this disposition.
The next shock came when it was shown that even Ben was carrier of CNM. Now, it was still a matter of testing all the other ones. From 8 tested daughters of Ben two were free and six had been carriers. All the carriers of my own kennel, I naturally took from the breeding.
A carrier may never breed a sick offspring with a free partner. But I think that the disease is so dangerous that you have to be very restrictive to breed with carriers.
If you still use a carrier - of course with a free tested dog as a partner - you have to test the entire litter, so that the buyers of the puppies know what dogs they get.
I had mated a daughter of Ben before I knew he was a carrier, that bitch proved to be a carrier. In her litter after Ben we had two free and two carrier puppies.
It is sad what happened to us, the only positive thing is that the carrier can be tested and so one can prevent that further sick dogs are born.
Charlotte Lindell, Minnows kennel, March 2007
The sick puppies come from two breedings :
Minnows litter:
From: Cypher Jet Moonshine (Carrier) (From: Newlains Taf of Mullenscotte x Lucy Gospelash of Cypher (Carrier))
Minnows Garden News (Carrier) (From: SUCH Minnows Hector (free) x Minnows Little River (Carrier))
Crofters Prides litter:
From Cypher Jet Moonshine (Carrier) (From: Newlains Taf of Mullenscotte x Lucy Gospelash of Cypher (Carrier))
Crofters Akind Pride Of Magic (Carrier) (From: Field Court Dancing Pioneer x Mill Powers Scarlet Ibis)
(Translation from a friend of a friend)
List of clear and carrier dogs in Sweden
With the permission from Charlotte to translate her story
Mit der Einverständnis von Charlotte ihren Bericht zu übersetzen
Avec la permission de traduire l'histoire de Charlotte