We are very excited to announce that earlier this week we launched not one, but TWO new tests for progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) in two different breeds – the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (NSDTR) and the Miniature Schnauzer (MS). Continue reading
In March of 2025 Canine Genetic Testing launched a DNA test for a variant associated with Primary Hyperparathyroidism in Keeshonds. And now our peer-reviewed paper, describing details of the mutation, has been published in the journal Animal Genetics (1).
Wade CM, Burmeister LM, Skelly BJ, McLaughlin B, Pettitt L, Atwater DZ, Tallmadge RL, Lejeune M, Lindblad-Toh K, Mellersh CS. Autosomal dominant primary hyperparathyroidism in the Keeshond dog breed is strongly associated with a missense variant in sirtuin-6. Anim Genet. 2025 Dec;56(6):e70056. doi: 10.1111/age.70056.
Everyone wants the puppy that they buy to live a long and healthy life. And scrupulous, health-conscious dog breeders feel the same way; the last thing they want is to breed puppies that will become sick. One way that breeders can maximise the chances that the puppies they breed will be healthy is to health-test potential parents, prior to breeding. Health tests take the form of clinical tests, such as hip scoring or an eye examination, and genetic tests, where the DNA of the dog is analysed. Continue reading
Our research project dedicated to inherited eye disease (IED) in dogs, CRIEDD, often sees us work in close collaboration with veterinary ophthalmologists. When they see novel diseases, or a disease emerging in a new breed of dog, they will send us DNA samples so that we can work together to identify the genetic cause. Continue reading
In January of this year we published our research into an inherited eye disease called retinopathy with vitamin E deficiency (RVED) in English Cocker Spaniels. You may have heard of this disease before under a different name, perhaps central progressive retinal atrophy or retinal pigment epithelial dystrophy. Continue reading
The Canine Genetics Centre has worked closely with many breeds over the years, to investigate inherited disorders that represent a challenge to their health. In the next of our series, we focus on the Gordon Setter, a breed that the CGC started to work alongside over 15 years ago, when a new and emerging form of late onset progressive retinal atrophy first became apparent in this breed. Continue reading
At the beginning of March 2025 the Canine Genetics Centre launched a genetic test for primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) in Keeshonds. The research underpinning the new test was achieved in collaboration with Professor Claire Wade (University of Sydney), Professor Kerstin Lindblad-Toh (Uppsala University and the Broad Institute), Dr Barbara Skelly (University of Cambridge) and dedicated members of the Keeshond community, without whom the work would not have been possible. The journey to develop a DNA test for PHPT started way back in 2000, with a special dog called Anni, and in for month’s spotlight article Anni’s owner and breeder, Jane Saunders, very kindly tells the story in her own words: Continue reading
In collaboration with James Oliver, head of ophthalmology at Dick White Referrals, we have been researching retinopathy with vitamin E deficiency (RVED) in the English Cocker Spaniel (ECS) for a number of years. It has been a challenging project, so we are over the moon to report that we have identified the variant associated with the disease, and all of our findings have now been published in G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics.
Oliver, J. A. C., Stanbury, K., Schofield, E., McLaughlin, B., & Mellersh, C. S. (2025). A TTPA deletion is associated with retinopathy with vitamin E deficiency in the English Cocker Spaniel dog. G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics. https://doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkaf016
This is the second in our series of ‘Spotlight’ articles where we focus on a breed that the Canine Genetics Centre (CGC) has worked closely with over many years to investigate the inheritance of disorders that represent a challenge to their health. This time we describe our work with the Italian Spinone breed community to understand the underlying genetics of two devastating diseases, one of which has now had a DNA test available for over 15 years that has been successfully used to reduce the number of affected dogs born with this debilitating disease. Continue reading
Members of the Canine Genetics Centre team have attended Crufts, the World’s greatest dog show, for as long as any of us can remember. Crufts has always been a great opportunity for us to meet up with breeders, owners and Breed Club representatives with whom we have been working closely, to update them on their various research projects and to discuss new potential areas of research. And customers of our DNA testing service, Canine Genetics Testing (CAGT), have also been able to purchase DNA tests at Crufts, typically at a special discounted rate. Continue reading
