The CGC Idiopathic Epilepsy (IE) project is progressing well. We are still collecting samples from affected dogs of any age and unaffected dogs aged 8 or older across the five breeds: Beagles, English Springer Spaniels, Giant Schnauzers, Hungarian Vizslas, and Irish Setters. The IE team is now collating and extracting DNA from around 250 new samples submitted since the project’s launch. The graph shows samples received and kit requests still awaiting return—the target is 200 per breed. Continue reading
The Cocker Spaniel is one of the most popular dog breeds in the UK and so it is unsurprising that a number of inherited diseases have been reported over the years in this breed including Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), Retinal Dysplasia (RD) and Retinopathy with Vitamin E Deficiency (RVED). A DNA test for PRA (prcd) has been available for a long time and so this disease is now, fortunately, very rare in this breed. Very recently, the Canine Genetics Centre has also solved the cause of RVED in this breed and so, with the use of DNA testing, this disease should be easy to eradicate in a few generations. 
The CGC’s 
On November 14th 2024 Dr. Cathryn Mellersh, Head of the Canine Genetics Centre, gave an online presentation to our supporters and stakeholders. Cathryn started her presentation by summarising the areas of research that the CGC has been involved with over the last twelve months, including details of the impressive list of peer-reviewed 
Our team at the Canine Genetics Centre are often contacted to collaborate with veterinary professionals and owners from around the world when it comes to challenging canine genetic problems. We recently received a communication from a Welsh Springer Spaniel breeder from Australia asking for our expertise regarding two wobbly puppies out of one litter of nine. 
We have recently published our preliminary genetic investigation of 
The two main specialist areas of focus for our work in the Canine Genetics Centre (CGC) are ophthalmology and neurology. For this week’s newsletter, Dr Sally Ricketts, Senior Research Associate, tells us about how the CGC joins forces with the 
Last weekend we attended one of the largest Dog Agility shows in the UK, the 
Back in March, 
We have 
