In the process of my regular breeding program I produced a litter in which several puppies had 1-3 folds in the lower part of the retina of one eye. These folds disappeared at 6 months, and the puppies could have had a CERF certificate at that point. Several ACVO ophthalmalogists told me that the folds would disappear and that there was no reason to discard the puppies or their littermates from my breeding program. However, CERF was not of the same opinion. In conferring with several ACVO vets, including researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine in Madison, I discovered that definitive research in this area had not been done. So I kept a puppy with folds from the litter to do research. Kozo is a pretty boy, but I have not shown him or used him as a stud dog except in this project. He lives with a friend as her house dog. We have bred him to one related female that had folds as a puppy and have now bred a daughter that had folds to a related male who also had folds as a puppy. The puppies were born 12/8/05. See information on litters if interested in obtaining one as a pet on limited registration.
The concern about retinal folds is that one type of fold, the so-called geographic folds, indicates the presence of a single copy of the gene that, when inherited from both parents, causes retinal dysplasia (RD). This genetic disease can cause detachment of one or both retinas, leading to blindness. It also can result in skeletal abnormalities. The purpose of my study is to determine if there is more than one type of retinal folds. So far 5 ACVO ophthalmalogists have told me that they can tell the difference between the folds I am getting and those associated with RD. They are always restricted to one to several folds in the lower part of the retina. Three of these people are cooperating with me on this study.
Our first folds to folds breeding resulted in 1 puppy out of 7 with the limited folds, none with RD or skeletal abnormalities. These dogs are now almost 9 years old. I have also bred Kozo to a littermate of the mother of this litter who did not have folds herself. We got 2 puppies with folds, again no RD or skeletal abnormalities. When bred to unrelated dogs, the mother of this second litter did not produce folds, nor did Kozo. Last December I bred a Kozo daughter with folds as a puppy (could be CERFed as an adult) to a male with the same condition, and got four surviving puppies (two died from exposure and two from difficult births- nothing that could be related to eyes). One had folds and one was controversial. So far there do not seem to be any health problems related to the presence of these so-called puppy folds.
All of my puppies have their eyes examined at 6-8 weeks, whether or not they are part of the study. And it is a 3 hour round trip to the nearest ACVO vet! No dogs that had puppy folds are part of my regular breeding program. Puppies that are part of the folds study are sold as family pets on the understanding that they may be examined as necessary for the study. Those kept for breeding are bred only as part of the study.
I am interested in hearing from anyone who has had puppies with similar folds and/or has information on how this condition is transmitted and on any problems they have seen in connection with this problem.