Breeding

In year 2009 breeding committee gathered statistics about German Pinschers eye examination results starting from year 1998, and ending 24.9.2009 (contains examination results from bit over a decade).

Statistics show that there are total number of 371 eye-examined dogs. Diagnoses were separated to three different groups by examination ages of the dogs: Dogs that are examined at 1-5 years of age, dogs examined at age 5 to 9 years and dogs examined at 9 years or older.

Total number of HC-diagnosed dogs was 62, which is 17% of all examined dogs. In first group (examined as 1 to 5 years old) there were total of 188 examined dogs, and 21 of them has HC-diagnose = 12% of dogs examined at this age. In group 2 (examined at 5 to 9 years of age) total number of examined dogs was 149, and HC-diagnosed 33 dogs of them, which is 22% of the age group. In the last group (examined as 9 year old or older) total number was 34, and HC- diagnosed 7 dogs out of those, which is 21% of the group.

This statistics show same kind of results what has been thought already; HC usually can be found from dogs around 6 years of age, so most of these have been used for breeding already.

A dog is noticed in that age group, where it has been examined latest, EXCEPT those dogs who have HC-diagnose; those dogs are left to that age group when HC has been found. Reason for that is that this statistics has been made to find out the average age of hereditary cataract to be found in dogs. Our statistics differs from Finnish Kennel Club’s database so that we have corrected dog’s eye status to “free” (no signs of cataract) or “suspected” (only suspected HC), if the vet who examined the dog has marked that to dog’s examination paper. FKC requires a dog to go to a eye examination panel to change it’s eye status to better than it was.

(In FKC database a dog will keep it’s worst eye status, even if dog gets new examination with result ”free”. All “suspected”-examinations have been noticed as “free” until 1.1.2010; suspected examinations done after that a dog will also need a panel examination to again have free status.)

Finnish Pinscher Club’s breeding committee knows only about 10 dogs that have gone blind caused by HC.

This eye examination statistics will be updated couple times a year, to be able to follow up hereditary cataracts.