Exercise Induced Collapse
Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC) is becoming a big problem when it comes to field bred Labrador Retrievers. It is becoming all too common seeing puppies from highly sought after lineage being affected with EIC.
Up until now, breeders of field bred Labradors were up against a sort of handicap when it came to EIC. Wanting to breed the best of the best was like playing Russian Roulette. As a breeder, we look at performance, temperament and health. All respectable breeders have clearances on the dogs that they breed. The most common clearances include; OFA evaluations on hip, CERF clearances on eyes and CNM clearances for the debilitating disorder of muscles. There are other clearances that may be obtained that are growing in popularity such as OFA on elbows, Thyroid clearance, Cardiac clearance and PRA clearance. Even with all the available clearances to prove a genetically sound dog, EIC has never been included. With EIC, it is an invisible threat. Breeders go through extensive research when finding a stud for their bitch. Finding the perfect lineage to bring out the best traits in puppies while backing that with all the clearances available to give those puppies the best chance for a genetically sound life and career, it’s a lot of work. Here is where the Russian Roulette comes into the mix. Your sound bitch is bred to a sound male. Neither dog is affected with EIC nor are their parents nor their grandparents. As a breeder we have to hope with confidence that the two dogs used in that breeding do not carry the mutated gene that causes EIC.
The following is taken from an article by Susan Taylor, DVM who along with the University of Minnesota have been researching EIC.
Littermates and other related dogs are commonly affected, suggesting that EIC is hereditary. Clinically unaffected dams and sires commonly produce litters with more than one affected dog, suggesting either an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance (must be inherited from both parents) or inheritance as a dominant trait with incomplete penetrance (can be inherited from just one parent). A few clinically unaffected males have sired many puppies with EIC when bred to different bitches. Pedigree analysis of greater than 150 affected dogs is underway in an attempt to more precisely determine the mode of inheritance.
Major difficulty currently exists in classifying individual dogs as definitively affected or unaffected by EIC. Some dogs may have the genetic makeup and metabolic abnormalities underlying EIC, yet they never collapse because they are not asked to perform strenuous exercise or they may perform the exercise without the mix of enthusiasm and excitement necessary to induce collapse. We will not be able to identify these dogs as being affected by EIC until there is a simple, specific test genetic for the condition.
To read Susan article please click here.
On a positive note the University has developed a test for EIC and is in the process of getting it patented and are expecting to have a commercial test available in the spring of 2008. As soon as we learn of the test we will update this page on how and where the tests can be done.
