Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook.pdf - Mr. Walnuts

202 •DOG OWNER’S HOME VETERINARY HANDBOOK
CERF was established in 1974 with two purposes:
• To screen purebred dogs for inherited eye diseases and issue certificates
to those free of disease.
• To collect research data on the incidence of various inherited eye diseases.
In 1989, the activities of CERF were combined with those of the
Veterinary Medicine Data Bank at Purdue University. More recently, the
Canine DNA Registry has been added to the Data Bank.
Dogs are screened for all types of hereditary eye diseases during a CERF
examination. There are more than 260 board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists
affiliated with CERF throughout the United States and Canada. A
dog receives a certification based on the appearance of the eyes at the time of
the examination. Because some inherited eye diseases develop later in life,
certification is good for only one year and must be repeated annually.
Furthermore, certification does not imply clearance for the carrier state. Dogs
who are unaffected by disease may or may not be carriers of the gene that
causes that disease.
CERF maintains a website that contains the names of all dogs who have a
current CERF certification. The site is updated at the beginning of each month.
The American Kennel Club now incorporates CERF certification on pedigrees.
This will only tell you which dogs were checked and found to be normal, but it
is important information. OFA now has access to CERF records as well. Your
veterinarian can refer you to a veterinary ophthalmologist affiliated with CERF
in your area, or you can contact CERF directly (see appendix D).
Because the CERF registry is closed (that is, the identity of affected dogs
remains confidential), CERF information cannot be used to determine which
ancestors in a dog’s pedigree may have been affected. The Institute for Genetic
Disease Control in Animals (GDC) also maintains a registry for hereditary eye
diseases. This open registry allows breeders to share the results of eye examinations
on all dogs registered with the GDC, including those who are found to be
affected by genetic eye diseases. Knowing which ancestors are affected makes it
possible to determine which progeny may be carriers. This knowledge can be of
value in selecting breeding animals who are at low risk for transmitting the disease.
For information on the GDC, see appendix D.
COLLIE EYE ANOMALY SYNDROME
This disease was originally described in Collies, but also affects Shetland
Sheepdogs, Australian Shepherds, Border Collies, and some other breeds.
The disease attacks the choroid that nourishes the retina. Eye abnormalities
include retinal degeneration and retinal detachment—both of which cause
loss of vision.