Lifespan and Causes of Death in the Irish Wolfhound - Vetsuisse ...

7.3.3 Hereditary Diseases
Hereditary diseases have been reported to occur in almost all dog breeds and also in
mongrels, and their frequency and distribution varies depending on the breeds and
families considered (Peyer 1997; Ackerman 1999; Ruvinsky and Sampson 2001).
More and more such diseases continue to be identified, and it is entirely possible that
this will also affect Irish Wolfhounds in the future. Given these facts, it is unlikely that
the domestic dog population will ever be entirely free from hereditary diseases;
however, few would agree that the mere occurrence of hereditary diseases in a breed
of dog renders breeding the said breed unethical in itself. A certain percentage of the
hereditary disease cases that occur in breeding can therefore be considered to be
unfortunate, but inevitable.
Nevertheless, much of what has been said in the previous chapters is equally
applicable to the case of hereditary diseases insofar as they can be taken as
examples where human and animal interests are opposing. In addition to the problem
of a shortened lifespan, we are also confronted with suffering due to both the
diseases in themselves and, in some cases and transiently, to their veterinary
treatment.
An ethical consideration that is more specific to the problem of hereditary diseases
would be the fact that the influence of personal breeding choices on their rate of
occurrence is usually defined more clearly than it is the case with lifespan. In this
context, it is possible for a stud dog to be a documented carrier of a hereditary
disease, but to produce show-winning offspring at the same time. However, this is
essentially another situation in which the human interest to satisfy one's own vanity
must be ranked lower than the dogs' primary interest not to suffer from a particular
hereditary disease, with all the resulting ethical implications discussed in the previous
chapter.
The question of hereditary diseases should also be addressed with regard to the
circumstances that lead to their occurrence. Hereditary diseases, being genetic and
therefore essentially stochastic in nature, can occasionally occur despite optimal
selection against them having taken place. The ethical issues begin once the dogs'
welfare interests are – deliberately or negligently – replaced by the human interest to
satisfy one's emotional and/or monetary interests in selection. The inherent absurdity
of this concept may best be illustrated by asking the question of how many cases of
hereditary disease are worth a show champion. A special and exemplary case of this
is discussed in the following chapter.
7.3.4 Portosystemic Shunt: Study of A Special Case
As mentioned in chapter 3.2.3, the problem of PSS represents a peculiar ethical
dilemma that to the author's knowledge has not been reported in other hereditary
diseases to-date, even though it has been published beforehand that Irish Wolfhound
breeders were not realising the full potential of selection against the condition
(Ubbink, van de Broeck et al. 1998).
As shown in chapter 3.2.1.3, PSS can be diagnosed at an early age through routine
blood testing (Kerr and van Doorn 1999), giving breeders the possibility of testing
their litters before sale, but has a high lethality rate even when properly treated
108