Post date: Jan 24, 2010 9:1:34 AM
At the start of 2010 the Animal Health Trust added MWHD to MLHD and MSHD for testing of cord1 Retinal Degeneration.
Dr. Cathryn Mellersh said: "We based this decision (to add MW to the list of cord1 breeds) on a couple of factors, one being the recent close relationship between the varieties and another being the fact that we did find the mutation in a single MWHD, albeit in carrier form. All things considered we thought it was reasonable to extend the test to the MWHD but there isn't any real evidence that there is a 'problem' in this variety."
So, the test is now openly available to owners of MWs (previously it was mainly for research and one-off requests). We have asked the AHT to keep the Breed Council informed of trends in results (not reports on individuals' dogs) so we can look out for any emerging issues. As it is not an official KC Scheme, the AHT will not be reporting results to the KC for publication in the Breed Record Supplement.