DNA Test for Primary Lens Luxation (PLL)

Instead of the promised third column on the upper arm assembly, a proven new health test for Norwich has prompted me to invite Blair Kelly to write this month’s column. Mr. Kelly obtained his first Norwich from Phyllis K. Pullen, MD, in 1997. He breeds under the Shaksper prefix and has been an AKC agility judge since 2001.

First DNA Test for a Norwich Health Problem Identified

In 2004 Dr. Phyllis Pullen noticed that her not-quite-6-year-old Norwich, Ch. Jerusalem Chutney (Chute) had developed obvious pain in one eye. She remembers, “I saw a canine ophthalmologist that day. He told me that this was due to a luxated lens that had been floating around for some time and suddenly blocked the duct that carries the vitreous fluid out of the eye, causing glaucoma.” The vet told Dr. Pullen that primary lens luxation (PLL) had caused the glaucoma.
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The Front Assembly – Part II

The first Norwich Terrier came to this country with Robert E. Strawbridge in 1915. As depicted in his portrait “Willum Jones,” by George F. Morris, this founding father of Norwichdom was rather long-legged, with cropped ears and a white-tipped tail. Yet when the first standard was written in 1932, the ideal Norwich stood on legs “short, powerful, as straight as consistent with the short legs at which we aim.” The Norwich Standards Committee had changed the game—or at least, tried to clarify the game.

Both here and in the U.K., the Norwich’s legs are still described in the standard as “Short, powerful … as straight as is consistent with a digging terrier.” Short is a very relative word, however. What was the thinking of the framers who wrote the standard? “Short” in comparison to what? To an Airedale? To a Kerry Blue?
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Looking To The Future

Inbreeding was common practice back when many breeds including the Norwich Terrier were being developed. With such diverse antecedents as we have in our breed, it was the method to set type. But the downside was the risk of reduced genetic diversity.

The natural outgrowth of inbreeding, line-breeding, was espoused by such giants as Lloyd C. Brackett. He advised mating animals who are “closely related to the same ancestor … by using for parents dogs who are closely related to that ancestor.” The objective was litter consistency. Breeders who heeded this advice, while succeeding in terms of cementing conformation traits, further limited the gene pool. In effect, we must now cope with the negative 20th-century practices, not least of which are some fertility and health issues.
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Way Back When

On the typical four-generation pedigree, my most recent breeding looks like a complete outcross. Not one dog’s name is repeated on either side. This is called an “open pedigree.” There are however a few kennel names in common and I know what is “behind the bitch”—more names in common.
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Thoughts on Hip Testing — Part 3

This is the third and last column on hip testing, although much more could be written. (If you haven’t already, you may find it helpful to review Part 1 and Part 2.)

Just to review the terminology: CHD is Canine Hip Dysplasia. OA is osteoarthritis, a late-onset condition associated with CHD; joint laxity may be described as excess space where the femoral head meets the acetabulum, the cup-shaped hip-joint socket. Subluxation is partial dislocation and DJD is degenerative joint disease.
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Thoughts on Hip Testing — Part 2

In the November issue (Part 1), I spoke with Deb Lang and profiled her Norwich Norma, who suffers from severe hip dysplasia. I also looked at the basics of hip testing, describing the terminology and the two popular rating systems—that of the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, and of PennHIP (the University of Pennsylvania’s Hip Improvement Program).
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