University of Sydney Research & Collaboration
Research groups from the Faculty have long been committed to the health and welfare of animals. Recommendations for practical solutions to problems in pedigree dog breeding were proposed 10 years ago.
Currently a 10 point plan is being compiled which incorporates feedback from our research groups and collaborators.
One priority is to conduct pedigree analyses to determine the actual extent of close inbreeding, and of inbreeding more generally in Australia’s population of pedigree dogs, and to monitor the extent of loss of genetic variation. The results of this research will be presented to each breed club, and will form the basis for specific recommendations as to what should be done to advance the genetic health of the breed.
Other major areas of activity include the development of modern genetic tools to enhance the ability of breeders to select against multifactorial disorders such as hip dysplasia, searching for traits that are correlated with hip dysplasia to enhance the effectiveness of selection, and devising strategies for use of dog DNA “chips” in all aspects of pedigree breeding.
We are also working with the ANKC and the AVA to establish two major national projects:
- a facility (LIDA) for ongoing estimation of the prevalence of all inherited disorders in Australian breeds, to provide data that are so sorely lacking at present.
- a national pedigree/disorder database which will house all past pedigree records and past phenotypes collected for hip dysplasia and other disorders, and which will also have the facility for automatically receiving all future pedigrees and disorder information
We recognise that it is important to communicate our science in a language that non-geneticists can understand, to make our messages available and accessible to companion animal breeders so that informed decisions can be made.
We hope that breeders and the potential pet-buying public become more aware of any serious health problems that exist within each breed so that they can make informed decisions to avoid marketing unhealthy puppies or kittens.