JKD – disease that covered the whole population
How hysteria will lead to the destruction of the breed!
List of dogs affected of JKD
I just read the list of dogs reported as suffering from JKD (Juvenile Kidney Diseases) on www.boxerJKD.com .
Analyzing pedigrees I conclude that this is a disease affecting nearly 90% of the boxer’s population.
Boxers with JKD become from the best lines, whose ancestors are the grandparents of a large part of the population.
These ancestors are the best, most beautiful and valuable dogs for the breed.
We cannot quit the whole bloodline and its huge values, just because one of the offsprings got JKD.
Just don’t panic!
Let’s remember that JKD is probably an autosomal recessive disease..
As a result, among the offspring of two boxers that are carriers of JKD – 75% of them are healthy, and 25% are healthy and do not carry this disease at all!
Especially to us – boxers’ breeders – we must no panic!
We cannot slander legendary dogs, undermine the value of the most prominent breeding lines – just because some of the offspring are JKD affected!
Such hysteria will lead to the destruction of the breed!
The fact is that only a small part of the offspring of two carriers dogs is affected.
It is also a fact that another part is not only healthy but also carrier free!
Therefore, we cannot discredit the most distinguished lines derived from specific dogs.
We cannot say “ this dog carriers JKD!” – no! We can only conclude that the dog is affected and his parents are carriers.
We cannot say that the all offspring of the same couple will be a carrier or affected of JKD!
Because just as statistical 25% of their offspring will be sick, 75% will be healthy carriers and another 25% will be completely free from JKD.
Yes, 25% offspring of healthy carrier couple will be completely FREE from JKD!
Only genetic tests will allow to fight with JKD in boxer breed.
Professor Bill Amos lead the study on boxer’s JKD and I sincerely hope that genetics tests on JKD came about any day.
It will be a real breakthrough.
Only genetics tests will allow us to sensibly select dogs in the population and to successfull displace the disease from boxer breed.
No slander, no panic and no harm to the breed.
There is no greater harm to the breed than the exclude valuable stud dogs and the drastic reduction of breeding population.
Breeders do not breed sick dogs intentionally
Dear dogs owners, you must understand that no breeder wants a sick dog to be born in his kennel.
Often people react very emotionally to news that their dog’s is JKD affected.
Believe me – the breeder is equally saddened by this message.
We should require that dogs we know to be carriers be excluded from breeding.
But we cannot discredit the bloodline from these dogs come, because it will lead to a drastic reduction of the boxers population in near future.
And as a consequence its end.
Small genetic pool is a big problem for the population.
As long as we are not able to do the laboratory genetics tests for the carrier of JKD, the breeding will look like a walk on the minefield.
These are the facts.
We need to approach the subject of JKD in boxer breed calmly.
Let’s not use the fact of disclosure of the disease in some kennel as a way of anti-advertising.
I have never had this problem in my kennel but I understand that JKD must been present in our boxers’ genes for many generations, it hasn’t suddenly fallen from the sky.
We have no knowledge which specific dogs in the pedigrees of the JKD affected dog were carriers, except for its parents.
We cannot assess it without special tests.
Given the above conclusion, such actions as slandering specific bloodlines may be nothing more than a shot in the knee!
In fact, no one can say that his bloodline is free from JKD.
Life goes on.
We are waiting for geneticts tests.
And when these become available – we’ll get to work on eradicating the disease from the boxers population.
