Clean dog and sick dog. Problems of genealogy

2004/08/08 Roa Zubia, Guillermo - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Abeltzaintza
• Biologia
• Zoologia

They are terrified in the European Union. In England they have seen a monster and not in a lake, but in an exhibition hall. It was not a big monster, but it was totally distorted.

It had the crushed end, the nose almost under the eyes, and the contour of the mouth completely wrinkled. In addition, the monster's shoulders were very large and the back was wide. For this reason, it seemed that the front pair was strong, but with the rear it was produced the opposite, with the hips very small.

The Europeans wanted to flee, but there was not so much danger. Of course, with such appearance the monster could not run. To breathe, he also had to make a lot of effort and was piled up foam in soft tissues of the mouth. Terrible.

The sample had other very similar monsters. But this first was the most surprising. For this reason, the organizers of the exhibition gave the monster owner a prize of fifty pounds. Fifty pounds sterling! What a fortune to have grown and cared for this type of animal!

No wonder Europeans want to know more about the monster. And the first thing he learned was that he was not a monster, neither he nor the rest of his environment. They were dogs. Those of the bulldog breed who love a lot in England. The visitors received the storage rooms and returned to the continent. In a report they collected everything seen.

Despite having presented me as a joke, the European Commission's concern for dogs is real and has recently increased. The case of bulldog is undoubtedly the most spectacular, but there are many other races that can generate the same reflection.

Would these dogs endure in nature without the help of man? Sure, those who breed dogs say yes, but there are great doubts. Among other things, these supposed pure bulldog have great difficulties in being born and often have to make caesarean area for their children and their mother to survive. In addition, they usually have young heart attacks, have severe breathing problems, and often have infections in the soft tissues of the mouth. Is all this natural?

In other breeds, problems have also appeared and the list is not short: some Dalmatians are blind; the pointer develop lymphomas; in boxers, heart problems abound; in the doberman, the blood; the Labrador dogs suffer malformations in change; and, for example, Irish setters usually have eye problems.

But now the question is why do these diseases occur? Is it a consequence of the care of genealogy or pedigree? In other words, who most often suffers from these diseases, the patients with pedigrees or the 'street' dogs of the same races? To clarify this, in January of this year, a project was launched.

The objective is to analyze the genetic characteristics of diseases and dogs and thus begin to answer the previous questions. The truth is that the research that has begun with dogs can also begin with other animals, since we select cows, horses, pigs and many other animals with similar criteria.

In England they are very concerned about the problems of dogs. In fact, since 1873 they have the Kennel Club entity, created to 'improve' dogs. But, can a dog be improved? Kennel Club is responsible for the breed dogs following, among others, the genealogy of some dogs. This can provide important information to scientists, since the DNA analysis of these dogs can be used in disease research.

The results of the study will take place in autumn. What will happen then? What if they find a relationship between pedigree and diseases? To protect pets, the European Commission has proposed prohibiting the monitoring of the pedigree of dogs, and there are many people who defend this idea. But it is not a very simple subject, because it would be a decision contrary to a whole culture. In England it is where they have more concern. Kennel Club representatives are angry and do not believe that what they are doing with the bulldog would do with the German pastor.

It is not an easy discussion, since in addition to that of dogs, the pedigree of other animals is somehow taken care of. And not only is it taken care of in England, but it takes care of special races, whether cows, sheep, pigs, chickens or any other animal. The reflection with dogs can also be done with these animals. The problem is that the genetic characteristics that the human being cares for are not those that would triumph in nature. But to what extent is a problem?

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