This photo was taken two days after Dawn had a successful pregnancy ultra sound scan.

Earlier photos can be seen at here.

On 6-Sep-17, Dartagnan had his latest health check at his local vet near Boston, Lincolnshire.

On 11-Oct-17, Dartagnan and Jade were taken to Scunthorpe for their VCS Cardiac Certification

(Both Jade and Dartagnan scored 0 out of 6 for auscultation.)

On 17-Oct-17 Dartagnan had his elbows and hips x-rayed following the procedure for BVA/KC scoring.

However, unlike my own hounds this won't appear on the Kennel Club website.

The x-ray images and all Dartagnan's health records are available to see in Dartagnan's folder when you make an appointment to see him for yourself, or view the puppies after they are four weeks old

  [Request an appointment in Comments below].

Some years ago the experience of a dominant bloodhound breeder in the UK having imported

a bloodhound, which developed Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) persuaded The Bloodhound Club

to recommend the DNA test for DM.

This can be traced to a kennel outside the UK, and was not reported before this import.

I am confident my lines do not contain this problem, so have not tested for DM. [see Family Tree]

Although it is possible to quote DM "At-Risk", "Carrier" "Equivocal", according to whether the hound has inherited:

• A/A: two copies of the DM gene marker from both parents (homozygous)
• A/N: one copy of the DM gene marker from one of the parents (carrier)
• N/N: confirms the DM gene marker is absent, even though the parents may have been a carrier.
• Equivocal is where absence can't be confirmed due to poor sample, and submission of a new sample is required.

The DNA test is proprietary, and performed on license from CVM, Missouri, USA by a limited number of labs in the UK.

This is currently not offered by the genetics department at the Animal Health Trust (AHT).

Obviously the relevant test is on the puppy you choose, rather than either parent, and I can offer

to submit a sample for this DNA test, but would add the cost to the price of the puppy.

This cost would not be passed on, if the puppy goes to a different home.

 

Aged 6 weeks, d'Artagnan, his mother and siblings, were taken to AHT, where samples were taken to store their DNA.

I intend the same for the Ed/Pa litter, so that their DNA is available to amplify for use in research, add to the possibility

of test development, and inheritance since DNA was originally stored at AHT for Sanft Defiant.

Ref: NS170925nc042

Date: 25/09/2017

Location: Lincolnshire

Photographer: NS D32