In the most part the Siberian Husky is a very healthy breed. Most people don't know and are not aware that the Siberian Husky is prong to about 22 different genetic/heriditary disorders. Most breeders do not mention this and are only concerned about the eyes and hips. Our health contract covers any and all genetic/heriditary disorders.
I am not in any way trying to scare anyone away from owning this wonderful breed. I believe that anyone interested in owning a Siberian should know about what could possibly happen even though some of the disorders are very rare.
Eye Problems in the Siberian Husky
Hereditary or juvenile cataracts - These are manifested by opacity in the lens of young dogs as early as three months old. These cataracts are different from the non-hereditary cataracts affecting aged or senior dogs. The function of the eye lens of the dog is to focus the rays of light so that they form an image on the retina. An opacity or cataract on the lens causes less light to enter the eye and the sight can be diminished. This can cause a mild decrease in eyesight to complete blindness.
Corneal dystrophy - This affects the cornea or outer transparent portion of the eyeball. Siberians with this disorder have an abnormal collection of lipids in the clear cornea of the eye which results in a hazy or crystalline opacity. The Siberian husky is prone to deep stromal dystrophy which involves triglyceride deposits. Annular dystrophy also occurs and appears as a doughnut shaped opacity in the peripheral cornea.
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) & Central Progressive retinal atrophy (CPRA)- (PRA) affects the retina, the light-sensitive inner lining of the posterior part of the eyeball. The retina contains two types of specialized cells called rods and cones. The rods are utilized in bright light vision. The Siberian husky has a unique type of PRA that is only found in Siberians and man. This type of PRA is called XLPRA (X Linked PRA) since it is transmitted through the "XX" chromosome of the female. It will cause loss of night vision followed by a loss of day vision, eventually blindness.
Entropion: is an inward rolling of the eyelid edges. This is a common eye problem and can be present soon after birth or acquired later in life. It most commonly affects the lower eyelids.
Glaucoma: Glaucoma is increased pressure within the eye. Cells inside the eye produce a clear fluid ("aqueous humor") that maintains the shape of the eye and nourishes the tissues inside the eye. The balance of fluid production and drainage is responsible for maintaining normal pressure within the eye. In glaucoma, the drain becomes clogged but the eye keeps producing fluid. Therefore, the pressure in the eye increases. The increased pressure in the eye actually can cause the eye to stretch and enlarge.
Lens luxation: a condition where the lens in the eye is displaced into an abnormal position. This is a condition where the lens is partially or fully dislocated from the threads that hold it in position within the eye. These tiny threads, sometimes called ligaments are known as zonules and it is they that weaken and break causing this condition.
Pannus: an immunologic eye disease characterized by abnormal growth of tissue over the cornea.
Persistent pupillary membrane: a developmental abnormality where the membrane forming the iris does not form properly.
Hip Problems in the Siberian Husky
Canine Hip Dysphasia - Canine Hip dysphasia is an inheritable disease. Its mode of inheritance is termed "polygenic," meaning that it is due to a combination of multiple genes. Canine Hip Dysphasia is an abnormality of the hip joint in which the head of the thighbone (femur) does not fit properly into its pelvic joint socket (acetabulum). This condition, while not present at birth, develops during the first two years of the dog's life. It often causes inflammation, pain, and arthritis of the affected hip. It becomes aggravated by exercise, sitting up, lying down, or climbing stairs.
Your veterinarian can x-ray your dogs hips, then the x-ray is sent to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA). Preliminary evaluations can be performed as early as 4-5 months of age and should be followed-up at 24 months of age.
Only 2% of Siberians that have been x-rayed and tested have been diagnosed with Hip Dysplasia. HD is caused both by genetics and a dog's environment. Overfeeding a young dog as well as over-exercising the dog can cause this defect. Genetics alone is not the only cause of HD. The interaction between the dog's genetic makeup and environment determine whether an individual dog will develop HD. The genetics of the dog, to a large part, determine if a given dog has the potential to allow the environmental factors to act in such a way that HD is produced. However, even dogs that are not genetically predisposed to develop HD can contract the defect if they are pushed too hard when young by hyper-nutrition and excessive exercise. It is possible for a dog to have HD yet have no signs of the disease. HD has an estimated inheritability that ranges from 0.2 to 0.6, with 0.0 being non-inherited condition and 1.0 meaning that a condition is completely under genetic control. Therefore, demonstrating that HD is a condition where both the environment and the genetics of the dog play a role in the development of this disease.
Canine geneticists estimate that the average purebred dog is carrying at least 4-5 defective genes. To put it another way, when you are looking at that gorgeous champion with normal hips you are also looking at a dog who is carrying the genes that can cause several types of genetic diseases. That champion may be carrying a recessive gene for PRA, and if he's bred with a bitch who is also carrying the PRA gene, the disease will show up in the puppies. And even though he has normal hips, he may be carrying some of the recessive genes involved in HD. If you mate him with a bitch who is normal but also carrying recessive genes for HD, you will produce dysphasic puppies. To have dogs certified Excellent, Good, Fair, etc for HD they only have to be x-rayed and tested once which is usually done when they are 2 years old. HD can develop at any age and can/will show up after the dog begins to age, rather than when they are young. The same goes with the eyes. It doesn't matter if they test clear year after year they can still produce puppies with genetic problems. The reason that dogs have to have eye exams EVERY year is because one or more problems can show up at any time. For example you can have your dogs eyes checked at 2 years of age and test clear, 3 years, and test clear, 4 years, and test clear, but during the 5th year annual exam they can be diagnosed with many of the eye defects.
Castration responsive dermatosis: a skin condition characterized by loss of hair, thickened skin and inflammatiion which responds to castration (i.e., hormonally dependent).
Discoid lupus erythematosus: a form of autoimmune disease affecting the skin.
Eosinophilic granuloma: an allergic reactive syndrome characterized by the plaque-like accumulation of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell.
Factor VIII deficiency or hemophilia A: the most common severe inherited clotting disorder of humans and nonhuman animals. Inhereited as a sex-linked recessive trait (carried by females and manifested in males). Affects most dog breeds.
Hemophilia A: a blood clotting disorder due to deficiency of coagulation factor VIII (this is the most common type of hemophilia in dogs).
Hypothyroidism: a common endocrine disease where the body produces an abnormally low amount of thyroid hormones. An autoimmune destruction of the thyroid gland which affects more than 50, dog breeds.
Osteochondritis dissecans: a specific form of inflammation of the cartilage of certain joints which causes arthritis.
Osteochondrosis: a group of developmental diseases resulting in abnormal formulation of joint cartilage. Commonly involves the shoulder, stifle, hock or elbow.
Vitiligo: a lack of pigment in the skin (called vitiligo in man and hypopigmentation in nonhuman animals).
Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada-like syndrome: an autoimmune disease common in Akitas and the "sled" dog breeds where the eyes, blood and other tissues are progressively destroyed leading to blindness and death.
von Willebrand's disease: a type of bleeding disorder caused by defective blood platelet function. Occurs in 59 dog breeds but most often in Doberman pinschers. An autosomal trait affecting both sexes.
Zinc-responsive dermatosis: a condition where the skin is abnormal (scaly, hair loss, etc.) but which responds to the administration of zinc in the diet.
