The Tamaskan Dog Register maintains the health records for the entire Tamaskan breed.  

There is only one known genetic health problems to date, monorchidism, the state of having only one testicle within the scrotum.  Although this is not a life threatening disease or uncomfortable for the puppy in any way, it does require surgery (castration) to remove the testicle to prevent cancer and other problems later in life.  These dogs should not be sold for breeding and we urge all breeders to check their litters before they are re-homed and inform any owner (and the TDR) of the problem. We also ask that if you are buying a male for breeding purposes that you check your puppy and its sire for this problem before any money is exchanged.  We are asking anyone whose puppy has suffered from monorchidism to let us know so we can monitor the problem and attempt to locate the source, thank you.

 

We ask anyone who has a Tamaskan who has or is suffering from any genetic disorder to please EMAIL us. The more information we have, the quicker we can spot problems before they take hold.

 

Known genetic problems in the Tamaskan ancestry are:

 

PROGESSIVE RETINAL ATROPHY (a degenerative disease of the retinal visual cells which may progress to blindness.  This disease can be tested for with a PRA test which we recommend all breeding stock should have)        Found in Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes and German Shepherd Dogs.

 

CANINE EPILEPSY (A brain disorder that is characterized by repeated seizures, sometimes not starting until a dog is 2 - 5 years old)         Found in Siberian Huskies, Utonagan and German Shepherd Dogs.

 

HIP DYSPLASIA (an abnormality of the hip joint in which the head of the thighbone does not fit properly into its pelvic joint socket.  Hip scoring has helped to keep this disease out of the Tamaskan, which is why all breeding stock are scored.  For more information on hip scoring click HERE)        Found in Siberian Huskies, Utonagan and German Shepherd Dogs.          

 

JUVENILE CATARACTS (an opacity or cloudiness of the lens of the eye)        Found in Siberian Huskies and German Shepherd Dogs.

 

MONORCHIDISM  (The state of having only one testicle within the scrotum.)     Found in Tamaskan, Siberian Huskies, Utonagan, Alaskan Malamutes and German Shepherd Dogs.

 

While it would be an invasion of breeders’ privacy to publicly show all results for hip and eye testing, we can tell you the breed average is 8.1 based on the UK system. You can find out more about hip scoring below.

 

Please EMAIL for more information

 

Hip Scoring

 

This information has been taken from Wikipedia

Hip dysplasia is a hereditary disease that, in its more severe form, can eventually cause crippling, lameness and painful arthritis of the joints. It is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. It can be found in many animals and occasionally in humans, but is most commonly associated with dogs, and is not uncommon in many dog breeds, particularly the larger breeds.

The Tamaskan Dog Register requires every breeding dog to be hip scored and supply the results of those scores to the TDR before any mating takes place. Failure to comply with this rule will mean any litter produced will not be registered with the TDR.

Hip dysplasia is one of the most studied veterinary conditions in dogs, and the most common single cause of arthritis of the hips.

Dogs might exhibit signs of stiffness or soreness after rising from rest, reluctance to exercise, bunny-hopping or other abnormal gait (legs move more together when running rather than swinging alternately), lameness, pain, reluctance to stand on rear legs, jump up, or climb stairs, subluxation or dislocation of the hip joint, or wasting away of the muscle mass in the hip area.

Overfeeding puppies and young dogs, particularly in the giant breeds, might aggravate the problem or bring it on earlier because pups tend to be more active, less aware of their physical limitations, and have immature bones and supporting structures carrying their weight. Dogs from breeds that are known to be prone to dysplasia can be kept slightly leaner than normal until around 2 years old, by which time the bones are full strength and the animal can be easily brought up to its normal adult weight. Over-exercising young dogs whose bones and muscles have not yet fully developed might also be a contributing factor.

 

Responsible breeders who track the incidence of hip dysplasia have been able to reduce the problem in some breeds, but have not been able to eliminate it altogether.

Hip scoring is a procedure used to determine the degree of hip dysplasia in dogs and other animals and reporting the findings in a standard way.

The hip score is the sum of the points awarded for each of nine radiographic tures of both hip joints.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) uses the following criteria to determine hip score:

1. Norberg Angle
2. Subluxation
3. Cranial Acetabular Edge
4. Dorsal Acetabular Edge
5. Cranial Effective Acetabular Rim
6. Acetabular Fossa
7. Caudal Acetabular Edge
8. Femoral Head/Neck Exostosis
9. Femoral Head Recontouring

The lower the score, the less the degree of dysplasia present. The minimum (best) score for each hip is zero and the maximum (worst) is 53, giving a range for the total of 0 to 106

The following table compares the scores recognised by Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), the British Veterinary Association (BVA) and Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (SV).

The Tamaskan Dog Register only allows breeding of dogs whose hips have been tested and only those whose scores are below the TDR requirements.

'A Breeder MUST have all breeding dogs hip scored. A litter produced by a non-scored parent will not be registered nor will a litter from a dog with a score higher than 18 (UK) B-1 (FCI) or Fair (USA). Breeder agrees to provide The Tamaskan Dog Register legible photocopies of the Hip Score promptly upon receipt of same and well in advance of any mating.'

This excerpt was taken from the Tamaskan Dog Register's Breeder Contract.