DNA testing for infectious diseases is a critical part in canine health diagnostics. This part is often overlooked by dog breeders and pet owners because of a general misunderstanding of the seriousness of infectious diseases in breeding programs. Canine breeders often have a better understanding of the need to test for genetic disorders, but these tests can only be done once in a dog’s lifetime. After these tests, breeders have the assumption that nothing else is needed to have a successful breeding program. Unfortunately, the reality is a bit different. There are numerous infectious agents that can populate a kennel. These are the same agents that can cause such serious problems as infertility, abortions, and ocular as well as other health issues in dogs. For example, if a sire has an infection, he can pass it on to the female, who can pass this infection further along to her puppies. The canine herpesvirus infection can be passed through the semen to the female and thus to the puppies. This can cause the puppies to be weak or die. Another example is lets say a dog was tested for Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) and was clear. But another dog with Chlamydophila or herpesvirus can infect the same dog, and these agents will cause more problems than PRA.

HealthGene Laboratory has been helping breeders eliminate the source of these infectious agents in their kennels for many years. We offer advanced technology which allows for the accurate detection of infected animals. The advantage of DNA testing for infectious diseases is that we can accurately detect the presence of infectious agents at the time of testing. This cannot be done with antibody testing which is offered by many laboratories. A positive antibody test result only shows that the animal was exposed to the pathogen at a certain time. It does not tell you if the pathogen is currently present in the animal. Furthermore, as opposed to genetic disorders, infectious diseases can be treated. Most of the DNA tests for infectious agents are grouped into DNA profiles which reflect a specific animal problem. The name of this DNA profile also reflects the problem. For example, we have the Canine Lost Pregnancy Profile, which is recommended for the testing of female dogs that have had abortions or infertility problems. DNA testing can reveal the infectious agents that are responsible for these problems. Below are some examples of different DNA profiles and the infectious agents in them which are recommended for breeding programs.

CANINE LOST PREGNANCY PROFILE:
	Brucella canis Staphylococcus aureus Streptococcus spp. Mycoplasma spp. Ureaplasma spp. Chlamydophila spp. Canine Herpesvirus
CANINE SEMEN PROFILE (artificial insemination)
	Brucella canis Chlamydophila spp. Canine Herpesvirus Mycoplasma spp. Ureaplasma spp. Leptospira spp.

Before dogs are used for breeding it is essential to check for potential infectious agents that can cause serious problems for future puppies. For example, we often recommend doing the Canine Semen Profile for the sire and doing the Canine Lost Pregnancy Profile for the dam in order to make sure that no infections will be passed on to either dog. Since these tests are done before mating, if there is an infection then there is enough time to do the proper treatment. The dog should be retested after the treatment to make sure that the infection has fully left the body. Once the dog is tested and cleared, we do not recommend using outside dogs in your breeding program if you are not sure of their health status. In many cases breeders ask other breeders to do such testing before the dogs mate.

All of these tests can be done through your veterinarian. We recommend multiple sample submission. For example, for the sire you should submit a blood and a semen sample. For a female you should submit a blood and a vaginal swab in a sterile container. The test results for most cases are available in two business days. Our laboratory offers free consultation for breeders who would like more information about DNA testing for infectious diseases. All of our services are confidential.

In addition to Canine Lost Pregnancy Profile and Canine Semen Profile, the following profiles are also available for canines:

For more information, please contact us at 1-877-371-1551 or by e-mail at info@healthgene.com

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