Breeder not doing Fanconi testing?? Do I just walk away?

[Patty]

Incidentally after the seminar I was approached by an owner who said that he had contacted Dr Gonto about his protocol but that he had decided to have the two dogs put down instead. These dogs had not actually been diagnosed as having Fanconi Syndrome - it was only assumed that they had it.

[sharronhurlbut]

Patty, that is heartbreaking.
The breeders ego took over and the dogs were put down at a result.
THAT is just horrific to me.

[Larissa]

@Mango:

I just got off the phone with a breeder here in Alberta who, aside from seeming very reluctant to talk to me at all, told me point blank she doesn't believe in Fanconi testing her dogs (!) and said that "when they find the gene, I'll test them." I also asked if they were tested for eye or hip problems, and she said no.

Does anyone have any insight into this bizarre view? I'm a little confused, after listening to other breeders who are insistent on testing their dogs…

Should I take the time to get to know this lady's dogs? Should I walk away?

I guess I'll have to get an out-of-province puppy after all.

I purchased one from her and reutrned it one week later the dog was horrible.

[Larissa]

Back in 2000 I bought a 4 year old dog from her. when I went to look at the dogs, all 9 of them, they were all in crates to small for them, they were let out once a day to pee. they lived in her basement. The fool that I was bought one anyway. She told me to take him to the vet and have the vet cauterize the quick in the toenails after he cut them short. The dog had a serious overbite and was not socialized at all. After a week I took the dog back to her and demanded my money back.

Nice websites are there to fool you. Shame on you once, shame on me twice.

[sharronhurlbut]

If what you posted above is correct, and I believe you, I think you should inform the authorities that these dogs are being kept in such conditions.
They should go check on them…poor things.

[Larissa]

Shamerons Basenjis right?

[misspodhradsky]

AWWW that is sooo sad to me! How could someone breed to jeopardize a dogs health like that! Or have them in such horrible conditions! SHAME ON THEM!! I agree, report them! That is horrible! awww pooor dogs that made my night crappy to read that

[nomrbddgs]

If this is a woman I am thinking about, she has been a PITA for a long time. She keeps saying she is getting rid of all her dogs, we arrange things for her, then she either changes her mind or wants a lot of money for them. She also does not test and her dogs are not very good healthwise, or mentally sound. It's too bad.

[misspodhradsky]

Thats too bad poor dogs. I wish people would stop being stupid when it comes to the health and well being of their dogs it just makes me sick

[TwinPeaks]

I have another view on this Fanconi testing - and a breeder who elects to not test.
Most people commenting do not understand that the gene has NOT been found. The results of this testing do not indicate fanconi gene because the gene HAS NOT BEEN found!!!!!!!!
Also the program has been haulted. No further work is being done to FIND the GENE should it even exist. Do you people know that OTHER BREEDS can contract Fanconi not only the basenji? Are the other breeders forced to submit to this testing??
Get your facts straight before negatively impacting a Basenji breeder with impecable credentials. The harm you do is irrepairable.

[starrlamia]

@TwinPeaks:

I have another view on this Fanconi testing - and a breeder who elects to not test.
Most people commenting do not understand that the gene has NOT been found. The results of this testing do not indicate fanconi gene because the gene HAS NOT BEEN found!!!!!!!!
Also the program has been haulted. No further work is being done to FIND the GENE should it even exist. Do you people know that OTHER BREEDS can contract Fanconi not only the basenji? Are the other breeders forced to submit to this testing??
Get your facts straight before negatively impacting a Basenji breeder with impecable credentials. The harm you do is irrepairable.

but a reliable test has been developed to show whether you may have a dog who will develop it (or carry it etc), why you would want to bypass a test that is so simple and inexpensive that is just irresponsible IMO.

[nomrbddgs]

Then obviously, you have not been doing your research either. We never said it was a pure DNA test, only a linkage test. And at the rate the linkage test has been accurate, it is better than nothing. And you are dead wrong about a lot of other things as well. Do you know humans have Fanconi as well?? The test is used in conjuction with a pedigree, in my case. This breeder elects not to test based on a cost of $65? All she has to test are the dogs, at a minimum, that she is breeding. The harm that not testing is doing is irreparable. You have been listening to the wrong person. Try listening to the masses instead of the singular. There is a reason why we are testing and she is not.

Get your facts straight my dear, before you go lamblasting the test.

[TwinPeaks]

My opinion is still the same - not a matter of the cost it is a matter of the ethics of the RESULTS! I have done my research - I am not DEAD wrong about other breeds. I am not lambasting the test as you suggest. I am however suggesting that the masses are not correct mostly uninformed. I am suggesting to not denigrate the breeders who may decide to not test at this time. Why is the program stopped. Why is the marker the best that can be done? If there is a gene why not continue until the gene is found? Who said it was a SHE?

[starrlamia]

@TwinPeaks:

My opinion is still the same - not a matter of the cost it is a matter of the ethics of the RESULTS! I have done my research - I am not DEAD wrong about other breeds. I am not lambasting the test as you suggest. I am however suggesting that the masses are not correct mostly uninformed. I am suggesting to not denigrate the breeders who may decide to not test at this time. Why is the program stopped. Why is the marker the best that can be done? If there is a gene why not continue until the gene is found? Who said it was a SHE?

they should continue further testing, but if the current test for fanconi is reliable, in a breed where it is common, why would you not test for it so you can avoid developing it in the dogs you produce? It's like saying "Other breeds can develop hip dysplasia too why should I screen my dogs for it?"

[Patty M]

@Mango:

I just got off the phone with a breeder here in Alberta who, aside from seeming very reluctant to talk to me at all, told me point blank she doesn't believe in Fanconi testing her dogs (!) and said that "when they find the gene, I'll test them." I also asked if they were tested for eye or hip problems, and she said no.

Does anyone have any insight into this bizarre view? I'm a little confused, after listening to other breeders who are insistent on testing their dogs…

Should I take the time to get to know this lady's dogs? Should I walk away?

I guess I'll have to get an out-of-province puppy after all.

Twin Peaks, this was the first post…. indicating it's a "SHE".

[lisastewart]

Fanconi is a devastating disease that can stike young dogs. I would not even take a free to good home if it were not tested first.

[TwinPeaks]

Yes it is a devasting disease - I agree. in order for prospective Basenji owners to ensure we are purchasing a basenji from a reputable breeder there are many factors to considerl. Testing for fanconi should not be the be all and end all of the considerations. Speak to the breeder about the decision and find out why. If the breeder does not want to discuss then that should be the reason to not consider buying from the kennel…not the fact that the testing is not done. A long time reputable breeder will know if there is fanconi in their line. And can determine from which sires this may have come from. There are ways to know the potential for risk of fanconi.

[tanza]

@TwinPeaks:

My opinion is still the same - not a matter of the cost it is a matter of the ethics of the RESULTS! I have done my research - I am not DEAD wrong about other breeds. I am not lambasting the test as you suggest. I am however suggesting that the masses are not correct mostly uninformed. I am suggesting to not denigrate the breeders who may decide to not test at this time. Why is the program stopped. Why is the marker the best that can be done? If there is a gene why not continue until the gene is found? Who said it was a SHE?

Where do you get that the program has been halted? That is a totally incorrect statement and totally not true. Research has continued to work towards finding the gene and will continue. As reported by the BCOA health committee, research continues to find the direct gene test. So, I think you are the one uninformed. And to take this a bit further, if you go to the results to date and look at the results of the over 3600 Basenjis that have been tested, the results are as they would be expected. There have only been an handful of tests where the results care inconsistant with the results of the sire/dam and in those cases retesting is done. Some have shown inconsistances in the parentage of the sire and dam, resulting in test results not being as expected.

And why in the world would anyone continue to breed without using all the tools available concerning health? Why would anyone chance not testing and producing a Fanconi dog? I would certainly question the ethics of any breeder that does not test.

[moetmum]

I think the majority of us on this forum are well aware that this is a marker test and have waited many years for a breakthrough for a test of any kind. Responsible breeders take advantage of testing available to them. Anything that helps prevent affected basenjis being produced has got to be a good thing.

I am aware that fanconi can occur in other breeds but fail to see why this makes any difference to Basenji breeders. Nobody is forced to test their dogs, but why wouldn't you want to avoid producing unhealthy dogs.

[tanza]

@TwinPeaks:

A long time reputable breeder will know if there is fanconi in their line. And can determine from which sires this may have come from. There are ways to know the potential for risk of fanconi.

You are not very well aware of the facts, are you? If you accept the fact that the Fanconi Gene is recessive, then you can never know when/where it will come up. We have had breeders that for years and years have said they have "no" Fanconi in their lines. When the linkage test came out over 80% of their dogs tested as carriers. The breedings that were done purely by luck, were the clears to the carriers. It was only in the last couple of breedings did the Basenjis start testing as Afflicted and low and behold, they then progressed to have Fanconi.

So your claim that a breeder will know if there is Fanconi is a false statment. Without testing we can only guess based on the dogs we know. And you would only know if there was Fanconi if you kept tract of every single dog, every single offspring and you verified the dealth of every one of these dogs that it was not Fanconi. As we all know, there are still many Vets that do not have a clue about Fanconi and a puppy placed in a pet home could very will have had a Fanconi dog and passed away from Fanconi.