Affiliation:
1. Department of Veterinary Sciences University of Pisa Pisa Italy
2. San Concordio Veterinary Hospital Lucca Italy
Abstract
AbstractObjectiveTo describe multiple congenital ocular anomalies in three litters of Jack Russell Terrier puppies.Animals studiedSeven purebred Jack Russell Terrier puppies from three related litters and their four parents.ProceduresMedical records of the puppies and their parents were evaluated. All dogs underwent a complete ophthalmic examination, followed by bilateral ocular ultrasonography in two of the puppies with complete corneal opacity. One eye from an affected puppy was subjected to histopathology. A complete database of pedigrees was built, and individual inbreeding was evaluated.ResultsThe most commonly diagnosed ocular anomalies in the puppies were: various anomalies of the fundus (12/14 eyes); microphthalmia (10/14 eyes); sclerocornea (8/14 eyes); and persistent pupillary membranes (7/14 eyes). Six out of seven puppies had at least two ocular abnormalities, and only one puppy was normal. Four out of seven puppies had sclerocornea, a particular corneal opacity to date described only in Spanish Podenco dogs. No ocular abnormalities were found in the parents examined (4/4). Analysis of the pedigrees showed that all the puppies and two parents were inbred, and the individual values of the inbreeding puppies were greater than 6.25% in two litters.ConclusionsInbreeding with closely related Jack Russell Terriers may result in severe congenital eye abnormalities in puppies.