Lung Developmental Disease (Discovered in the Airedale Terrier)

Affected puppies start having difficulties in breathing during the first days after birth. Hypoxic respiratory distress and failure subsequently occurs and affected pups typically pass away or are euthanized within the first days or weeks of life.

Affected pups are often euthanized for welfare reasons, due to the severity of the clinical signs.

There are many responsibilities to consider when breeding dogs. Regardless of test results it is important that your dog is in good general health and that you are in a position to care for the puppies if new responsible owners are not found. For first time or novice breeders, advice can be found at most kennel club websites.

This disease is autosomal recessive meaning that two copies of the mutation are needed for disease signs to occur. A carrier dog with one copy of the Lung Developmental Disease mutation can be safely bred with a clear dog with no copies of the Lung Developmental Disease mutation. About half of the puppies will have one copy (carriers) and half will have no copies of the Lung Developmental Disease mutation. Puppies in a litter which is expected to contain carriers should be tested prior to breeding. Carrier to carrier matings are not advised as the resulting litter may contain affected puppies. Please note: It is possible that disease signs similar to the ones caused by the Lung Developmental Disease mutation could develop due to a different genetic or clinical cause.