Limited gene pool invites health problems

KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
"The Havanese is a small sturdy dog of immense charm," begins the American Kennel Club description.
Front legs are straight, the hair silky, the tail plumed.
But some Havanese have quite bowed front legs. Some have abnormally short front legs, making the rump stick up too high. Some are asymmetrical, listing to one side like a sinking ship. Some have cataracts; others are deaf.
When owners and breeders of Havanese began to notice these problems, especially young dogs with cataracts, they did something about it.
Joanne Baldwin, a veterinarian in Richmond, Va., known as "Doc," has seven Havanese. She and Diane Klumb in Lexington, Va., with eight of the dogs, started Havanese Heart in 1999 to support research and education about the breed.
"The Havanese is a very inbred population," said Baldwin in a phone interview. "There is a far larger problem than just cataracts. There are a number of things related to one syndrome: biosynthesis of cholesterol."
Key genes
Three genes are involved. One is responsible for the development of symmetry in people and animals, a second is responsible for stopping bone growth, and a third oversees reproductive cells.
"These genes are telling the body what to do and when to do it," Baldwin said. "They are affected by cholesterol."
Working with researchers at the University of Florida and Johns Hopkins University, Baldwin said they have found that bow-legged Havanese have a deficiency in the cholesterol chain so that vitamins A, D, E and K and fatty acids cannot be absorbed properly. These vitamins are critical to normal bone development and eye health.
A new study begins in August, she said, that will run for a year with more than 100 Havanese. "In another year, I can tell you more," she said.
Selective breeding
Meanwhile, responsible breeders are taking all precautions to breed away from the problems. Only dogs with straight legs are used in breeding. Calling themselves "heart breeders," they have the parents and the puppies checked for cataracts or other problems, then talk to prospective owners about the future of their puppies. Each dog should have his or her eyes tested annually, they say.
Kendra Cardella in Pembroke Pines, Fla., has K & amp;H Havanese. Her first dog came from a breeder in Oregon in 1998 after much searching because there weren't local sources. She bred her first litter last year.
Breeders are afraid of selling to puppy-mill owners and act cautiously, yet more and more Havanese are appearing, she said.
"We're seeing a lot more Havanese coming into rescue," she said. "I have one at my house now. We just placed one from Palm Beach County [Fla.] animal control who turned up with a broken leg and X-rays. They're cropping up quickly." Yet Baldwin said, "The number of problems compared with other breeds is not that bad, and "we're working on it."