The plague of the 21st century

We are receiving increasingly alarming news about the kidney dysplasia day after day. They have contacted us desperate owners of young seriously ill and hopeless boxers.

From the information we have, the disease is present in recognized kennels and also affects other breeds: a Collie breeder has been looking forward to consulting with us on a discussed Canadian test of origin in use, but on whose reliability there are strong doubts. In Germany too recently a BK breeding conference has considered the same problem, trying to assess the reliability of the Canadian test.

In short, the renal dysplasia promises (or rather threatens) to become the plague of the 21st century, the serious pathology on which to focus the spotlight of research and prevention. In the previous decades ignored, because it is not recognized and confused with tumors and other diseases incurable, the renal dysplasia is on the contrary a genetic disease for which much can be done as a preventive in the selection. Of renal dysplasia the dog dies, at a young age, after months of unnecessary suffering of the dog and the owner, that nothing can do to save it.

The Italian Boxer Club has been working with the University of Pisa for 5 years, which is conducting a research in Italy, through controls carried out in kennels (including the same breeding of Casa Bartolini conducted by our president, Stefano Bartolini) and Clinics operating on the national territory.

Once again we must see that the official Club of breed in Italy (Boxer Club of Italy) is completely indifferent to the problems that affect the breed. The official Club prefers to focus at this time on the regulation of the work sector, with the sole aim - moreover - to create exclusive (inconceptible and unique in the international cynophilia), that allow the Club to oversee the assignment of titles.

On the other hand, for the boxer breed, official controls are provided, such as that of the dysplasia to the hip and spondylosis, which are never fatal and rarely invalidated in the boxer, which require an X-ray under total and rather expensive anesthesia and which feed a business round between veterinarians and affiliated centers, as well as putting a stake in the selection whose usefulness is questionable. Conversely, no control is provided for kidney diseases, which can be investigated - neglecting the effectiveness of Canadian tests - with simple examinations such as ultrasound and urinalysis, already reliable even if performed early, even if carried out at the age when a puppy is usually adopted.

The expectation of each owner is to see his dog grow healthy and vital: it is the precise duty of each breeder and even more of a breed club that qualifies as such, to lay the premises in the breeding, so that this can always be realized.