The primary objective of this article is to introduce you to a few fundamentals of genetics and talk about some of the common diseases where these fundamentals apply towards dog health.

You can find perhaps 400 genetic diseases in dogs that have been documented. Many dog diseases are rare, while others are so common they are considered to be normal day-to-day dog health problems. Quite often, present knowledge of canine genetic diseases is based on minimal information. Because of this there are so many discrepancies in literature regarding genetic diseases.

There are cases where a small group of closely related dogs had been studied In this group, it looked like a disease had a clear-cut genetic aspect but when this information was applied to a large group, the results were different. This is not the mistake of dog health researchers, but relates to the fact that the original group of dogs was not large enough to make accurate genetic interpretations.

To help you better understand genetics in dog disease, let's talk about some of the terminology in reference to dog health.:

Congenital Dog Diseases

This is a disease that is found at birth. It may be inherited or the result of intrauterine factors. The intrauterine factors typically involved are systematic disease of the female, nutritional deficiencies, toxicity, or the effect on dog health from a drug used during the dog's pregnancy. Physical factors can also result in congenital diseases.

Hereditary Dog Diseases

Many dog health issues are caused by an inherited disease, which is a disease that is passed down on the genes. For example, hairlip and cleft palate can be inherited and are obvious at birth. Unfortunately, not all inherited diseases are visible at birth. A dog with progressive retinal atrophy may be normal at weaning and develop clinical blindness by nine months of age. Other dogs may not develop signs of diminished vision until they are 6 years of age. Congenital diseases appear later in life are referred to as "latent".

Acquired Dog Diseases

An acquired disease is one that is caused by exogenous factors (those which are external to the body). In some instances of dog health problems, acquired diseases may appear similar to inherited ones, such as cataracts, for example. Some are acquired because of metabolic, toxic, or infectious diseases. And some are due to inheritance. When examining the individual dog health of the animal in question, it is difficult to tell which was the cause.

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