Australian Shepherds are a wonderful breed, but just like humans, they can have medical issues that we can not see. Such issues could be MDR1, PRA-PRCD, DM, and/or HC. There is testing that can be done for these traits, whether the Aussie has the trait or is just a carrier. GenSol has reasonably priced tests to check for these along with color and coat genes as well. They offer specific test for almost every breed of dog.
Multidrug Sensitivity (MDR1) is a multi-drug resistance gene that has a great effect on sensitivity to Ivermectin, Loperamide, and a number of other drugs that could be very harmful to your pet.
Progressive Rod-Cone Degeneration (PRA-PRCD) is progressive conditions that are related to retinal atrophy which could lead to blindness in an Aussie.
Hereditary Cataracts (HC) is the clouding of the lens of the eye. It is a breakdown of the tissue and general results for the Aussie to not see clear, which could also eventually lead to blindness.
Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) is a progressive disease of the spinal cord that affects older dogs typically but not limited to the ages of 8-14 years. This can affect the coordination of the dogs motor skills where they can wobble, buckle over, or drag their feet. Eventually, this will progress until the dog cannot walk.
Another condition that is threating to an Aussie is double merle, also known as Lethal White. Lethal White is where two merles are bred together and produce pups that could have a double copy of the merle gene. A red merle or blue merle only have one copy of the gene, but if combined, the pups could have the double copy (homozygous) that produced the Lethal Whites. Lethal Whites often but not always showcase an overabundance of white in the coat (not to be confused with pattern white or albino) hearing deficiencies, blindness or other eye conditions, mutations of the body, or all of the above. Double Merle dogs are often come from uninformed backyard breeders or puppy mills and are thoroughly discouraged through the canine community. There are rescues and fostering systems that take pups that are Doubled merled and raise them to the best of the ability of the dog. Some have short lifespan while others can live a long time.
Below are two pictures of pups that are double merled.
