Hi Folks
Well, I was aware that the line that Sweet Dreams is out of on his Sire's side had related dogs that had produced mainly (or almost totally white) puppies that have been confirmed either full deaf and or with limited hearing range. It is believed to be linked within our Icelandic Sheepdogs with the Piebald Spotting Gene. Before yesterday, only two breeders had taken their suspected puppies/dogs or litters to be tested.. (Big Thanks to Sharon at Belglen's Kennel in Sask and to Valhalla Kennel in Washington, USA for not only testing but sharing their information with the ISD breeder world-wide)
Folda had never had pied puppies before and I was concerned about 3 of her puppies in the current litter, DayDream Believer (total white head), Dreamboat, Pied, and Technicolor DreamCoat, Pied on one side, and white on the other. The other puppies appear to me to be gene wise Irish Spotted, with is not! known to cause deafness in some cases.
Icelandic Sheepdogs can carry or have the Piebald Spotting Gene (think like a Pinto or Paint horse, large patches of color on the body or if the gene is doubled.. very little patches of white on body)
It is called the Piebald Spotting Gene (S^p - non-symmetrical random white pattern). This pattern does not always cause deafness, it is only a problem when the inner ear is missing pigment
So I hunted down to closest Baer Testing to me, (about a four hour drive in total, not so much because of distance, should have only been three but because of bumper to bumper traffic in montreal both coming and going)
The tests was performed at the CHUV by DMV ACVIM Neurology, and I send a huge Thank you out to both Susy and Dr Parent for fitting me in as she is a full time Prof and does not take many cases at this time.
What is BAER testing?
A BAER test is the only 100% reliable method for determining that a dog is deaf (or for measuring the extent of its hearing loss). BAER (pronounced "bear") stands for "Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response" and is a procedure using computers to record the electrical activity of the brain in response to sound stimulation. This is the same test used to check the hearing of human infants, and measures the same range of hearing. This means that the test does not measure the full range of canine hearing, but it will tell you if your dog has hearing within the normal human range (some dogs will test as "deaf," but will still be able to hear very high pitches).
The test is not painful and can be performed on any dog over six weeks of age. (A puppy's ear canals don't open until they are about two weeks old.) Sedation is usually not necessary, but some dogs (especially puppies) don't like being restrained, or having wires hang from their face, so it can be performed while the dog is sedated. A clicking sound is directed into the ear through a foam insert, earphones, or headphones and the brain's response is recorded. Each ear is tested individually and the test generally lasts for only 10 to 15 minutes.
Since BAER testing is only available at select facilities and can be expensive, many people choose to rely on their own experiences with the dog and the opinion of their veterinarian in making the determination. For their own peace of mind, or because they are breeding a "high-risk" dog (like the Dalmatian), others insist on this testing.
Dreamboat has perfect hearing Bilaternally (both ears), he was a handfull until we let him go down, he need the pee-pee pad and then took his test very well.. The test is repeated twice in each ear for solid proof.
DayDream Believer has Perfert Hearing Bilaternally (Both Ears) she did the test like it was a peice of cake. I don't believe that she is in fact Pied but no one had ever tested a Full white head (controlled by a different gene) and I thought it was good idea to check her.
Technicolor Dreamcoat has perfect earing her in white ear on the right side of her head and very! limited hearing on her colored ear and side of face.. she failed the first seven out of nine tests as deaf and only on test eight and nine (with each test getting louder) did we finally see some respond from her.. You will see the clear diffence in her paperwork when you look at it as well. As she has Perfect hearing on one ear, her limited hearing in the other ear will not effect her ability to function as a normal.
So there you have it folks.. Proof yet again that YES, within the Icelandic Sheepdog that Piebald Gene Puppies or Dogs CAN have proven Limited or Deaf Dogs within our breed caused by this gene.. I HIGHLY recommend that if you are looking for a possable Show/Breeding puppy and its Pied, that you consider having its hearing checked before either buying it or breeding it.If you do choose to breed piebald Icelandic Sheepdogs and produce puppies with limited body color and lots of white , it might be a good idea to check their hearing before placing them..
