This is the 2nd edition of a truly unique book. It is the only book that I am aware of that lists disease predispositions under breed, not vice versa. It is fairly easy in clinical practice to research specific disease conditions and find a list of breeds prone to that condition. It is virtually impossible to research a breed and find all disease predispositions that might affect them, until now…
Indirectly, this book highlights the risks associated with selective breeding, as too often we see these predispositions increase with inbreeding and selection for extreme phenotypes that are considered desirable.
It is intended to be used by veterinarians, breeders, and pet owners, although by the nature of the material, the authors acknowledge that some of the material may be too technical for the layperson.
A “Breed Predisposition” is defined here as “an increased risk for a condition in a breed, which may or not be an inherited disease”. While attempting to gather such information for each breed, the authors also point out that there are limitations with current methods of recording diagnoses or case findings. Not all data from diseased animals may have universally been documented. On the other hand, they did not want to omit findings for “increased risk” in cases that would likely be denied a place in a peer-reviewed journal article. The result has been an astoundingly wide range of references; at least one for every condition for every breed listed. They include peer- and non-peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, and some classic textbooks.
In this 2nd edition, the authors have tried to be stricter with which conditions are included as breed predispositions. They have succeeded in their attempt to include information on modes of inheritance, sex and age predispositions, how common the condition is in the breed population, and the risk of developing the disease in the general population.
The organization of this book is straightforward and easy to use. Most (90%) of the text covers canine conditions, although the feline sections appear well-documented too. Listings are alphabetical by breed and then further by condition or disease. As mentioned earlier, no finding is given a place in this book without a reference of some form. At the back of the book there is a small but useful list for genetic test providers worldwide.
“Breed Predispositions to Diseases in Cats and Dogs” is a remarkable achievement. It has been well-researched and made as complete as is possible. It deserves a place on every veterinarian’s shelf.