CZECHOSLOVAKIAN VLCAK SOCIETY OF AMERICA
Czechoslovakian Vlcak are a robust breed that can typically live until their mid-teens. Breeders should be doing basic health testing to ensure they are producing quality, healthy puppies. Dogs meeting specific requirements are issued Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) numbers. Breeding vlcaks must complete their health testing prior to being bred. This may not prevent or preclude individual dogs from developing certain health conditions over the course of their life, but with time we hope that these diligent efforts by our member breeders will continue to preserve the overall health of the breed for years to come. To learn more about OFA, please visit here.
Hip dysplasia in dogs is a condition that affects the hip socket that doesn't fully cover the ball portion of the upper thighbone. Over time the existing cartilage will lose its thickness and elasticity. This breakdown of the cartilage will eventually result in pain with any joint movement.
According to 2023 OFA statistic, 87.3% of CSV whose hips have been evaluated have normal results. And about 11.4% have abnormal results.
There are currently 36 Csv in the AIS PennHIP database. Currently, the breed average DI ( Distraction Index) is 0.35.
Canine Hip Dysplasia
Cardiac Diseases
Just like you, dogs can have heart diseases and problems. Heart disease in dogs is a malformation of the heart or great vessels. It can progress very slow and may take years to spot. Heart diseases can lead to congestive heart failure. This means it is very important that breeders are doing cardiac testing yearly on their dogs.
Elbow Dysplasia
Canine elbow dysplasia is a condition involving multiple developmental abnormalities of the elbow joint. Elbow dysplasia is a disease that encompasses several conditions grouped into medial compartment disease (fragmented coronoid process, osteochondrosis, joint incongruity, and cartilage anomaly) and ununited anconeal process. The cause of elbow dysplasia in dogs remains unclear. There are a number of theories as to the exact cause of the disease that include genetics, defects in cartilage growth, trauma, diet etc.
According to 2023 OFA statistics, 100% of CSV whose elbows have been envaulted to have normal elbows.
Degenerative Myelopathy in Dogs
Degenerative myelopathy (DM) is a disease that affects the spinal cord in dogs, causing progressive muscle weakness and loss of coordination. It acts similarly to Lou Gehrig’s disease, or ALS in humans.
There is unfortunately no cure for DM. DM is an inherited neurologic disease typically affecting dogs around eight years of age or older. It causes gradual muscle wasting and incoordination in the hind limbs, and then progresses to an inability to walk after six to twelve months. This muscle weakness may extend to the forelimbs in the late stages of the disease.
According to 2022 OFA statistics, 61.3% of CSV who have been tested for DM are clear from the gene. And about 4.2% are abnormal and most likely carriers.
Pituitary Dwarfism
Pituitary dwarfism is a rare, inherited disorder of growth hormone deficiency in the dog. Dwarf puppies appear the same as their normal littermates for about 2 months of age. After that, they grow slower than their littermates and keep their puppy coat. Primary guard hairs do not develop. Hair is gradually lost on both sides of the body, and hair loss often becomes complete except for the head and tufts of hair on the legs. Permanent teeth do not come in or come in late. Closure of the growing ends of the bones can be delayed as long as 4 years. It is recommended to pair a dog carrying the gene to a dog free of the gene.
Eye Diseases
Also known as ocular diseases, dogs can also deal eye issues later in their life or even early. While eye conditions can have a hereditary origin, some disorders develop as a result of other health conditions. Systemic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and some cancers. all of which are more common among seniors--can cause eye disease. Other kinds of diseases are glaucoma, conjunctivitis, corneal ulcers, progressive retinal atrophy, cherry eyes, entropion and the most common, cataracts.
According to 2022 OFA statistics, about 99.0% of CSV whose been screened have normal or clear eyes and about 1.0% have abnormal eyes. Breeders should be checking eyes annually.
Dentation
CSV should have a full dentition with a scissor bite. Any licensed DVM can check to determine whether all adult teeth are fully erupted, identify any persistent or retained teeth, as well as any missing teeth. The OFA dentition database certifies dogs with all adult teeth that have been erupted.
According to 2022 OFA statistics, about 98.4% of CSV whose teeth have been checked to be normal and about 1.6% is abnormal.