Clean Run - October 2012 - 41

Early Takeoffs
In Jumping
In the last couple of years, it has become widely accepted that early takeo s can be attributed to vision problems. It is recommended that all dogs demonstrating early takeo s have a thorough eye exam performed by a Board Certi ed veterinary ophthalmologist. Occasionally a visible lesion of the eye (s) is detectable and possibly treatable. (Note: A CERF exam does not speci cally test vision thus a normal CERF does not equal normal vision.) It is recommended by the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO) that retinoscopy also be performed on all dogs that jump with early takeo s. Retinoscopy can detect selected vision problems that may cause early takeo s such as nearsightedness or farsightedness. If so, some of these dogs may improve with contact lenses. Unfortunately, there are still many dogs that have early takeo s, that are apparently vision related, for which there is no explanation (that is, they have a normal eye exam and CERF, plus normal retinoscopy and other tests).
October 12 | Clean Run

UPDATE
By Linda Mecklenburg

“What is Early Takeo Syndrome?” was rst published in Clean Run in May 2010. at article describes the classic history and characteristic signs associated with the jumping problem seen in many dogs in agility coined “early takeo syndrome” (ETS). Please review that article before reading this update. (If you don’t have the issue, the article is available on the Magazine Forum at www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category. display&category_id=703 or at www.awesomepaws.us.)
Not all dogs with early takeoffs have the classic history and signs associated with the syndrome. (With ETS, initial jump training is normal; early takeoffs begin around two to four years of age, often preceded by a crash of a tire or triple; signs may worsen and progress; related dogs are often also affected; and eye tests are all normal.) There are many dogs that have early takeoffs that do not have all of the classic characteristics of the syndrome and most likely there is not one single cause. Dogs with early takeoffs usually fall into three broad categories: • Early takeoffs with abnormal eye exam (or CERF): These dogs have detectable lesions in the eye such as cataracts, PRA, and so on (CERF abnormal). They typically jump normally during initial training and may not develop early takeoffs until middle age or later (unless associated with a traumatic lesion to the eye).

A CERF exam will detect the lesion causing the vision problem. These dogs have early takeoffs but do not have the classic characteristics associated with the syndrome because they are older when the jumping problem appears, and there is a visible lesion in the eye.
• Early takeoffs with normal eye exam (or CERF), abnormal retinoscopy: These dogs have no detectable lesions in the eye (CERF normal) but are nearsighted or farsighted, or both (retinoscopy abnormal). These dogs have early takeoffs but do not have the classic characteristics associated with the syndrome because the jumping problem is usually present early in training. Often it is very subtle.

http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=703 http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=703 http://www.awesomepaws.us

Clean Run - October 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - October 2012