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LRCC
Incorporated
Founded in 1981 – 32nd year
NOVEMBER 2013
LABRADOR RETRIEVER CLUB OF CANADA INCORPORATED
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Table of Contents:
2014 National
Your executive
Message from the Chair
Specialty Shows for 2013
Feature Articles: Tricuspid Valve Dysplasia – What is a Genetic Disorder – UPEI
Treasurer’s Report - October
Membership Renewal
LRCC Inc. Executive:
Chair – Margie Miller
Vice Chair – Moira Thom
Treasurer – Charles Hunt
Secretary – Judy Hunt
Regional Directors
Atlantic Canada – Gerald Dagley
Quebec – Jean Louis Blais
Ontario – Heather Dobson
Manitoba-Saskatchewan – vacant
Alberta-NWT-Nunavut – vacant
BC-Yukon – Anne Morrison
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about sick little Max who did ____ at last
night’s party and what will they do? Now
we have to save the dogs from us and our
lifestyles. Parts of toys get chewed, strange
foods get eaten, schedules get disrupted
and the poor puppy has no idea what is
going on. Diarrhea is common in a new
puppy that is thrown into this whirlwind of
activity.
Enjoy the season – but remember to animal
proof and be prepared!
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Message from the Chair:
The pressure is on - shopping is mounting,
daylight is dwindling, baking smells are
creeping into our homes and Facebook is
featuring pictures of fun projects that we
really don’t have time to complete but
would like to try. Parties are scheduled;
snow is falling, ‘tis the season – is just
around the corner
Please remember to tell everyone to be
visible when walking their dog(s) due to
shorter daylight hours, don’t buy artificially
coloured dog treats that look so cute,
renew city dog licenses, and check animals’
shot schedules.
It’s always wise to know which clinics will be
open 24 hours in our area for those holiday
situations. You know you’ll hear of Fido
overindulging on a prized box of chocolates
or deciding to help guests finish their
cocktails at parties. Our animals are
exposed to our party mode and
consequently the chance for them to get
into more trouble is presented. The phone
rings and a puppy owner worriedly tell you
LRCC Inc.
- National Shows
2014 - Calgary, Alberta
2015 – Winnipeg, Manitoba
(hosted MCA)
2016 – Ontario (hosted by
LRCO)
LRCC Inc.
- Regional Shows
June 29, 2014 – Trois
Riviere, Quebec (hosted by
ACM)

Visit our website
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www.labradorretrieverclub.ca
Tricuspid valve dysplasia
What is ... ?:
The atrioventricular (AV) valves in the heart
ensure that the blood flows in the correct
direction inside the heart, from the atria to the
ventricles, when the heart beats. When the AV
valve in the right side of the heart -the tricuspid
valve- is malformed at birth (called dysplasia of
the valve), blood flow through the heart is less
efficient: with each heartbeat, a portion of the
blood that is meant to travel in the normal
direction instead spills backward to where it just
came from. This process, called tricuspid valve
insufficiency or tricuspid valve regurgitation,
requires the heart to work harder to overcome
this inefficiency.
How is ... inherited?:
Tricuspid valve dysplasia is the most
common birth defect of the heart in
Labrador retrievers (yellow, black, and
chocolate). It is inherited as an autosomal
dominant trait with variable penetrance; it
affects male and female puppies equally, it can
be transmitted to pups from the sire or the dam
(or both), and the degree of severity is
unpredictable: some pups inherit it as a severe,
life-shortening disorder whereas others have a
mild form that never causes symptoms (or they
may be completely normal in every detectable
way but carry the genetic defect that leads to
tricuspid dysplasia in later generations). The
genetic defect for tricuspid valve dysplasia is
found on chromosome 9 in dogs.
What does ... mean to your dog &
you?:
The main determinant of the impact of tricuspid
dysplasia is the degree of valve malformation.
Dogs with a mildly or even moderately
malformed tricuspid valve routinely live normal
lifespans. However, dogs with severe tricuspid
valve malformations, even as pups, may develop
symptoms of congestive heart failure, especially a
bloated, pot-bellied appearance due to fluid
pooling in the abdomen (ascites), difficulty
breathing due to fluid retention in the chest
cavity (pleural effusion), or both. Such severely
affected dogs require medications to reduce the
impact of the problem and maintain an
acceptable quality of life.
How is ... diagnosed?:
The veterinarian may detect a heart murmur long
before an affected dog is showing any outwardly
visible signs associated with tricuspid valve
dysplasia. If a veterinarian detects a heart
murmur and the murmur persists for more than
2-3 weeks, further investigation is always
warranted. Tests can pinpoint tricuspid valve
dysplasia as the problem and determine its
degree of severity. Such tests generally include
thoracic radiographs (X-rays of the chest) and an
echocardiogram, also called sonogram of the
heart, or cardiac ultrasound. Both are
noninvasive procedures that can be performed
awake or under mild sedation in virtually all
dogs. The underlying problem (malformation of
the tricuspid valve) as well as its impact (degree
of distortion of surrounding heart chambers, for
example) can be identified if present. This
information helps determine whether treatment is
necessary and whether the outlook is good, fair,
or poor.
How is ... treated?:
Mild and even moderate cases of tricuspid
dysplasia usually do not require any treatment at
all. Mild exercise restriction may be wise, to
reduce the strain on the tricuspid valve (which is
at its worst during bursts of intense physical
activity). Surgical replacement of the tricuspid
valve is not feasible in dogs as it is in people;
therefore, pre-emptive/early-stage treatment is
not appropriate in the dog. Rather, dogs with
tricuspid valve dysplasia should be observed at
home for signs of abdominal enlargement or
difficulty breathing. If such symptoms occur,
then a recheck with the veterinarian is
warranted, both to confirm that the symptoms
are due to the heart (there are many noncardiac
disorders that can mimic these symptoms) and to
begin medication immediately if confirmed
Breeding advice:
Affected individuals and their parents should not
be used for breeding. Siblings should only be
used after careful screening, and their offspring
should be evaluated thoroughly
(echocardiography).
One obstacle to controlling tricuspid valve disease
in the dog population in general and in specific
breeds in particular is that overt symptoms are
generally not evident until after a dog has
reached breeding age. However, a heart murmur
can often be detected long before the onset of
symptoms. Breeders are encouraged to
select mature rather than young dogs for
breeding, and to use them only once they
have been certified free of murmurs,
preferably by a veterinary cardiologist (see
www.acvim.org or www.ecvim-ca.org for
directories of veterinary cardiologists in North
America and Europe, respectively).
There is widespread agreement regarding
echocardiography (cardiac ultrasound) for dogs
that have murmurs: only by having an
echocardiogram is it possible to tell whether the
murmur comes from tricuspid dysplasia or any of
dozens of other defects, many of which are
harmless. However, controversy exists regarding
whether all Labrador dogs, with or without heart
murmurs, should have an echocardiogram at
some point in their lives prior to being used for
breeding. The advantage is the opportunity to
identify "silent" (no murmur) tricuspid dysplasia
and reduce its transmission through the gene
pool; the drawback is the time and cost needed
to have an ecocardiogram performed.
Resources:
Wright KN. Tricuspid valve dysplasia. In Cote E,
ed. Clinical Veterinary Advisor: Dogs and Cats,
2nd ed. (St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier, 2011) pp.
1117-1119.
Adin DB. Tricuspid valve dysplasia. In Bonagura
JD, Twedt DC, eds. Kirk's Current Veterinary
Therapy XIV (St. Louis, MO: Saunders Elsevier,
2008) pp. 762-765.
What is a genetic
disorder?
Most diseases are affected to some extent by
both genes and the environment. A genetic
disorder is one in which an abnormality in the
genetic make-up (the genome) of the individual
plays a significant role in causing the condition.
Although some disorders occur because of
spontaneous mutation, many genetic disorders
are inherited. These conditions are seen quite
often in dogs, mostly but not exclusively in
purebreds. These situations are often heartbreaking because the dog is generally a wellloved family member by the time the condition is
apparent and has been diagnosed by a
veterinarian.
The role of genes in disease
The role played by genes in disease is becoming
better understood. Genetic factors are involved to
a greater or lesser extent in congenital
malformations (conditions with which an animal is
born), metabolic disorders, disorders of immune
function, disorders associated with aging, and
cancer. These categories of disease have
become relatively more important as infectious,
parasitic, and nutritional diseases have become
less common due to vaccination programmes
and advancing knowledge about nutrition,
treatments and diagnostic methods.
How to reduce inherited disorders
The frequency of inherited conditions can be
reduced through good breeding practices. For
this to occur, we need to know how the disease is
inherited (the mode of inheritance), how to
identify the condition as early as possible, and
ways to recognize carriers of the disease who,
except in the case of autosomal dominant traits,
are not clinically affected.
For many of the disorders that are believed to be
inherited, the specific pattern of inheritance has
not been established. Breeds that have an
increased risk for a condition, relative to other
dog breeds, are said to have a breed
predisposition. Preferably, affected dogs and
their close relatives should not be used in
breeding programmes.
The Labrador Retriever Club of Canada Incorporated
APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL
2014
Please mail application and membership fees payable to:
The Labrador Retriever Club of Canada, Inc.
c/o Charles Hunt, Treasurer
38 Hays Drive, SW, Calgary, Alberta, T2V 3C3
403-255-4814
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The Labrador Retriever Club of Canada Incorporated
APPLICATION FOR WEBSITE LISTING
Membership Renewals must be completed annually. The LRCC Inc.'s fiscal year is January to December. Members who
have not renewed their membership will be removed from the website. This website application is included in the
welcome package for all new members as well as the renewal notice for all existing members. A web page has been set
up to assist in directing the public to club members that wish to provide such services as puppy sales, stud services and
general education on the Labrador Retriever. Inclusion on the web page is available to all LRCC, Inc. members regardless
of their access to the internet as the contact information can be an email address, telephone number or both. No street
addresses will be listed. By filling in this form and forwarding it to the LRCC Inc., you are giving the LRCC Inc. permission
to publish your personal information on the website.
The following rules apply:
 Any member in good standing may have a listing on this web page.
 A change of email address or telephone number can be submitted to the webmaster at any time
 A member may remove their information from the web page at any time. Once a member has removed their
information it may not be reinstated until their membership is paid for the following year. Each listing will have a
minimum of a name (first name is okay if a kennel name is listed), email address and/or telephone number, city
and the colour of Labradors you have (B, C, or Y).
 All listings will be grouped alphabetically by province in kennel name order (if listed) or by last name if a kennel
name is not listed.
Send this completed form along with Membership form to:
The Labrador Retriever Club of Canada Incorporated
c/o Charles Hunt, Treasurer
38 Hays Drive, SW, Calgary, Alberta, T2V 3C3
403-255-4814
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