NorthWest K9 Reading Room: Canine Genetics Institute for Genetic Disease Control in Animals (GDC) By George Packard Introduction In 1990 a group including veterinarians, scientists, dog breeders and owners associated with the International Elbow Working Group (I.E.W.G) created the Institute for Genetic Disease Control in Animals (GDC) as the first national and international controlled-access registry for canine orthopedic genetic diseases. The GDC registry was modeled after the Swedish open registry for canine hip dysplasia that contributed to a significant reduction in that disease in Sweden during the 1980s. GDC expanded on the Swedish idea, creating a computer-based registry flexible and sophisticated enough to include all breeds and any known or suspected genetic diseases that breeders, veterinarians and researchers would want to collect data on. At the request of various breed groups, GDC has established additional registries for soft tissue, eye, cardiac and other genetic diseases and has expanded the original orthopedic registry. GDC has also created a number of research registries for suspected genetic diseases. GDC registers phenotypic data on both affected and unaffected dogs. A GDC KinReport™ on a particular dog links it with all close relatives in the database, providing genotypic information--in effect a genetic pedigree--for an entire family of dogs. Because the KinReport™ shows the prevalence of genetic disease in a dog's parents, siblings, litter mates and offspring, breeders and owners can assess a particular dog's risk for acquiring or handing down genetic disease. No other national registry provides this type of information. The GDC genetic disease all-breed registry is based on four key principles: Affected as well as unaffected dogs are registered; As many dogs as possible from each litter are registered; Dogs in the same "family" are linked together in the data base, regardless of when or where they were registered; GDC provides controlled access to the registry information for any legitimate user. GDC Executive Director: Paul Poulos, Jr., DVM, Ph.D., Diplomate ACVR GDC, PO Box 222, Davis CA 95617 Tel/FAX 530-756-6773 gdc@sigmaxi.org http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/gdc/gdc.htm Copyright 2001-- (GDC). For permission to reprint this article contact George Packard, Institute for Genetic Disease Control in Animals (GDC). Browse other informative articles in the NWK9 Reading Room. . . .