Breeders producing Kelpie pups affected with Cerebellar Abiotrophy (ataxia) can overreact, get the problem out of perspective and advocate a wholesale culling program.

Caused by a recessive gene, like thousands of others in all species (e.g. Cystic Fibrosis in offspring is likely to be affected.)

While undesirable recessive genes are rare in the population the incidence of affected individuals remains at a very low level. Therefore, it is best to maintain a large breeding population. The estimated number of registrations of WKC Kelpies per generation is 15,000.

When the Working Kelpie Council’s (WKC) Geneticist Dr. Don Robertson discovered Cerebellar Abiotrophy (ataxia) in Kelpies in 1987 it was immediately reported in the Australian Veterinary Journal, Vol 66, No 9, September 1989.

The WKC has repeatedly published information on ataxia, advising breeders to report the incidence of affected pups and to contact Dr Robertson for free advice to minimize the likelihood of breeding more. A video of affected dogs was produced to increase awareness and copies were freely available to interested vets and breeders.

From the outset the WKC has backed research by Dr. Robertson and his colleagues at Curtin University and Murdoch Universities into ataxia in Kelpies. Despite an unsuccessful bid for ARGC research funding in the early nineties, accumulation of data continued and DNA samples were collected from affected pups in preparation for advances in DNA technology and the opportunity to develop a test.

In 2006, the WKC became aware of Dr. Alan Wilton’s successful work locating defective genes in Border Collies and entered into a collaborative agreement with him to fund research into ataxia in Kelpies. It made available to him all materials collected or produced in the last twenty years and gave him access to its comprehensive pedigree records going back fifty years. Usually the problem surfaced because of the mating of related dogs

With the availability of a reliable test for carriers of the condition, it is hoped for the eventual elimination of ataxia from the breed.

Dr Wilton urgently needs samples from ataxia kelpies, suspect carriers & dogs believed free of the disease in light of the large donation by Mr Terry Snow. Kits are available free from the WKC (admin@wkc.org.au)