PrairieBaby Maine Coon Cats - Health Test Results

PrairieBaby Canada

Founder of the Masterweaver Polydactyl Line

Maine Coons Exclusively since 1987

TICA Outstanding Cattery MCBFA Breeder Member

ACFA CFA CFF TICA

Health Test Results

This page is under construction!

With all the information available nowadays, no breeder can - with a good conscience - avoid outcrossing, testing for genetic diseases and appropriate selection. Not only do we take the health of the Maine Coon breed very serious, we also also take pride in the wellbeing of our own cats.

Everybody in our breeding program has either already been tested for HCM, HD and PKD or has a very well tested anchestry and will be tested at older age. We try to do the Ultrasound for HCM about every 2 years.

Only cats with flawless temperament, the ability to fight disease and no visible genetic defects are kept for reproduction.

All our present breeding cats have perfect gums and teeth. In 2009, our average amount of kittens per litter was 6.

Our Cattery is vet inspected and vet certified Felv/Fiv negative.

Hearts	Hearts are tested by heart specialist with Color Doppler Equipment for Hypertrophic CardioMyopathy (HCM), a slowly developing malformation of the heart. We started testing for HCM in 1999! We also started doing the gene test for the Meurs Mutation in 2007 on our current breeding cats. This gene test is by far NOT sufficient for HCM testing!
Hips	Hips are tested for Hip Displasia (HD), an affection where hip joints are not optimally connected. We started testing for HD in 1999! Tests are being sent to OFA.
PKD	Polycystic Kidney Disease does affect our breed to some extent but is more commonly seen in other breeds. We started testing for PKD by ultrasound in 2000! The gene test for PKD is not sufficient!
Genetic Diversity	We select partners for our cats after carefully analyzing their genetic background, using a very large data base called www.pawpeds.com We have also developed 12 new bloodlines for the breed since 1999.

Please note: Some breeders also find it important to test for

Patella Luxation (PL) and SMA.

Note: Since we started showing again in 2008, I was able to talk to breeders here and there at the ACFA shows in my region. What literally shocks me is how few Maine Coon breeders are actually testing for genetic diseases! As far as I remember, 90 % of the people I spoke to never even did a single hip test and most of them only seem to do that MYBPC3 Mutation gene test, and that test is so extremely inadequate for HCM testing! :-( I was told by a friend that it is different in CFA and TICA circles. I really hope that's true!

Hypertrophic CardioMyopathy (HCM) and Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD):

Below is a list of cats that are being actively used in our breeding program

or anchestors of cats used in our breeding program. Copies of the results

can be provided upon request.

Prairiebaby Prairiepaws'n (Songs for) Grace PP

aka "Prairiepaws" - female

HCM and PKD clear at age 3.2

Negative for the MYBPC3-Gene mutation

Sire HCM negative at age 6.3,

Several HCM and PKD tested anchestors on the dam's side!

CH Prairiebaby River Mercies

aka "Ashanti" - female

HCM and PKD clear at age 4.3 , HCM re-test clear at age 5.6

Negative for the MYBPC3-Gene mutation

Sire HCM negative at age 2, dam HCM negative at age 6!

QCH Bogy-Cats Xenos of Prairiebaby

aka "Tigger" - male

HCM and PKD negative at age 3.8

Negative for the MYBPC3-Gene mutation

2 generations of HCM and PKD tested anchestors!

Prairiebaby Come to The River

aka "Jericho" - male

HCM and PKD clear at age 16 months,

HCM re-tested clear at age 3.8 and age 4.8

(Negative for the MYBPC3-Gene mutation)

1 generation of HCM and PKD tested anchestors

Prairiebaby Mercy Sweet Spring Rain PP

aka "Rayn" - female

Negative for the MYBPC3-Gene mutation

Dam HCM negative at age 6.3

Several HCM and PKD tested anchestors on Sire's side!

Coonopry River Song for Hope

aka "Hazelnut/ Rose" - female

HCM negative at age 2

Negative for the MYBPC3-Gene mutation

Sire HCM clear 3 times up to age 4.8, dam HCM clear 3 times up to age 4

CH Prairiebaby Hope of Eternity

aka "Sylvan" - male

HCM negative at age 1, age 4 and age 5.4

Negative for the MYBPC3-Gene mutation

Several HCM and PKD tested anchestors!

More HCM results copied from my old homepage: Sid of PrairieBaby, aka Sid (F1)- male	clear at age 4 years

Canada Graceland of Prairiebaby, aka Canada (F1) - female,	clear at age 2 and clear at age 6! Negative for the MYBPC3- Gen mutation

Kumskaka Eternal Mission, aka Eternity (F4) - female

clear at screening age 2 1/2, 4.2

age 4 and at age 6

Fourpaws Sparrow, aka Sparrow(F2)- female

age at screening: 2 1/2

years, can hopefully be

re-tested

PrairieBaby Plowman Songs of Hope, aka Plowman (F2)- male

(Son of Sid and Eternity)

age at screening:6 1/2

months, 1 generation

of tested

anchestors at high age!

GCH Tati-Tan's Silhouette of PrairieBaby, aka Silhouette - male

age at screening: 8 years

Thunderpaw Ransom, aka Ransom(F3) - male

(son of Turtlesoup and Soozn)

age of screening: almost 1

year

2 -4 generations of tested

anchestors!

PrairieBaby I Love All You Made, aka Oktober (F2)- female

age of screening:

11 months

PrairieBaby Fear No Evil, aka Fearless (F2) - male

age of screening: 1 year

PrairieBaby Refuge In Your Shadow, aka Kasimir (F3)- male

(son of Clarabel and Fear No Evil)

clear at age 1and at

age 3

will hopefull be re-tested

several tested anchestors!

TCH PrairieBaby Ambassador of Grace, aka Brock (F5)

male

(son of Silhouette and Eternity)

clear at 19 months and

age 3.8

Troponin test negative

at 19

months

both parents HCM clear

at age 6 and 8!

PrairieBabyCover Me I Will Sing, aka Luisa (F3)

- female

daughter of Oktober and Ransom

clear at age 17 months

2 (partly 3) generations

of tested anchestors.

PrairieBaby Rest In His Shadow, aka Haley (F3) female

(daugter of Clarabel and Fear No Evil, granddaughter of Sparrow and Singleton)

clear at age 2.4 and 3.1

2 -4 generations of tested

anchestors

PrairieBaby Plowman Songs of Freedom, aka Coldoldbear (F3)- male

(Son of Plowman and Oktober)

clear at age 22 months

and age 3.7,

2 -3 generations of tested

anchestors

PrairieBaby River Revival, aka Franky Frownsalot - F2 male

clear at almost age 2

(second test)

will hopefull be be re-tested

PrairieBaby Love Covers, aka Coral

female

(daughter of Luisa and Brock)

clear at age 2 1/2

Negative for the MYBPC3-

Gene mutation

many tested anchestors

on both sides!

PrairieBaby Rise Up And Dance, aka Jelly Roll, female

(daughter of Dolly P and Coldoldbear)

clear at age 16 months

and clear at 6.3

Negative for the MYBPC3-

Gene mutation

many tested anchestors on

boh sides!

PrairieBaby In The River I Remain, aka Jazzie Jazz

clear at age 20 months

PrairieBaby Even So Come, aka Sophia

female

(daughter of Prairiegirl and Masterweaver

clear at age 15 months, will

be re-tested at later date

PrairieBaby Hope Springs Eternal P , aka Whalebear P

(son of Dolly P and Coldoldbear)

clear at age 18 months

and clear at age 6.3,

many tested ancestors

PrairieBaby Rest In Fields of Grace

clear at age 14 months

will be re-tested in pet

home

many tested anchestors

on both sides!

PKD and HD test results to follow! Please visit

http://web.archive.org/web/20060321092703/www.prairiebaby.com/id15.htm

to see more testing results! (note the .com site is very outdated!)

Prairiebaby Health Statistics

(from 2004)

http://web.archive.org/web/20050223173826/www.prairiebaby.com/id76.htm

Please note that some of the links on our old .com homepage are outdated

Hip displasia and the use of foundation lines:

The use of foundation lines is crucial to get rid of HD in our breed. In 2005 I phoned OFA and talked to one of the doctors there. This is the data I received:

Since 1990 a total of 870 Maine Coon cats were tested by OFA (The total number of preliminary results could not be obtained from OFA. I was told the percentages of preliminary results were very similar to the certified results.)

Out of those 870 Maine Coons 668 passed OFA. This means ca. 77 % passed OFA. This means ca. 23 % did not pass OFA.

Here are the total results out of the 870 sent in x-rays:

38 x excellent

417 x good

213 x fair

5 x borderline

101 x mild

82 x moderate

14 x severe

The doctor said that they have seen an immense decline in Maine Coon x-rays sent in for evaluation over the past years. (I assume because most Maine Coon breeders don't use OFA anymore for one reason or another ). OFA's biggest year for tesing was appearantly 1999 with 200 x-rays sent in that year.

Here are the stats:

1999: 200 sent in, 24 % displastic

2000: 101 sent in, 24.8 % displastic

2002: 75 sent in, 21.3 % displastic

2003: 51 sent in, 23.5 % displastic

2004: 39 sent in, 25.6 % displastic (!!)

Looking at the numbers above, the number in displastic cats does not seem to have declined over the years at all! An assumptious reason for this would be that cats that test clear of HD with OFA get bred back into the affected gene pool of the Maine Coon breed. It should also be mentioned that OFA is based on a voluntary submission program. So we need to keep in mind that many breeders are only sending the radiographs to OFA that their own vets evaluate as "good". And what does that tell us? That the number of displastic Maine Coons is in reality much higher even than 1/4 of the breed!!

Now I compared the OFA %% information with my own personal testing data of 2005: 43 high foundation content cats (this isn't to advertise my bloodlines, but rather to make a statement) :

OFA excellent: 9 out of 43 (full foundation or very high foundation content)

OFA good: 28 (not 27, sorry) out of 43 (full foundation or very high foundation content)

OFA fair: 5 out of 43 (mix out of regular lines/part foundation)

OFA moderate: 1 out of 43 (very high foundation content, ca. 4 years ago

If I compare these numbers with the total OFA statistics I do see a big difference here. Only one of these foundation/part foundation Maine Coons did not pass. This would be 2.3 % NOT passed versus 23 % NOT passed in TOTAL for Maine Coons (Again, there might be a slight variation because the total numbers for Maine Coons were certified only (not prelim), but as I was told by OFA that the prelim percentages were very similar).

This information proves the necessity of true outcrossing in the Maine Coon breed - outcrossing that is not just visible in 4 generations, but goes all the way back to the first generation. It is actually irresponsible not to use new foundation lines in a breeding proram!

Note: This e-mail was written in 2005! I have done about 25 more hip tests since with similar results. (the same trivial occurance of HD in relation to the cats that passed OFA).

Judith Schulz

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