You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

One of the most important scientific developments in recent years is our ability to identify the position of problem genes in an animals genetic material, DNA. This offers real hope for the possibility of eliminating many inherited effects by breeding away from animals carrying the genes for inherited defects. 

If an inherited disease is caused by a single gene, and the position of that gene can be identified along the DNA protein, it is possible to create a laboratory screening test that will identify individuals with the gene. This is not sci-fi ! Such tests are already being used to identify which dogs in some breeds are carrying the genes that could cause serious disease in their offspring, including :

• American Staffordshire Terrier - for urate bladder stones
• Australian Cattle Dog - for lens luxation 
• Australian shepherd - for hereditary cataract; urate bladder stones
• Beagle - Musladin- Lueke Syndrome ; Coagulation Factor VII Deficiency; Neonatal cerebellar cortical degeneration; Coagulation Factor VII Deficiency
• Bedlington Terrier - Copper toxicosis
• Boston Terrier - Early onset hereditary cataract
• Briard - Congenital stationary night blindness
• Bulldogs - for urate bladder stones
• Cavalier King Charles Spaniel - Curly coat dry eye/Episodic falling
• Chinese crested dog - Primary lens luxation
• Dalmatians - for urate bladder stones
• English Springer Spaniel - Fucosidosis; Phosphofructokinase Deficiency; Progressive Retinal Atrophy (cord1)
• French Bulldog - Hereditary cataract
• German shepherd -  for urate bladder stones
• Giant Schnauzer -  for urate bladder stones
• Golden retriever - Progressive retinal atrophy (GR-PRA1 and GR-PRA2)
• Gordon Setter - Progressive retinal atrophy
• Irish Setters - a test to identify the eye disease - progressive retinal atrophy (rcd1 and rcd4); Canine Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency; Von Willebrands Disease
• Jack Russell Terrier Late Onset Ataxia; Primary Lens Luxation (PLL); Spinocerebellar Ataxia 
• Jagd Terrier - Primary lens luxation
• Labrador retriever - Centronuclear Myopathy ; Urate bladder stones
• Lancashire heeler - primary lens luxation
• Large Musterlander - Urate bladder stones
• Miniature Wire Haired Dachshund - CRD (NHPH4) Progressive Retinal Atrophy; Progressive Retinal Atrophy (cor
• Miniature Bull Terrier - Primary Lens Luxation (PLL
• Miniature Long Haired Dachshund - Progressive Retinal Atrophy (cord1)
• Miniature Smooth Haired Dachshund - Progressive Retinal Atrophy (cord1)
• Parson Russell Terrier - Late Onset Ataxia ; Primary Lens Luxation (PLL); Spinocerebellar Ataxia; Urate bladder stones 
• Patterdale Terrier - Primary Lens Luxation (PLL)
• Pomeranian- Urate bladder stones 
• Rat Terrier - Primary Lens Luxation (PLL)
• Russian Black Terrier - Urate bladder stones 
• Sealyham Terrier- Primary Lens Luxation (PLL)
• Scottish Deerhounds - Coagulation Factor VII Deficiency 
• South African Boerbeol- Urate bladder stones 
• Spanish Water Dog- Urate bladder stones
• Spinone- Cerebellar Ataxia
• Staffordshire Bull Terrier - Hereditary Cataract ; L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria 
• Standard Wire Haired Dachshund - CRD (NHPH4) Progressive Retinal Atrophy
• Tenterfield Terrier - Primary Lens Luxation (PLL)
• Tibetan Spaniel- Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA3)
• Tibetan Terrier - Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis ; Primary Lens Luxation (PLL); Progressive Retinal Atrophy (rcd4) ; Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA3)
• Toy Fox Terrier - Primary Lens Luxation (PLL)
• Volpino Italian - Primary Lens Luxation (PLL) 
• Weimaraner - Urate bladder stones
• Welsh Terrier- Primary Lens Luxation (PLL)
• Wire Haired Fox Terrier- Primary Lens Luxation (PLL)
• Wire Haired Viszla - Urate bladder stones 
• Yorkshire Terrier- Primary Lens Luxation (PLL) 
• Welsh Corgis (Cardigan) - a test for the eye diseaese progressive retinal atrophy

Also in Cats (especially Persians and Exotic short-haireds - Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease in Cats

Many more tests are being developed and soon we will be able to control the spread of many inherited diseases by simply screening and avoiding breeding from animals which are carriers of the disease.

In the UK many of the above tests are available through the Animal Health Trust : http://www.aht.org.uk/cms-display/genetics_canine.html 

Update in preparation October 2013