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|    STATISTICS    |    ARE YOU PLANNING TO PURCHASE AN AMERICAN AKITA    |

 
 
 

 
The American Akita dog is basically a sound breed. The Finnish Kennel Clubs Code of Ethics for Breeding requires his hips to be x-rayed and his eyes to be checked. The majority of the dogs are certified free of hip dysplasia and also hold clear eye certificates. Today, however, most breeds are burdened with certain diseases and the American Akita is affected with two auto-immune diseases; SA which stands for Sebaceous Adenitis and VKH which is the Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome. Our Association is working hard to fight these two conditions and we supply our members with the latest information as well as give guidance in genetic issues. Always check the health issues prior to purchasing an American Akita.
 
 
Code of ethics
 
The Finnish Kennel Club runs a code of ethics for breeders and the conditions are separately agreed for each breed in co-operation with the relevant breed club. PEVISA, as this code of ethics is called, roughly translates into "the Finnish Kennel Club Program for the Prevention of Hereditary Diseases and Defects". The purpose of this programme is to cut down the number of hereditary diseases in the various breeds through restricting the use of affected dogs or known carriers. The necessary health examinations are carried out by a veterinarian and the results are always sent to the Finnish Kennel Club.
 
The American Akita belongs to this programme which is official and approved by the Finnish Kennel Club. The American Akita should be x-rayed for hips (the result will not restrict your dog being bred from) and his/her eyes checked so that the puppies can be registered in the Finnish Kennel Club.
 
 
A few words about auto-immune diseases
 
The common nominator for the autoimmune diseases is an attack in the dogs immune system on his own tissues. His body is unable to regulate the immune defence system. If the dogs body does not recognise its own cells, it starts to destroy them. This will result in an autoimmune condition.
 
 
SA (Sebaceous Adenitis)
 
is a canine hereditary disease which causes a decay in the sebaceous glands of the skin. It is characteristic of this condition that the defence mechanism will fight the individuals own tissues. The attack is aimed on the sebaceous glands and hair follicles and causes an inflammation. As a result the sebaceous gland will fade away and the hair follicle dies off. As the illness advances it destroys not just the sebaceous glands, but also the dogs coat. It is typical of an SA affected dog to look extremely mangey. Sebaceous Adenitis is not contagious, but a hereditary condition.
 
 
VKH ( Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada -syndrome)
 
causes an autoimmune skin condition. It is typical of this condition to flare up where skin and mucous membranes meet, e.g. around lips, eyes and anus. As a result these areas will have a pus forming skin condition. In the next stage the affected area will become bald and very often the pigmentation will fade and disappear. VKH can also often lead to blindness. The VKH is an extremely painful disease and there is no known cure. Pemphigus is one of the forms of the VKH and can be divided to sub forms depending which part of the body is affected. The disease may attack the body, or just the feet (in-between toes), but the most common area for the autoimmune disease is the dog's head and facial area. Loss of pigment on the nose, around lips and eyes is very typical of Pemphigus. The inflammation on the head can cause swelling, scaling and the bridge of the muzzle and the nose may be covered with thick scabbing. These conditions are also known in the Akita. You can read more about these conditions on the Akita & Shiba ry. home page and you can also check the links on our own site.
 
Akita ry
 
 
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