04/10/2025
๐จ DSRA in Cane Corsos โ What Every Owner & Breeder Needs to Know ๐จ
Dental Skeletal Retinal Anomaly (DSRA) is a hereditary condition that can impact a Cane Corsoโs teeth, bones, eyesight, and even the nervous system (coordination, balance, mobility).
Hereโs the tricky part: carriers can appear completely healthy. The only way to know a dogโs status? Genetic testing.
๐งฌ Why this matters:
โข Breeding two carriers risks producing affected pups
โข Affected dogs can face serious, lifelong health issues
โข Testing helps breeders make informed choices and protect the breedโs future
Following international awareness campaigns โ particularly in the UK and parts of Europe, where DSRA testing was introduced by responsible Cane Corso breeders to protect their bloodlines โ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐๐ต ๐๐ณ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด.
While breeders abroad had already made DSRA screening a standard health practice, no kennels in South Africa had yet taken that step. By introducing it here, Callahan set a new benchmark for responsible Cane Corso breeding, ensuring that local programs now align with global standards of health, ethics, and breed preservation.
โ
Responsible breeding = testing before mating.
Every test is a step toward a healthier, stronger Cane Corso for generations to come.
๐งฌ Understanding DSRA Breeding Risks
โข Testing before mating is essential. Breeding decisions should never be made without knowing the genetic status of both parents.
โข If one parent is a carrier, it may only be paired with a clear (non-carrier) partner.
โข If both parents are carriers, they must not be bred together โ this pairing risks producing puppies where around 25% will be severely affected and terminally ill.
โข Carriers themselves are healthy, but must only be bred responsibly with clear partners to protect the breedโs future.
๐ ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟโ๐ ๐ง๐ถ๐ฝ: ๐๐น๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ธ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐น๐๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ต ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐บ. ๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐๐ฝ, ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑโ๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ.
๐ Infographic and information adapted from CCBC UK, Cane Corso Niukana Blue Blood Line Cane Corso Kennel, who continue to raise international awareness on DSRA and responsible Cane Corso breeding.
