For over a year, PBGV owners helped the Animal Health Trust by allowing their PBGVs' height to be measured. This was to pursue the theory that there might be a link between the Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG) mutation and height in the PBGV. The POAG mutation is in a gene called ADAMTS17. Humans that have mutations in this gene are invariably of short stature, as the gene also affects bone development.
The information collected enabled the AHT to pull data together showing whether PBGV height is correlated with genotype. In other words, were the affected and/or carriers slightly shorter than the clear/normal dogs.
Prior to submission to a scientific journal for publication, an early abstract of the findings was presented at the May 2018 European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ECVO) Conference in Florence. Further details on this will be in the Winter 2018 Voice.