Shiba — questions to ask before paying a deposit
A responsible breeder will have these readily available. Deflection is a red flag.
GM1 gangliosidosiscan shorten life or cause chronic pain
A fatal inherited storage disease (GLB1 gene) in which a fatty compound builds up in nerve cells. Affected puppies develop poor growth, tremor and loss of balance from around 5 to 6 months old and do not survive much past 18 months.
Ask to see: DNA test result for the Shiba-specific GLB1 mutation (c.1668delC) on both parents.
Genomia (commercial DNA lab) — GM1 in Shiba Inu (https://www.genomia.cz/en/test/gm1-shiba/) · BMC Veterinary Research — molecular epidemiology of canine GM1 gangliosidosis in the Shiba Inu breed (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3701567/)
GM2 gangliosidosiscan shorten life or cause chronic pain
A second, distinct fatal storage disease (HEXB gene) with a very similar course to GM1 gangliosidosis — poor growth, tremor and progressive loss of coordination in puppyhood — but caused by a different mutation, so a clear GM1 result does not cover it.
Ask to see: DNA test result for the Shiba-specific HEXB mutation (c.618_620delCCT) on both parents; a separate test from GM1, though some labs sell the two as a combined panel.
Genomia (commercial DNA lab) — GM2 in Shiba Inu (https://www.genomia.cz/en/test/gm2-shiba/) · Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine — Kolicheski et al. 2017, GM2 Gangliosidosis in Shiba Inu Dogs with an In-Frame Deletion in HEXB (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28833537/)