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Originally Posted by Ladyhawk  So now it just sounds impossible! |
It is very complex. That's why all breeders need to really understand everything that the researchers have found out and make this a top priority.
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Originally Posted by Ladyhawk If the parents don't have any signs of LS than you want all the pups to be held until they are 4 months old so that they can be tested as well before we try to find them forever homes? |
The puppies do not have to be 4 months old to be tested. If a puppy tested at 11 weeks came back abnormal, then yes, I would hold it and retest but an 11 week old puppy should not have high bile acids either. Would you rather have sold it at 12 weeks and have the poor owner struggle to find out what is wrong with it? Many breeders say that they have never seen it but many owners say that they got their dogs from top show kennels.
It seems that bile acid testing will not rule out the carriers but it will clear the puppies, unless you get a false negative... In that case, everything possible was done on the breeder's part. Now, if the puppies test positive, then you have an idea that one or both of the parents are carriers and you have some good information for your breeding program.
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Originally Posted by Ladyhawk It kinda sounds like having every American tested for heart disease because it is so prevelant whether they have symptoms or history. Living beings are just so complex that just because something is a bit different does not mean that it is wrong. Could it be that we are finding liver shunt in yorkies more because we are testing them more than any other breed? |
I don't think it's responsible to accept that LS is just "a bid different" but not wrong. We have to have faith that the scientists investigating this disease have done so in a scientific manner to compensate for the the variables that would falsely implicate Yorkies as being more affected than other breeds. Actually, Dr. Tobias 2002 study explains how they computated their findings to adjust for any bias.
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Originally Posted by Ladyhawk Mayhaps the porto vein does not entirely shut down in alot of small breeds but simply causes no problems for them in most cases? |
Normal Yorkie portograms do not show any shunting. A little bit is still a shunt. I have read that the gene may have variable penetrance and I believe that means some dogs will be less severely affected than others.
It seems that the research has ruled out what it isn't, as far as it's mode of inheritance. It hasn't turned out to be a simple recessive or dominant trait. If it had been breeders would have figured it out a long time ago. I'm sure nobody is happy with the advice not to line breed but we can't kill the messenger. The breeders who produce LS puppies are the one's who are in the best position to help. I certainly wouldn't advertise to the world if I produced an LS puppy but I would definately forward all the information to Sharon Center and she keeps all this information confidential.