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Originally Posted by YorkieProud  Just curious as to whether or not clef palate or hare lip is genetic. If anyone has insight, I would love to hear it.
Thanks,  YorkieProud |
I can't say for sure in pups, but in humans there IS a genetic component for cleft lips and palates. There are currently about 50 known syndromes that have one of both of those defects noted as a characteristic.
In the general population, there is about a 1 in 1000 chance of a baby having one of the defects. In a family with the history of the defect (especially in a sibling) the rate rises 40 times!
That's why I was questioning the study. It's kind of like saying "I didn't make any left hand turns today and I didn't have an accident. So that means turning right prevents accidents". Without knowing if you have a history of having accidents when you do make a left hand turn, it's just pulling something out of the air. KWIM?
In the case of the study, without knowing if her breeding program had a history of clefts prior to the introduction of folic acid, it's (in my mind) not a logical conclusion to say that the reason her lines don't have clefts is because of the folic acid.