In my opinion I don't think it is necessary to BAT test every yorkie. A full blood panel will give you a good idea of basic liver function.
I do have mixed feelings about BAT testing in general. I've seen so many varied results and question their reliability. So for your average pet if there are no problems and no history of it in their lines I don't see the need for it. I might feel differently though with a rescue dog with unknown history, I think I would just rather be safe and do it anyways in that case.
For breeding, yes I think every dog should be BAT tested prior to breeding. However this will only tell you whether your dog has it or not but it doesn't tell you if that dog is a carrier.
I really wish we would have came up with a genetic marker by now, it would make our lives so much easier. If they could identify carriers it would be great.
I really think its genetic makeup needs to be better understood. I find it very interesting on their study how you can breed two shunt dogs together and get normal puppies. Or you can breed one shunt dog, one healthy and get mixed results. Or breed two healthy dogs together and get a litter of shunts. The results seem unpredictable at this point so no matter how careful your breeding and testing is, you can still end up with a shunt, you just cross your fingers hoping you don't. With the technologies we have today you would think they would have this down to a more precise science.
I really do find LS very interesting and would love to see more done with it.
I once attended a seminar on LS and their theory was that it was caused during conception because the mother wasn't producing enough of a particular hormone. She could be bred two different times and the results would be different. I thought that was interesting but I don't know if they ever disproved that theory or what came out of it. |