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Originally Posted by gemy  Thank you Phil for sharing this information with us. A huge kudoo.
So where does that leave the breeders at? And I don't mean this in a nasty way at all.
Many blue borns die! So as breeders de facto we would like to make sure we don't breed for blue borns.
It would appear on the face of this response; we still don't truly have a genetic test for the more severe life threatening variant of blue borns.
But if you have the carrier gene for Blue Borns just how accurate is that? |
If a breeder's program has been throwing the occasional (or even one!) Blue Yorkie, the safest thing for the breeder to do is to have a D Locus test performed on all of the breeding stock, and have all of the carriers (Dd) neutered or spayed. It's only a $40 test and is well worth it for peace of mind. You're right, there is currently no test for the more severe life-threatening form of blue born, but in Yorkies, I believe that it is common for blue borns to develop Color Dilution Alopecia, so it's better to be safe than sorry and eliminate the trait completely from the breeding stock. Here is a summary of possible test results:
DD = normal Yorkie coat color at the D locus--none of the progeny will be blue, and none will be a carrier.
Dd = carrier. If mated with a normal DD dog, half of the progeny will be carriers, and half will be normal. If mated with another carrier, 1/4 of the progeny will be normal (DD), 1/2 of the progeny will be carriers (Dd), and 1/4 of the progeny will be blue (dd). In a breeding program, all carriers should be neutered or spayed.
dd = Blue Yorkie. A number of these (perhaps the majority, but not all) will go on to develop Color Dilution Alopecia (baldness and skin problems). While not necessarily fatal, this can be a debilitating disease, making for an unhappy and unhealthy Yorkie. If a Blue Yorkie is mated to a normal Yorkie, all of the progeny will be carriers. If a Blue Yorkie is mated to a carrier, half of the progeny will be Blue, and half will be carriers. If a Blue Yorkier is mated to another Blue Yorkie, all of the progeny will be Blue. All Blue Yorkies should be neutered and spayed--it would be unethical to even attempt to breed one.