[Yorkiemom1]

Originally Posted by pstinard

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.

We are getting saturated with this issue I strongly believe, because of indescriminate breeding and people not spaying and neutering their breeding stock that are carriers or producing actual dd blue born babies. People are getting carriers that look traditional, they are not buying from breeders that insist on spay/neuter program, and they are breeding them with another dog who they have no clue of pedigree or genetic propensity.....and there you have more saturating the pool.