Quote:
Originally Posted by lynzy420  Does anyone know why my Mia(1) was deaf? She was a Biewer, verrrrryyyy pink skin, spotted like a dalmation (not insinuating she has any dalmation)....just curious what would cause this?
Phil Mia died early this year from heart condition, she was 1 years old. (She was a very very special girl, she was Lynzy in a dogs body)!!! |
Here is a quote from one article about deafness in dogs that have the piebald (sp) gene. This is the color gene carried by Biewers and Dalmatians:
From
Genetics of Deafness in Dogs Genetic transmission of deafness in dogs with the piebald (sp) and extreme white piebald (sw) pigment genes, such as the Dalmatian, is less clear. These genes affect the amount and distribution of white areas on the body. Deafness in Dalmatians does not appear to be autosomal dominant, since deaf puppies result from hearing parents. It does not appear to be a simple recessive disorder, since we have bred pairs of deaf Dalmatians and obtained bilaterally hearing and unilaterally hearing puppies, when all should have been deaf if the disorder was recessive. These findings might be explained by a multi-gene cause, the presence of two different autosomal recessive deafness genes, or a syndrome with incomplete penetrance. Further studies (in progress) will be required to determine the mechanisms. Several candidate genes known to cause pigment-related deafness in humans or mice have been eliminated as the possible cause of pigment-associated deafness in Dalmatians. Whole-genome screens will hopefully identify the cause in this and other breeds.
Here is a link to more information about deafness in white spotted dogs:
DDEAF FAQ's
And a full length scientific article:
http://www.lsu.edu/deafness/VetJDeaf2004.pdf
Deafness is related to white pigmentation, because melanin is required in the ears for hearing.