dna testing for colour in dogs

Re: dna testing for colour in dogs

Hanna Bennett — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:01:19 GMT

they do offer a vet submitted test too, which is based on microchip identification - have a ragdoll breeder who we do it for. They get a certificate which allows registration on the FAB breeders list.

Re: dna testing for colour in dogs

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:14:00 GMT

I'm delighted the Bristol test is for cardiomyopathy, not coat colour !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was getting really irate for a while, but would still prefer referring veterinary surgeon involvement, and microchip identification

Wynne

Re: dna testing for colour in dogs

Rob Loxley — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:29:04 GMT

Many of the US labs will accept buccal swabs from owners; you could email the AHT to ask their position.

It would be good to see a movement to compulsory microchipping and veterinary certification/sample collection as requirements for DNA testing, especially when the results are being used by breeders to determine breeding stock. Pat Bateson's report touches on compulsory testing of parents where appropriate tests exist and compulsory microchipping of offspring, but the 'audit trail' from test result to parent must also be robust.

Re: dna testing for colour in dogs

Graham Bilbrough — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:27:23 GMT

IDEXX does not offer testing to pet owners or breeders, but others do and there is a sizeable market for this sort of testing. Take a look at:

http://www.laboklin.co.uk/laboklin/CoatColours.jsp

Re: dna testing for colour in dogs

warwickshire vet — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 15:50:29 GMT

Bristol Univeristy screen cats for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with buccal swabs using kits issued directly to the owners - we, as their vets, are then sent the results on a certificate from bristol vet school. The breeder has id'd the animal, and I suppose as its a dna test, then the dna should be unique to that animal. But as its only looking at one gene does that still stand? I think there is still a possibility of abuse with unscrupulous breeders. When asked by another breeder about the results of the test ( with the o's permission of course), all I was happy to say that I had seen a bit of paper saying that a cat identified as X had been tested for Y. It didnt go down to well...

The coat colour test is a blood test offered by a commercial lab based on edta samples, so I guess there is identity control with the vet. But it is certainly a contentious issue. We are not going to offer it to clients unless there is a peer reviewed paper sugesting otherwise.

I have had clients bringing in kits to blood test for oestrus in dogs that they have sourced from a UK lab directly, and for which the client had paid for up front. They did complain when it ended up more costly for them by the time I'd charged for our time in taking it, than when we did it ALL for them ( we still made the same profit). Suffice to say I dont use that lab any more than I have to..

On the subject of identity with screening at least the kennel club is using chip numbers on the hip and elbow scores!

Re: dna testing for colour in dogs

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:24:50 GMT

Warwickshire vet Do you seriously mean that a veterinary school is doing DNA testing for owners to select on coat colour, without any reference to other (possibly deleterious ) genetic traits, doing so without prior veterinary involvement, and issuing certificates (are these signed by a veterinary surgeon )? Equine veterinary surgeons are frequently vilified on the grounds that they are said to be too lax in certification (and there have been some highly publicised cases !!!!!!!!!!), but for many years equine vaccination certificates (even in pre passport days ) contained a sketch of the horse, so there was positive identification

Wynne

Re: dna testing for colour in dogs

warwickshire vet — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:07:06 GMT

The test lists EDTA blood to be used in the catalogue, not buccal swabs - though a lot of clients are doing the buccal swabs to bristol for cats which we are copied a result of - but there is no definitive id on the cert other than the breed name, other than the one that the client supplied. How good is that?

Re: dna testing for colour in dogs

Malcolm Ness — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:37:34 GMT

Check out http://www.vetgen.com/

Malcolm N

Re: dna testing for colour in dogs

salome2001 — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:02:14 GMT

are there labs then that are offering this without using vets as an "agent"? Because Graham's answer above suggested otherwise

Re: dna testing for colour in dogs

Malcolm Ness — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:32:58 GMT

Some of these tests are certainly rather frivolous and in fact, not all of them are proven to the same degree. However, veterinary involvement is not always needed - many will require only a buccal swab that will be supplied by the testing lab. Some of the better breeders are surprisingly well informed and on this subject and almost certainly some of your clients will be doing this kind of testing already "behind your back".

Re: dna testing for colour in dogs

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:54:05 GMT

Cross reference to Clients v customers thread I would refuse to carry out these tests unless I was forced to do so by RCVS

Wynne

Re: dna testing for colour in dogs

Graham Bilbrough — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 08:26:20 GMT

Other than to list them in the Directory of Services, we do not market these tests to vets or pet owners. We made them available following a handful of requests from vets last year.

As an aside, we have a policy of not marketing tests to pet owners. We do offer a number of client education leaflets (e.g. your pet's allergy tests explained), but these are used at the discretion of the vet.

Re: dna testing for colour in dogs

Jillian Hall — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:40:24 GMT

I was only aware of the tests a few days ago looking at the Idexx book - so hopefully it will be a while before clients become aware of it and asking about it.

Doesn't seem to widely publicised - not to vets anyway - maybe the labs are marketing it directly to the breeders?!

Re: dna testing for colour in dogs

Hanna Bennett — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:14:46 GMT

[quote user="warwickshire vet"] other than the lack of brain power in chocolate ones[/quote]

made me laugh - so true! but as you say, how much of it is inbreeding. not a test i ould be inclined to offer.