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CLEFT PALATE IN COCKER SPANIELS
There is a lot of controversy in the cocker
world between experts as to if cleft palates in cockers is a genetic trait
or if it is more connected to the environment where herbicides and pesticides
are used. There has been much documentation of both sides of this
issue.
This is only an example
using a male for the demonstration of cleft palates, if they where inherited.
If cleft palate was a simple
dominant and came from the paternal grandfather it would, also, be present
in the father to some degree and would be passed from one generation to
the next generation directly and because it is a visible condition could
be selected against simply by not breeding affected individuals.
If cleft palate were
a simple recessive and came from the paternal grandfather, the father would
be a carrier and so would the dam and one of her parents, because a recessive
has to be inherited from both parents to be expressed. To eliminate
this condition you would have to quit breeding all individuals that produced
an affected puppy, the suspected grandparents, uncles, aunts, ECT. Of the
litter mates statistically two out of the three of the unaffected would
be carriers and you couldn't tell by looking so none should be used as
breeders.
If it were polygenic,
it would be coming from both sides of the family in more or less random
fashion and would produce affected individuals on a probably inconsistent
basis. The only animals that would produce consistently affected
progeny would, also, be affected. To eliminate this condition (hopefully)
would be to quit breeding all of those animals that are related to an affected
puppy and start over with a completely unaffected line.
If it were sex linked
(there are several modes of inheritance) and came from the paternal grandfather
it would be carried on the Y chromosome and be passed on to every male
he produced and would only affect males. To eliminate it in this
circumstance, quit using all of the males in this line.
If it came from the
maternal grandfather and skipped a generation, it would be inherited from
the mother (the grandfather, also, being affected.) It would be carried
on the X chromosome and only expressed in the presents of male hormone
(testosterone) and would show up at puberty, so obviously this is not the
case.
If cleft palate were
inherited from the maternal grandfather and carried as a simple recessive
on the X chromosome, it would only affect females and come from both parents.
To eliminate this, you would treat it as any other simple recessive.
Quit using the animals as breeders!
The above is just a scenario for the
inheritability for cleft palates. Below is an opinion that has been
developed over the years with research and hands on experience.
I believe that the condition
has more to do with the environment than being an inherited trait.
When one encounters the cleft palates in puppies, it can be traced back
to insecticides, herbicides and other hazardous materials.
All cocker breeders
interested in improving the breed and eliminating detrimental genes, should
have at least a fundamental understating of basic Mendels Law .
I recommend going
to your local library and asking the reference librarian to point you in
the right direction.
| There has been some breeder research on the use
of Folic Acid as an aid in preventing cleft palates. |
Dosage:
1.5mg Folic Acid daily from 1st day of mating until
3 weeks after whelping. However if cleft
palates are a real problem
increase dose to 2.5mg tablets daily for the first
3 weeks of pregnancy.
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Pages:
Breeding and Whelping:
Time
Heat
Stud
No
Pups
Signs
Cleft Palates
Crate Training
Fleas
Kids and Pet Safety
Orphand Puppies
Socializing
Fading Puppy Syndrome
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