[Cagdu] FW: [K9Scoop] USA: Canine DNA Testing

[Tina Thomas]

Subject: [K9Scoop] USA: Canine DNA Testing




http://www.latimes.
<http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-dogdna24jun24,0,75978
81.story?coll=la-home-nation>
com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sci-dogdna24jun24,0,7597881.story?coll=la-hom
e-nation
>From the Los Angeles Times

Decoding the secret lives of dogs
DNA testing used to study disease and confirm
pedigrees is also being used to reveal which breeds
make up a mutt's background.
By Karen Kaplan
Times Staff Writer

June 24, 2007

The Wilson family had puzzled over their mutt Drake's
distinctive behavior ever since they brought him home
from the Washington Animal Rescue League four
years ago.

Workers at the shelter told them the dog was a mix of
spaniel and Plott hound. But his propensity to leap
over 4-foot fences and herd family members as
if they were livestock had them thinking border
collie.

The answer to Drake's past came in the form of a $65
DNA test that promised to scour his genes for telltale
signs of the breeds in his family tree. "We
were always curious as to what breeds went together to
create him," Marcy Wilson said. "We just assumed we
could never find out."

Not long ago, genetic testing was a rarefied pursuit
used primarily to settle paternity suits, diagnose
medical conditions and identify rapists and killers.

Now DNA testing has gone to the dogs. With sequencing
technology becoming less expensive, dog owners are
having their pets tested - and sometimes finding
that unraveling the mysteries of their genetic code
can be a mixed blessing.

For less money than a luxury shampoo and doggy
massage, owners of Canis familiaris can uncover their
pooch's ancestry or take an inventory of its
constituent
breeds. The tests can also reveal debilitating health
problems and other genetic surprises.

"If you're an animal lover, you can't resist this,"
said Jan Lovelady, a nurse administrator in Gilbert,
Ariz., who had her mutt's DNA analyzed to see which
breeds were in his lineage.

Half a dozen or so dog DNA analysis companies have
sprouted across the country and peddle their services
at dog shows and over the Internet. The firms guard
their sales figures closely, but each claims to have
tested several hundred to several thousand dogs.

The DNA of 400,000 purebred dams and sires has been
registered with the American Kennel Club, which has
required breeders to submit genetic samples since
1998.

But the rush to genetically type man's best friends
has raised many of the same concerns as the typing of
man himself.

"It's one more way of codifying the American cultural
belief in genes as the foundation of everything
important," said Donna Haraway, a historian of science
and culture at UC Santa Cruz. "I find it mildly
disgusting."

Then again, as the proud owner of two dogs, she added:
"I might actually buy such a test."

Dog DNA tests generally fall into three categories:
proof of maternity or paternity, genealogy, and
identification of mutations associated with disease.
Genetic tests are available for other animals - to
determine the sex of birds, for instance, or the coat
color that cats may pass to their kittens.

Far more can be gleaned about dogs because of their
use in medical research for human diseases, including
cancer, heart disease, blindness, epilepsy and
diabetes. The complete dog genome was published in
2005, making it the fifth mammalian genome decoded,
after humans, mice, rats and chimpanzees.

The earliest consumer tests stemmed from the American
Kennel Club's attempts to ensure the validity of
pedigrees for 155 breeds of dogs.

As it turned out, the DNA evidence cast a shadow on
the scrupulous record-keeping that is the hallmark of
elite purebreds.

When the policy was implemented nine years ago, random
inspections found that 13% of puppies had the wrong
parents listed on their pedigrees, said club
spokeswoman Lisa Peterson.

Some of those cases involved legitimate mix-ups,
because puppies in the same litter can have different
fathers. But there were also cases that involved
unscrupulous breeders falsifying information on a
pedigree to boost the puppy's value.

"Whenever there's a question about the parents, it
raises questions about the integrity of the breeder,"
said Randall Smith, manager for DDC Veterinary,
a Fairfield, Ohio, company that tests tens of
thousands of animal DNA samples each year.

Today, the pedigree error rate has dropped to about
4%, according to the AKC.

Genetic tests have proven a powerful tool for breeders
to continue shaping the evolution of dogs, which began
more than 15,000 years ago when a few curious
wolves ventured into ancient human encampments.
Selecting for desired traits like docility and
obedience, prehistoric people domesticated those
animals
and created a new species.

But hundreds of years of inbreeding to create modern
purebred dogs has come at a cost. Certain breeds have
persistent genetic problems cemented into their
DNA. A crippling joint ailment known as hip dysplasia,
for instance, is common among German shepherds,
Labrador retrievers, Rottweilers and other large
dogs.

Joan Bendure, who breeds Portuguese water dogs in
Fairview, Pa., became interested in canine genetics
when two of her dogs were diagnosed with progressive
retinal atrophy, a disease that attacks peripheral and
nighttime vision before leading to blindness.

The disease "destroyed a lot of kennels," she said.
"For me, it took four dogs out of the breeding pool
and left me with one."

Bendure and other Portuguese water dog owners
recruited a pair of ophthalmologists to study the
disease and sent them DNA samples from their blind
dogs.

The researchers zeroed in on the gene responsible and
discovered that it took two faulty copies to make a
dog go blind. Dogs carrying a single defective
copy from one parent were not affected.

With a genetic test in hand, it became possible to
breed dogs with one mutated gene as long as their
mates were "clean." That helped keep the gene pool
bigger and the overall population healthier, Bendure
said. "If you don't have healthy dogs, it doesn't
matter how beautiful they are," she said.

For many dog owners, the allure of peering into DNA
stems from a simpler desire. No matter how well they
think they know their dog, there is always a sense
of mystery about them.

Rob and Carole Sims of Morrisville, N.C., turned to
DNA to answer a question that had stumped them for
years: How could their two golden retrievers - born
of the same mother and father - be so maddeningly
different?

Liberty was gentle, mild-mannered and easy to train;
Justice was the complete opposite. It drove the Simses
crazy.

Had there been a mix-up at the kennel? Did they take
home the wrong dog?

Rob Sims mailed swabs from the dogs' cheeks to a lab
in Ohio that charged $35 for each test. The results
arrived 10 days later.

"As soon as you open the report, it's crystal clear -
they're sisters," he said.

The DNA results did little to explain why the sisters
were so different. But it helped him to accept Justice
for the dog that she is.

As the dogs have grown, he has even come to embrace
their differences. He compares them to his daughters,
Audra and Nicole, one a forest service investigator
and the other a high school computer science teacher.

"I have to say in retrospect, I'm absolutely delighted
that we have Liberty and Justice," he said.

A more elaborate test was necessary to parse out the
various breeds that made up Marcy and Rip Wilsons'
dog, Drake.

Tests to determine various breeds examine specific
points in a dog's DNA and look for signature patterns
that are known to be correlated with specific breeds.

"It's just like when people say, 'Where'd your
ancestors come from?' " said Elaine Ostrander, who
helped develop one such test while searching for genes
to study cancer in dogs at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center in Seattle.

The result is a blood test that can detect DNA
contributions from 134 recognized breeds. Mars
Veterinary will begin selling it through vet offices
next
month under the name Wisdom Panel.

The Wilsons used a $65 Canine Heritage Breed Test from
MMI Genomics Inc. of Davis, Calif. The test looks at
96 points and can identify 38 breeds that encompass
75% of all dogs.

"We always thought he was a border collie," Marcy
Wilson said. "If we go anywhere near the foyer of the
house, he will come from whatever room he's in and
try to herd us out the door."

While they waited for Drake's test results, the four
family members placed $1 bets on his true heritage.
"We were all guessing border collie, chow and lower
levels of lab and spaniel," Marcy Wilson said.

They were right about the Labrador and spaniel genes,
but none of them expected that the test would conclude
he was more Siberian husky than anything else.

After the results came in, Rip Wilson spent hours
reading up on huskies to better understand his dog's
true nature.

In retrospect, said the biotech executive, the family
shouldn't have been so surprised. Drake's proclivity
for digging holes near the backyard azalea bush
turned out to be a characteristic husky trait.

And that's not all.

"He adores the snow - he'll just hang outside in the
snow for hours," Rip Wilson said. "I never clued in on
it."

karen.kaplan@ <mailto:karen.kaplan%40latimes.com> latimes.com

Copyright 2007 Los Angeles Times |

__________________________________________________________
Looking for earth-friendly autos? 
Browse Top Cars by "Green Rating" at Yahoo! Autos' Green Center.
http://autos. <http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center/> yahoo.com/green_center/


__._,_.___ 
Messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/message/671;_ylc=X3oDMTMybHFiaW43BF9T
Azk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BG1zZ0lkAzY3MQRzZWMD
ZnRyBHNsawN2dHBjBHN0aW1lAzExODI3MTcyNTcEdHBjSWQDNjcx> in this topic (1)
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJvZzcxZmM1BF9TAzk3MzU
5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BG1zZ0lkAzY3MQRzZWMDZnRyBHN
sawNycGx5BHN0aW1lAzExODI3MTcyNTc-?act=reply&messageNum=671> Reply (via web
post) | Start
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJlZmVpMmRiBF9TAzk3MzU
5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA250cGMEc3R
pbWUDMTE4MjcxNzI1Nw--> a new topic 
Messages
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/messages;_ylc=X3oDMTJlYnJyN3RlBF9TAzk
3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA21zZ3M
Ec3RpbWUDMTE4MjcxNzI1Nw-->  
 
<http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJkNmlocGF1BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwN
zQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA2dmcARzdGltZQMxMTgyNzE3MjU3>
Yahoo! Groups 
Change
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop/join;_ylc=X3oDMTJmbXYzNXExBF9TAzk3MzU
5NzE0BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA3N0bmdzBHN
0aW1lAzExODI3MTcyNTc-> settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) 
Change settings via email: Switch
<mailto:K9Scoop-digest at yahoogroups.com?subject=Email Delivery: Digest>
delivery to Daily Digest | Switch
<mailto:K9Scoop-traditional at yahoogroups.com?subject=Change Delivery Format:
Traditional> format to Traditional 
Visit
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop;_ylc=X3oDMTJkdXMycDc5BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0
BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA2hwZgRzdGltZQMx
MTgyNzE3MjU3> Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms
<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> of Use | Unsubscribe
<mailto:K9Scoop-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com?subject=> 
Visit
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Scoop;_ylc=X3oDMTJlc2IyZmJvBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0
BGdycElkAzcwNzQyNTIEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA3NTA1MjQ3BHNlYwN2dGwEc2xrA3ZnaHAEc3RpbWUD
MTE4MjcxNzI1Nw--> Your Group 
SPONSORED LINKS

*	Dog
<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads;_ylc=X3oDMTJjcWc1YmdvBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BF9wAzEEZ
3JwSWQDNzA3NDI1MgRncnBzcElkAzE3MDc1MDUyNDcEc2VjA3NsbW9kBHN0aW1lAzExODI3MTcyN
Tc-?t=ms&k=Dog+handler&w1=Dog+handler&w2=Dog+school&w3=Dog+trainer+school&w4
=Dog+world&w5=Dog+world+subscription&c=5&s=100&g=2&.sig=TgCQ2BZVt4dUaIVKkdik
Jg> handler 

*	Dog
<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads;_ylc=X3oDMTJjY2RldWlqBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BF9wAzIEZ
3JwSWQDNzA3NDI1MgRncnBzcElkAzE3MDc1MDUyNDcEc2VjA3NsbW9kBHN0aW1lAzExODI3MTcyN
Tc-?t=ms&k=Dog+school&w1=Dog+handler&w2=Dog+school&w3=Dog+trainer+school&w4=
Dog+world&w5=Dog+world+subscription&c=5&s=100&g=2&.sig=EO7Rd2UMrjFOcDioDoSLS
Q> school 

*	Dog
<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads;_ylc=X3oDMTJjZjQxcmJlBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BF9wAzMEZ
3JwSWQDNzA3NDI1MgRncnBzcElkAzE3MDc1MDUyNDcEc2VjA3NsbW9kBHN0aW1lAzExODI3MTcyN
Tc-?t=ms&k=Dog+trainer+school&w1=Dog+handler&w2=Dog+school&w3=Dog+trainer+sc
hool&w4=Dog+world&w5=Dog+world+subscription&c=5&s=100&g=2&.sig=PqLJkHb14YX0i
KNSWG5v0A> trainer school 

*	Dog
<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads;_ylc=X3oDMTJjaDNlbDZyBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BF9wAzQEZ
3JwSWQDNzA3NDI1MgRncnBzcElkAzE3MDc1MDUyNDcEc2VjA3NsbW9kBHN0aW1lAzExODI3MTcyN
Tc-?t=ms&k=Dog+world&w1=Dog+handler&w2=Dog+school&w3=Dog+trainer+school&w4=D
og+world&w5=Dog+world+subscription&c=5&s=100&g=2&.sig=EaPiSZRQ4KNmakIB_BAjbw
> world 

*	Dog
<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads;_ylc=X3oDMTJjbnAzMDY0BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BF9wAzUEZ
3JwSWQDNzA3NDI1MgRncnBzcElkAzE3MDc1MDUyNDcEc2VjA3NsbW9kBHN0aW1lAzExODI3MTcyN
Tc-?t=ms&k=Dog+world+subscription&w1=Dog+handler&w2=Dog+school&w3=Dog+traine
r+school&w4=Dog+world&w5=Dog+world+subscription&c=5&s=100&g=2&.sig=87oJXNbuK
PZas15W6xaO5g> world subscription 

Yahoo! TV

Staying
<http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12j0387l7/M=493064.10729663.11333354.8674578/D=
groups/S=1707505247:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1182724457/A=3848445/R=0/SIG=10t28jksf/*h
ttp://tv.yahoo.com/lineup/> in tonight?

Check listings to

see what is on.

Yahoo! Groups

Moderator
<http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12j2cfa78/M=493064.10729651.11333342.8674578/D=
groups/S=1707505247:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1182724457/A=4617365/R=0/SIG=115gt68pf/*h
ttp://moderators.groups.yahoo.com/> Central

Connecting a world

of moderators

Biz Resources

Y!
<http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12j0nq1s1/M=493064.10729657.11333348.8674578/D=
groups/S=1707505247:NC/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1182724457/A=4025321/R=0/SIG=12a352npd/*h
ttp://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=44092/*http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-index>
Small Business

Articles, tools,

forms, and more.

.
 
<http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=7074252/grpspId=1707505247/msgId
=671/stime=1182717257/nc1=3848445/nc2=4617365/nc3=4025321> 
__,_._,___ 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20070624/9ac4d410/attachment.html 
-------------- next part --------------
An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed...
Name: _AVG certification_.txt
Url: http://nfbcal.org/pipermail/cagdu/attachments/20070624/9ac4d410/attachment.txt