Originally Posted by
Kate H
But Bet, the researchers saying 'Selective Cavalier breeding could now be difficult to eliminate the genetic risks factors for SM in Cavaliers' is not at all the same as saying that we need fresh genes, if by 'fresh' you mean 'new'. The genetic code for Cavaliers (as for any dogs) is a given - you can't import different genes, because all Cavaliers have the same genetic code, otherwise they wouldn't be Cavaliers. The genes that produce CM/SM are the same genes that all Cavaliers have, but they have become corrupted, mutated or are not functioning properly. Until you have identified the gene that is producing the problem - and why it is doing it - you can't start looking for the same gene in its original (not fresh, not new - same old gene) form. And if only an estimated 10% of Cavaliers might possibly have the 'undamaged' gene, given the huge population, taking that path to solve the CM/SM problem is going to be like looking for a needle in a haystack; and close inbreeding of that sort could produce another health problem. Gene therapy (ie, repairing the bad gene, or substituting some synthetic alternative) is presumably a possible way forward, but that is very much in its infancy in humans, let alone dogs. An outcross might be an answer, but that takes time, dedication and a great deal of money, and we might lose what makes Cavaliers so special in the process, so would it be worth it?
Anyone who knows more about genetic research than I do (not difficult!) can now pick holes in this post!!
Kate, Oliver and Aled