Umpqua Valley Kennels LLC does an extensive panel of DNA tests of their sires and dams for over 160 genetic abnormalities. This gives our puppies a genetic advantage. As a result of testing our breeding stock for these genetic abnormalities, we are confident that the dog you purchase from us will never be affected by these problems.
It is important to recognize that being clear or a carrier are both clinically normal conditions. If you want a puppy and have no intention of breeding then a puppy that is either clear or a carrier will be equally acceptable.
‘Carrier’ is the term given to an individual (of any species) that carries a single copy of a recessive mutation that is associated with a specific inherited condition, usually an inherited disorder. An individual will only suffer from a recessive disorder if it inherits two copies of the causal mutation, one from each parent. If it inherits a single copy of the mutation it will remain healthy but will pass the mutation on to about half of its offspring.
Knowing which dogs carry the mutation and which don’t (the so-called ‘clear’ dogs) enables breeders to make sensible and ethical choices about the dogs they mate together. All dogs can be safely bred provided at least one of the mating pair is clear of the mutation.
Breeding to eliminate all affected and carrier dogs might at first seem attractive, but this might lead to dogs with otherwise excellent characteristics being ruled out unnecessarily and narrowing of the gene pool. If carriers are prevented from the breeding the opportunity to pass the rest of their genetic material to the next generation is also lost and the genetic diversity of the remaining population is thus reduced. A breeder who intends to breed a dog who is a carrier, must breed to a clear (non-carrier, non-affected) mate. In addition, offspring of this mating must also be DNA tested for the carrier dogs if they are ever bred.
