I recently tested Duncan for the full panel of Border collie genetic diseases, plus coat color and coat type. While it is not necessary to know the genetic coloring of a dog, it is certainly interesting and can be insightful to help figure out the colors likely to result from a breeding. Below are his results.
In a nutshell, he's clear for all the recommended disease tests. He is a "ghost tri;" genetically a black tri, though the tan color is barely visible on one leg, under his tail, and under his eyes. So although he appears to be black and white, he carries two copies of the tri gene and will always pass one on to his puppies. A number of his pups have been ghost tris like he is, and Echo (obviously) is a blue tri merle. Incidentally, she also carries two copies of the tri gene, which means that Cleone carries it as well, since Echo would inherit one copy from each parent. I'm so thankful for genetic testing because of the opportunity it provides to understand the world around us (especially in the area of health) and make decisions in accordance with that understanding. I am also thankful for the way we can see our Creator's matchless design in every area of life. DNA is an incredibly complex and efficient system for coding and using massive amounts of information. In Duncan's case, the DNA from one drop of blood reveals his coat color and patterning, coat length, shedding tendencies, whether or not his hair is curly (it's not!) and whether he is predisposed to any genetic health problems. That's a lot of information to get out of one drop of blood! Of course, that is not all the information in his DNA; that is simply the information I got from the lab. DNA is the most amazing information system I have ever learned about. Information must always come from an equal or greater source of information - and the massive amounts of information packed into DNA, in a format which can then be read and processed by RNA to build an organism, did not just happen by accident. DNA was created by God and we have just scratched the surface of understanding it.
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AuthorMy name is Alayna Feldman. I have been greatly blessed and am thankful, first and foremost, to the Lord Jesus Christ, Who has saved me. I am also deeply thankful to my parents, who have raised me in a stable, safe, loving home and taught me about what is most important in life. Archives
February 2022
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