A Dog's Colour Could Impact Longevity, Increase Health Problems:
Recessive colour genes could indicate health problems.
New research led by the University of Sydney has revealed the life expectancy of chocolate Labradors is significantly lower than their black and yellow counterparts.
The study of more than 33,000 United Kingdom-based Labrador retrievers of all colours shows chocolate Labradors also have a higher incidence of ear infections and skin disease. Its findings were published in the open access journal Canine Genetics and Epidemiology today.
[...] In the UK, the median longevity of non-chocolate Labradors is 12.1 years, more than 10 percent longer than those with chocolate coats. The prevalence of ear inflammation (otitis externa) was twice as high in chocolate Labradors, who were four times more likely to have suffered from pyo-traumatic dermatitis (also known as hot-spot).
[...] "The relationships between coat colour and disease may reflect an inadvertent consequence of breeding certain pigmentations," he said. "Because chocolate colour is recessive in dogs, the gene for this colour must be present in both parents for their puppies to be chocolate. Breeders targeting this colour may therefore be more likely to breed only Labradors carrying the chocolate coat gene. It may be that the resulting reduced gene pool includes a higher proportion of genes conducive to ear and skin conditions."
Journal Reference:
Paul D. McGreevy, Bethany J. Wilson, Caroline S. Mansfield, Dave C. Brodbelt, David B. Church, Navneet Dhand, Ricardo J. Soares Magalhães, and Dan G. O'Neill Labrador retrievers under primary veterinary care in the UK: demography, mortality and disorders. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40575-018-0064-x.
(Score: 3, Informative) by captain normal on Saturday October 27 2018, @06:08PM (3 children)
The study had to do with Labrador retrievers, in particular chocolate Labradors. As the article states, the color is the result of a recessive gene. There is quite a bit of difference in yellow and black labs. they are pretty close to mutts. This is a problem with all special breeds. There is so much inbreeding that it is very easy for the breed to be susceptible to various health problems. Coat color is not a general indication of health problems.
"It is easier to fool someone than it is to convince them that they have been fooled" Mark Twain
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Saturday October 27 2018, @09:49PM (1 child)
Alternate theory: pumping all that chocolate into their coat color is depriving them of the scientifically proven health benefits of chocolate...
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/06/24/7408365/
(Score: 3, Informative) by captain normal on Saturday October 27 2018, @09:58PM
Chocolate is toxic to dogs.
https://www.hillspet.com/dog-care/nutrition-feeding/is-chocolate-bad-for-dogs [hillspet.com]
"It is easier to fool someone than it is to convince them that they have been fooled" Mark Twain
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Reziac on Sunday October 28 2018, @03:54AM
Speaking as a canine professional with nearly 50 years in the field, and a specialty in Labradors, y'all don't know what you're talking about. The difference between black and yellow Labs is ONE gene. The difference between black and chocolate is also just ONE gene, controlling whether black is fully expressed. Blacks and yellows both have fully expressed pigment; chocolates do not (that's why they're brown and not black). /simplified for an amateur audience
Pigment affects a lot of things (hearing, vision, nervous system, immune system). And we've known for some time that the black gene in wolves, which came from crossbreeding with domestic dogs, is associated with a stronger immune system, hence is spreading among wild wolves. That the same applies to dogs is hardly surprising; very likely it applies across the entire species.
Of all domestic dog breeds, Labradors have the largest and broadest gene pool. And they can't be both purebreds and mutts, which are opposites.
When various species of wild animals were DNA profiled, average level of inbreeding was found to be about 25% which is quite a lot higher than the average for domestic animals. (D'ya really think a buck cares that half those does are his daughters?) There's a lot of noise about inbreeding vs domestic animals, but in the real world, with real data, the theories don't hold up very well. Actual breeding research, using live animals (and same with human pedigrees) has found that a certain level of linebreeding (3rd cousin or thereabouts) is more beneficial than is persistent outcrossing.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 27 2018, @06:24PM
Breeding for specific 'traits' often enhances underlying genetic defects. Known this for 100s of years..
Wonder how much they got for this 'study'
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 27 2018, @07:06PM (3 children)
Especially at the hands of the police.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 27 2018, @08:57PM (2 children)
So if we breed the blackness out of Afro-Americans, they'll live longer?
(Score: 0, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 27 2018, @09:04PM (1 child)
Sending them all back to Africa would also work, without the miscegenation.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 28 2018, @09:46AM
From my experience, they would not be welcome. Black/white is seen as an indicator of money, not race.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Saturday October 27 2018, @07:27PM (3 children)
chihuahuas love up to about 20 years
Pugs to 15
Bulłdogs are lucky (unlucky?) to get to 12.
Reccessive breeding shortens life expectancy. News at 11.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by stretch611 on Saturday October 27 2018, @08:44PM (1 child)
While it is well known that mutts in general live longer than pure-breeds, there is another rule of thumb when it comes to the life span of dogs...
The larger dogs have shorter lives than smaller dogs.
Comparing chihuahuas to labs in lifespan really is far from a comparison of equals.
Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Saturday October 27 2018, @08:59PM
Chihuahuas,pugs and bulldogs are all relatively small.
Bulldogs are bread to have short heads, and being unable to breath properly contributes to early death.
While bred to be small, chihuahuas have quite a broad range ofshapes and colours. Luckilyfor them, breeding only for size seems to have kept some genetic diversity.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Sunday October 28 2018, @03:23AM
Small size in dogs is generally recessive (this holds across the entire species). TINY is the product of multiple recessives. You may want to rethink your conclusion.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 28 2018, @12:03AM (1 child)
It doesn't impact anything.
Colour can't make an impact.
It may have an affect, but it's definitely not an impact. There is no collision between objects at all.
(Score: 2) by Bot on Monday October 29 2018, @06:08PM
> Have an affect
*effect
Maybe they meant figuratively, like "small penis size impacts your sex life", which means the cocklet does not impact very much, if at all.
Account abandoned.