Q & A
 

 

 

 

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Red merle pup with full tail.

Blue merle littermate, full tail - although slightly shorter in measurement due to size difference in pups.

Question & Answer

*Although the collection of data has concluded for this study, I have left a few of the Q & A below for informational purposes about the study.

A natural bobtail (partial tail)

Full tail - note white tip on end

Q: "What types of health problems should I note on my information sheet?  If I have a puppy with a cleft palate, for example, do I need to mention that?"

A: Primarily, I will be looking for any abnormalities associated with the spine or hindquarters.  One example would be spina bifida, which is an incomplete fusion of the vertebral arches.  This condition can be minor, with little or no evidence if only one vertebra is minimally affected, to as severe as paralysis or a protrusion of the spinal cord.  Another condition you should note is that of imperforate anus.  In this condition, the intestinal tract, formed during embryonic development, does not completely form all the way through.  Puppies affected with this condition will not be able to defecate and rid their bodies of waste.  There may be no anus or if the lesion is higher up in the intestine an anus will be present, but not connected to the rest of the intestinal tract.  This condition occurs in virtually all species, even tailed ones, and is thought to be a developmental defect (unrelated to tails or taillessness); however, I am including it in this study to see if there is any correlation between its occurrence and an increase in NBTs.

 

Q: "Do I need to include data on puppies that die or are culled?"

A: Yes.  One of the by-products of this study will be to determine if litter size is affected by the presence of the NBT gene.  Including data on puppies that do not live will provide valuable information in this regards.  If puppies are culled because of litter size, undesirable color or markings or other health concerns, all the breeder needs to do is simply state that the pup was culled.  Details in those instances are not needed; however, it is important to include  data on each pup in order to have data that truly reflects every aspect (inheritance, tail length, spinal defects, litter size) that is being studied.

 

Q: "If I want to take part in the long-term study, what do I need to do?  And what is the purpose of the long-term study?"

A: You won't need to do anything different, just more of the same.  You will be providing information on a litter from an individual or individuals that were from a litter whose data was included in the first phase of the study.  A single generation study may provide us with some clues about the possible mode of inheritance, but following through on second and third generations will be necessary to define it.