# Ichthyosis and breeding



## Shalva (Jul 16, 2008)

jacksonjack said:


> Im looking for a golden . I've found a breeder that has some good looking dogs I like. It appears they do all the testing and post it to easily review. I noticed that they have a dog that is Ichthyosis "affected" they are getting ready to breed it to a clear dog. Is this a red flag ? Should I stay away from any pups who's parents are diagnosed with "Ichy" ?


icthyosis is an overproduction of skin cells so it makes a dog flaky/dandruffy but it doesn't appear to be a hazard to health and happiness. It is also a straight recessive so if her dog is affected but is bred to a clear then you shouldn't worry. Now if you are breeding then it is something that you would consider in your breeding decisions and make sure you test your pup before breeding so you can make educated decisions but for a pet puppy who is probably never going to bred I honestly wouldn't worry about it. 
S


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## attagirl (Aug 11, 2011)

It is my understanding that the combination of affected/clear will produce pups that are all carriers. It means they will be a Carrier with 1 normal copy and 1 defective copy of the gene.

http://www.antagene.com/uploadfichier/Anglais/ICT-A.pdf


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## jacksonjack (Dec 14, 2011)

Shalva, I tried contacting you thru the Milbrose website but got a weird message. I'm only a guest here and not a paying member. I'm not sure I can send a private message. How can I contact you ?
Jack


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## Shalva (Jul 16, 2008)

jacksonjack said:


> Shalva, I tried contacting you thru the Milbrose website but got a weird message. I'm only a guest here and not a paying member. I'm not sure I can send a private message. How can I contact you ?
> Jack


milbroseatgmaildotcom you can email me 
I am gonna have to figure out the website problem sorry bout that 
s


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## jacksonjack (Dec 14, 2011)

Ok, sent a note .


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## Darenka (Jan 18, 2012)

Not to hijack the thread, but to take advantage of the useful information already supplied.... can I ask for more information? If a dog has been identified as a 'carrier' is it possible to know immediately if pups born are affected? I have read that in humans, it can show up several years later, but it was implied that dogs are immediately affected--and this would be known at birth. Can someone confirm or correct this information?


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

A good description from the Optigen:
In Goldens it is Autosomal recessive...looking at the chart...you would need to have a 
Carrier x Carrier
Carrier x Affected
Affected x Affected
..to any affected within a litter....the number of affected dogs within the litter would depend on the combination

OptiGen Ichthyosis (ICT-A) in GR performed by Antagene


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## luvs.goldens (Jul 1, 2007)

I've had 1st hand experience with some serious and severe cases of Ich and have to share here. I worked for Golden Retriever Rescue of Dallas for over 10 years and saw many cases varying degrees of symptoms. It's not just a case of dandruff, flaky skin.
I fostered a 5 YO female that had severe problems from Ich that had caused skin infections and eventually developed into terrible skin problems and severe skin allergies. She had to have an injection daily, medicated bath 3 x a week, her feet (pads) soaked daily, and we put her on special diet of limited ingredient food just to help prevent adding to her allergies. Her skin, especially on her stomach, was grey-blueish color and very thick. The grey, thick skin is a common symptom even in mild cases.
I saw dogs with mild cases, some in between, some pretty serious, requiring vet intervention as well. It's the luck of the draw.
Many breeders say it's not a big deal and don't even so the genetic testing on breeding stock. Those people just haven't seen a serious case yet.
I am uploading a chart that shows the breakdown based on the status of the parents. It's useful for knowing the risk of the litter.
The pups in the litter can be tested if you're interested in a litter and you know there's a risk of affected pups. My pup came from a litter where both parents were Carriers. I did some research and learned that some of the litter would be affected. I liked all other things about the litter, health clearances, genetic testing, etc.
I asked the breeder if she would test the 4 available pups for Ich. She balked saying it's not an issue...... I offered to pay half to test he 4 pups and she agreed. 2 were clear and 2 were affected. That narrowed down my pups to choose from and I got a pup I know is clear.
Sorry this is long, but I had to share the facts about this to people that haven't seen a serious case.


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## luvs.goldens (Jul 1, 2007)

Here I'm going to try to upload chart. I kept getting error before.


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