Respiratory Effected Genes in a Man's Best Friend

For a lot of us pet lovers, our little pups are our best friends.  Some of us own puppies with smushed faces, such as Bulldogs, Pugs, and Boston Terriers, who sometimes have trouble breathing.  However, their breathing troubles may not only be caused from their skull shape but from the recently discovered gene affecting respiratory systems.

A study was done on the Norwich Terrier dog breed, a dog with a perfectly protruding nose that is known to have trouble breathing.  A total of 401 Norwich Terriers that all had history of wheezing were studied and were found to have the same gene in their DNA.  It was the gene variant ADAMTS3 that was found in these Norwich Terriers, and had been previously linked to the cause of swelling around airways causing a respiratory tract disorder.

Out of the 401 DNA sampled dogs, 33% of them had 2 copies of the ADAMTS3 gene and displayed worse  respiratory symptoms.  The dogs that obtained one gene still experienced symptoms, but not as bad.

Perhaps breeders can utilize this discovery to help determine whether or not they want to breed certain dogs.  It can assist in giving future pet owners healthier puppies and less problems that would involve less future trips to the veterinarian.

To view the original article, click here. 
To find out more information about the ADAMTS3 gene variant, click here.