NO! OptiGen test results are meant to be used in a responsible breeding program. This does not mean that carrier or affected dogs should never be bred. It does mean that carrier and affected dogs with other desirable traits can be bred, but only to a certified, genetically “Normal/Clear" dog in order to prevent the genetic disease. We can't make specific recommendations about how people should handle their dogs.

There is a great deal of responsibility involved in breeding a dog. Hopefully, it is not just something that happens', but is preceded by a great deal of research and veterinary testing.

It is important to bear in mind that common diseases, such as atrial fibrillation and stroke, occur as a result of the interplay of both environmental (including lifestyle and other health and medical conditions) and inherited risk factors. As a result, having a specific genetic risk factor for a common disease does not mean that one will necessarily develop the disease; and not having a certain risk variant does not eliminate the possibility of developing the disease.

It is very important to realize that because there are a number of risk factors of atrial fibrillation, including both genetic and lifestyle/health factors, receiving a negative result for the deCODE AF? test does not mean that one is at low or no risk of AF. Back to top of page

There are 4 possible test results: "negative", "positive", "indeterminate", or "result not available." A "negative" test result means antibodies to the hepatitis C virus were not found in your test sample and it is extremely unlikely that you have been infected with the hepatitis C virus.

It means a laboratory could not confirm the presence of Hepatitis C antibodies in a particular blood sample. It could mean that an individual may be in the process of converting from being negative to being positive. It could also be due to other medical factors. In either case, it is recommended that the individual be re-tested.

Hepatitis B carrier" is a term that is sometimes used to indicate people who have chronic (long-term) infection with HBV. Persons with chronic infection can infect others and are at increased risk of serious liver disease including cirrhosis and liver cancer.

An insufficient blood result refers specifically to the Home Access® Hepatitis C Check Test system. It means that the Hepatitis C test could not be performed on the blood sample that was sent to the laboratory. This happens most often because there was not enough blood to test, there were white spots in the circle, or the blood did not soak through all the way to the back.

SuperMutt. A little bit of everything. If we had to guess then maybe a little labrador, some pit bull, a tiny bit of Jack Russell Terrier, and a few sprinkles of whippet. He is one of a kind, and no, you can't have him.

It is true that Pattern B means the dog is not affected. But Pattern B dogs have a high risk of being carriers, and B plus B could equal C. Even if you have the best-kept pedigree in town, do you want to take the risk of producing Cs? Cs can turn out to be affected. Breedings of B x B yield an average of 1/4 As, 1/2 Bs, 1/4 Cs. So, this breeding can produce Bs at high risk of being carriers and Cs at high risk of being affected.

This means she has two copies of a gene that codes for an enzyme involved in glycogen storage; one copy is healthy, the other is defective. She can pass along either copy to her offspring with equal probability. (If the father is also a carrier, their offspring has a 25% chance of inheriting the disease, and a 50% chance of becoming a carrier.)

Currently, the only way to know for certain if a dog is a carrier for PNA is if that dog produces a PNA puppy, which of course will only happen if that dog is bred to another carrier, and still might not happen if the Fates are kind and especially if there is a small litter. A test to identify PNA carriers has been discussed for years, and will hopefully become a reality in the not-too-distant future.

The most commonly used syphilis tests screen for an antibody to the syphilis organism. Lupus patients sometimes have a very similar antibody. This similar antibody, the antiphospholipid antibody (aPL), can cause an incorrect positive result on a syphilis test. If the doctor suspects that the patient may not really have syphilis, he may choose to then run a different, more complicated and expensive test that checks specifically for the syphilis organism.

Yes, but it would be wise to use a clear mate. In our opinion the carriers are very important as they will help us all enjoy the breed and keep the gene pool safe. It is small enough and if we took the carriers we feel that the breed as a whole could suffer. In our opinion we should be breeding to eradicate this.