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Sunday, May 20, 2012

Guess the Genotype #72

Can you guess this dog's genotype? Its breed?

Image is from Flickr.com under a Creative Commons license



This is Bodo, a Pekingese. He is described by his owner as an albino, but is he really? There are a number of sources that question the existence of a true albino gene in dogs. Dobermans are known to have a form of albinism, though these dogs are not true albinos due to the presence of a distinct cream caste to the coat. True albinos lack all pigment, but one interesting aspect of this is eye color. Though most people associate albinism with pink eyes, it is actually quite common for albinos to have blue eyes, or even fully pigmented eyes in some cases. When looking at it this way, blue-eyed white dogs with pink skin may very well be true albinos. Bodo looks pretty albino. However, I don't think that he is a true albino. If you look closely, it appears that he has pigment on his nose and his eyes have a distinct greenish appearence. Though it is possible he is an incomplete albino, I suspect that he isn't an albino at all. What would that make him? This is what I believe his genotype to be:

Bodo is very possible a very light red dog, which appears to be far from uncommon in certain lines of Pekes. That would make him cpcp very pale red.

In addition to this, I believe his eyes are so light because of the dark pigment on his body being extreme diluted. Though unusual, both the blue and liver dilution genes are seen in the Pekingese breed. This would make him bb dd fawn (liver + blue).

I suspect that Bodo is a very pale recessive red. It would explain his lack of a dark mask, which is seen in most members of this breed. Maskless Pekes do occur, and are usually just as pale as Bodo is. This would make him ee recessive red.

I also believe that this dog is extreme white piebald. Both piebald and extreme white are known in the breed, and the genes can cause the stripping of pigment from the skin, including the eye rims, paw pads, gums, and eyes. This would make him swsw extreme white.

So, that would be bb cpcp dd ee swsw or white with a pink nose.

3 comments:

  1. http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/22851420

    Here's another maskless red peke - bring this up because I was browsing adoptable pekes today and she stood out to me as a (mostly) solid, vivid red.

    It's depressing that it's hard to find well-muzzled pekes here, they seem to be common in Russia - if looking at silly dogs on youtube counts as accurate research.

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    Replies
    1. That's a nice color, and it looks like that girl has at least a finger's width of muzzle on her.

      It does seem that some European countries (and I'm lumping Russia in with "European") tend to be more progressive in their views on dog health, including the connection between muzzle length and the ability to breath.

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