AKC & Merle Rat Terriers
“Can Dogs be registered with a color or marking that is considered a disqualification in conformation according to the breed standard? Decisions about acceptable colors and markings for registration and conformation competition are made by the national breed clubs for each of the respective breeds. In addition to color information in the breed standards related to conformation, the national breed clubs also determine what colors may be used in the registration of their breed. While some colors may be disqualifications within the breed standard, dogs of a disqualifiable color may still be registered.” – AKC
The news about Merle – It’s All Good! Some Rat Terrier breeders feel the need to make negative comments about the merle coat pattern in the Rat Terrier…making claims that these dogs cannot possibly be purebred, and insisting that all merle dogs have health problems.
These claims are simply not true…and the breeders distributing this misinformation are doing so in the interest of their own financial gain. If they can scare you away from buying a merle puppy, then they can sell you one of THEIR puppies.
It’s all about marketing. Pure Breeding As for the origin of the merle pattern in the Rat Terrier, it traces back to the Feist, which is the primary ancestor of the purebred Rat Terrier as we know it today.
Feists come in all colors and coat patterns, including merle and brindle. Registration Due to dog show and breed club politics, the AKC breed standard was written to exclude merle (and brindle) from the conformation show ring. However, non standard colors and patterns may still be registered with AKC, and the dog can compete and title in any other AKC event except conformation. Our puppies are AKC registered and AKC limited (non breeding) registration is included as part of your puppy purchase.
Health Issues – There IS the risk of possible health problems (most often eye and ear defects) associated with the merle gene, but this risk ONLY occurs when two merles are mated together. As merle is a simple dominant gene (it cannot be carried), it is NOT complicated to work with…the simple way to avoid any health issues is to always breed a merle to a non-merle. As long as a merle Rat Terrier has one non-merle parent, it has no risk of being any less normal & healthy than a non-merle Rat Terrier!
NO RESPONSIBLE BREEDER WILL EVER CONSIDER CROSSING 2 MERLES!
Merle is common and accepted in a number of other dog breeds. If those breeders can educate themselves about how to properly manage merle genetics, and breed healthy dogs, Rat Terrier breeders can do the same. Merle is here to stay, and increasing in popularity as more and more Rat Terrier fanciers discover these beautifully colored dogs, no two of which are marked exactly alike.
Facts & Info
What you need to know about PLL Primary Lens Luxation. A Genetic eye disease that affects Rat Terriers
Lens luxation is the dislocation or displacement of the lens within the eye. The lens is the clear structure in the eye, consisting of two rounded or convex surfaces that focuses light rays to form an image onto the retina. Normally the lens is suspended between the iris (the colored portion of the eye) and the vitreous (the clear gel in the back of the eye), and is held in place by small fibers called zonules or suspensory ligaments.
Should the zonules break the lens can either become partially dislocated (subluxated) from its normal
position or completely dislocated (luxated). When the lens detaches and falls forward into the anterior chamber in front of the eye, it is called a posterior luxation the pupil, it is called an anterior luxation When it falls back into the rear portion of
Primary lens luxation is an inherited disorder in which the zonules or suspensory fibers degenerate The condition occurs mainly in the Terrier breeds, and sporadically in other breeds. Although the underlying reasons for the lens luxation are not well understood, inflammation or a defect in the zonules may play a role. With primary lens luxation, both eyes are prone to dislocation of the lens
The typical age of onset for PLL is 4 to 8 years. A luxated lens will cause pain and inflammation and requires immediate veterinary attention. Expensive surgery is often indicated, and the dog’s vision may not be able to be saved. In some cases, the entire eye must be removed
PLL testing for Rat Terriers became available in 2009.
The PLL DNA test is not expensive (cost has gone down to as little as $25 per dog) or invasive – it is a simple check swab that can be done at home, no veterinarian visit is required and even very young puppies can be tested. It is a once in a lifetime test.
PLL IS A TOTALLY PREVENTABLE DISEASE!
The DNA test will categorize dogs as:
AFFECTED (AT RISK) – Two mutated copies of the gene At high risk for lens luxation. Not the ideal dog for breeding, but if bred, it must be to a clear mate only 100% of the puppies will be carriers
CARRIER be bred to a clear mate; each puppy has a 50/50 chance of being a carrier. No affected puppies will be produced One normal and one mutated copy of the gene. At very low risk for lens luxation. If bred, must
CLEAR – Two normal copies of the gene. At no risk for lens luxation can only pass a normal copy of the gene on to its offspring and cannot produce an affected puppy
CLEAR BY PARENTAGE – Both sire and dam of the dog were clear, a “Cep dog does not need to be DNA tested itself
Odds of inheritance for the PLL Gene
CLEAR X CLEAR = 100 CLEAR
CLEAR CARRIER = 50% CLEAR / 50%
CARRIER CLEAR X AFFECTED = 100% CARRIER
CARRIER X CARRIER = 25% CLEAR / 50% CARRIER / 25% AFFECTED
CARRIER X AFFECTED = 50% CARRIER / 50% AFFECTED
AFFECTED X AFFECTED = 100% AFFECTED
Source: MicroRatz Toy Rat Terriers
What you need to know about PRA-prod Progressive Retinal Atrophy - Progressive Rod Cone Degeneration a Genetic eye disease that affects Rat Terriers
Progressive Retinal Atrophy – progressive rod cone degeneration (PRA-pred) is a late onset, inherited eye disease affecting many breeds of dogs.
PRA-prod occurs as a result of degeneration of both rod and cane type photoreceptors of the retina, which are important for vision in dim and bright light, respectively The retinal cells degenerate and die, even though the cells seem to develop normally early in life.
The rod type cells are affected first, and affected dogs will initially have vision deficits in dim light (night blindness) and loss of peripheral vision.
Over time, affected dogs continue to lose night vision and begin to show visual deficits in bright light. Although there is individual and breed variation in the age of onset and the rate of disease progression, the disease eventually progresses to complete blindness in most dogs.
The inheritance of PRA-prcd is just the same as PLL: a dog is clear, carrier or affected. Clear and carrier dogs will never develop the disease.
In 2016, the PRA pred gene began to show up sporadically in Rat Terriers in genetic disease testing panela. It’s now been seen enough that we know we have a potential problem and it’s time to test all breeding Rat Terriers
The PRA-prcd DNA test is not expensive cost has gone down to as little as $25 per dog) or invasive – it is 8 simple cheek swab that can be done at home, no veterinarian visit is required puppies can be tested. It is a once in a lifetime test and even very young
PRA-pred IS A TOTALLY PREVENTABLE DISEASE!
The DNA test will categorize dogs as:
CARRIER – One normal and one mutated copy of the gene, At no risk for retinal atrophy. If bred, must be bred to a clear mate, each puppy has a 50/50 chance of being a carrier. No affected puppies will be produced
AFFECTED (AT RISK) – Two mutated copies of the gene. At high tisk for retinal atrophy. Not the ideal dog for breeding, but if bred, it must be to a clear mate only 100% of the puppies will be carriers.
CLEAR. Two normal copies of the gene. At no risk for retinal atrophy. Can only pass a normal copy of the
gene on to its offspring and cannot produce an affected puppy,
CLEAR BY PARENTAGE – Both sire and dam of the dog were clear a’CBP”dog does not need to be DNA tested itself
Odds of inheritance for the PRA prod Gene:
100% CLEAR
CLEAR x CLEAR 100%
CLEAR x CARRIER = 50% CLEAR / 50% CARRIER
CLEAR X AFFECTED = 100% CARRIER
CARRIER X CARRIER = 25% CLEAR / 50% CARRIER / 25% AFFECTED
CARRIER X AFFECTED -50% CARRIER / 50% AFFECTED
AFFECTED x AFFECTED = 100% AFFECTED
Source: MicroRatz Toy Rat Terriers