Archie's hidden breeds, genetics and individuality

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi everyone-

7/1/18 Amy and I rescued a pup that @jumstead1023 had just rescued from an abusive/neglectful home.

I've posted more about his past 6-7 months with us and training in this thread.

In this one, let's discuss our searching for Archie's (or any dogs) individuality and what that means in the context of modern day genetics.

Webster defines individuality as:

total character peculiar to and distinguishing an individual from others

Conventionally, this starts with the DNA and genes.


The best way to peek inside of your dog's genes is by running a DNA analysis through Embark (who currently only decodes dog DNA).

This is done through a swab of cheeks cells that you can easily do at home using the kit you can order from them.

In their lab, your dog's chromosomes (made up by DNA and genes) are analyzed to give a report like this:

In addition, their report gives valuable data regarding to what dis-ease conditions a dog is predisposed:

This is all great information!

However, genetics and DNA are only a piece of the puzzle.

Similar to how the current conventional medical model is only a piece of a true wellness for your pets (and you).

Epigenetic factors (influences outside the DNA) have a "profound effect" on turning on or off genes, and this is even more important when it comes to quality of life.

One personal example is that if we only considered my genes, I I should be dead or in a wheelchair according to some sources.

Yet my own symptoms only continue to improve (partially thanks to y'all and our community!).

This improvement includes the Quest lab documented "cure" of my celiac after an accidental poisoning with gluten.

Those practioners who work both with Vitality (energy) as well a physiology (the physical stuff doctors measure with tests) know very well that lifestyle, Vitality and Balance matter a lot!

The fresh food (ideally raw) diet, plenty of exercise, fresh air, mental stimulation and homeopathy does this for your pets by turning on the good genes and turning off the harmful ones.

Toxins like those in vaccines, symptom suppression, and other things that work against the body (so-called "antis") can turn on the bad ones.

Whether they do or not is determined by your pets' Vitality.

One extreme example comes from the Broad Institute in Cambridge, MA.

This awesome collaboration between Harvard and MIT (they brought the world the breakthrough CRISPR genetic technology) has this to say in the case of patients with cancer:

Although cancer is typically considered a genetic disease, we are beginning to appreciate that epigenetic alterations play profound roles.

Most of these epigenetic influences are in your control.

Your pets' lifestyle and how you treat signs of imbalance can matter even more than their genes.

Ongoing research is finding more and more of the epigenetic molecular mechanisms that help define this balance.

So while DNA analysis is valuable, it is only part of the puzzle.

What you do every day can be informed by the genes but these Holistic Actions! are even more important.

This is why we talk about the holistic essentials and homeopathy with you every week!

Does this ramble make sense?

If you have any questions, just post them below.

Dr. Jeff

 

[Dr. Sara]

This is an interesting post, and touches on subjects close to my heart. I decided to obtain a naturally reared dog about 12 years ago, and decided that I wanted a Berner, with the possibility of breeding NR dogs. I made this decision after having numerous conventionally reared and rescue dogs, and working to help the various ways in which they were damaged (growth problems, behaviour concerns, allergies, etc) when I obtained them. I loved them dearly, but I wanted to see what I could do to decrease chronic dis-ease.

Breeders have the potential to produce pups, beginning before conception, to be as healthy, and emotionally and mentally well balanced as is possible. Not all breeds have an extensive open database like Berner-Garde, but that is a fabulous resource for any BMD breeder, allowing calculation of inbreeding, evaluation of pedigrees, and comparison of health data and clearances for potential mates.
That is the genetic part of responsible breeding.
The epigenetic part comes after the mate is selected.
During pregnancy the dam and pups can be treated homeopathically to optimize maternal and pup health.
Diet is an essential factor in promoting health of pups in utero, including feeding a biologically appropriate diet enriched with EFAs to support neurologic development.
Once pups are born, early neurologic and scent stimulation in the first few days helps gently stimulate the pups' developing brains and senses.
Exposure to household routines and noises, careful gentle handling, and appropriate stimulation and socialization continue the process of mental and emotional development.
When pups are handled frequently, positive reinforcement training and gentle reinforcement of appropriate behaviours teaches them how to behave with people. The adult Berners teach the pups how to behave with dogs, and a few gentle, pup-friendly dogs teach the pups that not all dogs are Berners!
As an NR breeder, I do not vaccinate. When my pups start to go outside I give them nosodes, as we have foxes in the area that could expose them to Distemper and Parvo.

We live with three healthy, happy generations of BMD - my foundation bitch, one of her daughters, and one of her granddaughters. I know and trust these girls more than any others, and I am proud of the pups that we have sent out to families. The pups leave their 'first family' knowing that people are wonderful, exposed to different people and situations, with basic obedience skills and the ability to deal with change. Responsible breeders are prepared to support their pup families for the life of the pup, including rehoming if necessary..
I understand the importance of rescue groups, and support their work. These groups help the dogs that have not necessarily had the advantage of careful breeding and rearing; they help the broken ones and the unlucky ones.
There is an valuable place for responsible breeding, to optimize dog health by optimizing genetic input, and epigenetic influences. If all breeders were responsible, we would have far fewer chronic diseases, and more emotionally stable dogs! Imagine how much more benefit we could have if there were more NR breeders - using minimal / no vaccination, and weaning to raw.