At 12:07 PM -0500 7/1/05, Lynn Smith wrote:
>I think the question, should be if a dog is affected with CEA should it be
>breed at all. Many dogs with this show no side effects and there is no way
>of knowing if the dog has it without testing. If I knew my dog had CEA with
>no sypmptoms I do not think I would be breeding that dog.

I've been told that over 90% of the collie population are carriers for CEA.
If that is true then you can't just eliminate *all* dogs who are carriers
from the genepool. But you can select for non-carrier mates and choose pups
who win the non-carrier lottery for future generations.

        Wouldn't it be nice if "responsible" breeders were choosing for
healthy eyes (and solid structure and temperament and instinct) rather than
perfect markings and ears that tipped over "just so" (with the help of some
tape and some glue and maybe some surgery) and huge coats...

jan