VetGen - The leader in veterinary genetic disease research and genetic disease detection services for purebred animals

Breeds Serviced

  • Bishon Frise
  • Border Collie
  • Boykin Spaniel
  • Chesapeake Bay Retriever
  • Chihuahua
  • Havana Silk Dog
  • Havanese
  • Kuvasz
  • Leonberger
  • Maltese
  • Portuguese Water Dog
  • Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier

Curly Coat

A mutation responsible for curly coat in dogs has recently been identified in the KRT71 gene. This was the result of an extensive collaborative effort by researchers from a number of universities and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NIH). The work was published by Cadieu et al. in the journal Science (www.sciencexpress.org / 27 August 2009 / Page 2 / 10.1126/science.1177808 ), and the test offered here is based on that work. The mutation is a dominant one, so in breeds where the coat can be either curly or not, it is possible for a curly dog to carry the non-curly trait.