Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I own a 7 yr old overo paint mare and am looking on having her tested for lethal white, I just bought a toby colt that I would like to breed her to next year. I have been told that it is a waste of money to test for lethal white in my mare, because if they both cary the gene, the foal will not "have" lethal white but be a carrier. I might of fallen asleep in biology 101 but if 2 genes are there it will have the whatever that gene is, ie: lethal white. I have also been told that toby's do not carry the gene. Has anyone else heard of this. and just breeding 2 paints what is your chance of having a lethal foal? I have been told 25%. am not wanting to jump into this blind, but to be informed, I don't think I could just breed blindly and have a chance that I will watch ANYTHING die slowly. anyone have any info on this???

ok, so an overo can carry 1 LWOS gene and one normal gene, and your toby shouldn't have an LWOS but if he's a tovero he could so... good idea to test (I think UC Davis does it). If both carry the gene you have a 25% chance of having a lethal white foal which will die within a few days of birth, no cure for it. With those same parents you'd have a 50% chance of producing a carrier (won't have LWOS but could pass the gene on if bred), and 25% chance of having a normal foal. If only your mare carries the gene you have a 50% chance of a carrier and 50% chance of a normal. I would test, I'd rather spend the money than risk heartbreak on the other end (plus all the money that went into her pregnancy and the foal)