Inbreeding impact on litter size and survival in selected canine breeds

Grégoire Leroy; Florence Phocas; Benoit Hedan; Etienne Verrier; Xavier Rognon

doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2014.11.008

Inbreeding impact on litter size and survival in selected canine breeds

Vet J. 2015 Jan;203(1):74-8. doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2014.11.008. Epub 2014 Nov 18.

Authors

Grégoire Leroy¹, Florence Phocas², Benoit Hedan³, Etienne Verrier², Xavier Rognon²

Affiliations

¹ AgroParisTech, UMR 1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, Paris F-75231, France; INRA, UMR 1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, Jouy-en-Josas F-78352, France. Electronic address: gregoire.leroy@agroparistech.fr.
² AgroParisTech, UMR 1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, Paris F-75231, France; INRA, UMR 1313 Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, Jouy-en-Josas F-78352, France.
³ CNRS/Université de Rennes, UMR 6061Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes, Rennes F-35065, France.

PMID: 25475165
DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2014.11.008

Abstract

Data obtained from the French Kennel Club and the Fichier National Canin were used to estimate the effect of inbreeding on average litter size and survival in seven French breeds of dog. Depending on the breed, litter sizes were 3.5-6.3 puppies and longevities were 7.7-12.2 years. Estimated heritabilities were 6.0-10.9% for litter size and 6.1-10.1% for survival at 2 years of age. Regression coefficients indicated a negative effect of inbreeding on both individual survival and litter size. Although the impact of baseline inbreeding within breeds appears to be limited, the improper mating of close relatives will reduce biological fitness through significant reduction of litter size and longevity.

Keywords: Canine; Inbreeding depression; Litter size; Longevity; Survival.

MeSH terms

Animals
Dogs / genetics*
Dogs / physiology*
Female
Inbreeding*
Litter Size*
Male
Pregnancy