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Labradoodles mostly poodle, study suggests
Labradoodles were first created in 1989 by Australian Wally Conran.
DNA findings reveal breed retains a huge amount of poodle genome.

A study by US researchers has concluded that Labradoodles are mostly poodle.

Writing in the journal Plos Genetics, scientists report how they analysed the DNA of 21 Australian Labradoodles and compared it with the DNA of pure-bred labs and poodles.

As the Guardian reports, the offspring of labradors and standard poodles were found to be genetically a 50:50 mix of the parent breeds. In Australian poodles, however, the results were surprisingly different:

“The thing that we didn’t expect to such a degree was that the Australian labradoodle retains a huge amount of poodle genome and doesn’t retain a lot of the Labrador retriever genome," said study co-author Dr Elaine Ostrander.

The team attributes their finding to how Labradoodles were developed. Instead of breeding Labradors and poodles together, new pure breeds were introduced into the mix over generations to maintain consistent traits and keep the dogs healthy.

“People have been doing planned and deliberate crosses with the idea of having it eventually recognised on a registry as an established breed,” Ostrander said, adding that the Australian Labradoodles in the study were at least four generations away from the original Labrador-poodle cross.

Labradoodles were first developed in 1989 by Wally Conran, an Australian who set out to create a guide dog appropriate for people with asthma or allergies.

The study compared more than 150,000 positions in the genomes of Australian Labradoodles, with the same positions in the genomes of Labradors and standard, toy and miniature poodles. Researchers also analysed these positions in American cocker spaniels, Irish water spaniels and English cocker spaniels.

Researchers suggest that more poodles and Labradors may have been introduced over the years because their coats are less likely to cause an allergic reaction.

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.