Lavender Foal Syndrome

[Steph @ Elements]

Yesterday, I had a foal born, and lost, to what we believe is Lavender Foal Syndrome, or LFS. This used to be thought to be present in only Straight Egyptian Arabians, but as I have found out (the hard way), horses decended from SE Arabians can also carry this genetic disorder. The most immediately recognizeable symptom is that the foal is unable to assume a sternal position after birth. They seem strong, they try to suck, but when you move them to a sternal position and then release them, they can't hold it for more than a few seconds and then they flop to their side again. If you lift them to their feet, they will flail as though running, but cannot support themselves on their feet. Their hair seems to have an irridescent tint to it, and sometimes their eyes flicker back and forth very rapidly. Since they have a strong suck reflex, many people will feed them and hope that they will get strong enough to recover, but it is a genetic neurological disorder that is permanent and cannot be cured. I am posting this in hopes that if anyone else ever ends up with the misfortune to have an LFS foal, they can recognize the symptoms and understand that the foal cannot be saved and perhaps save themselves AND the foal un-needful suffering. <sad sigh>

Steph

[ellamarie]

Hello Steph--First of all, I would like to tell you how sorry I am for your loss. Very sad day.

I do have a question about LFS. Have researchers identified the faulty gene? Can horses be screened like they can for the lethal white gene?

Thank you.

PS I think it is great that you allowed specimens to be taken and sent for evaluation.

[risingrainbow]

I applaud your courage. I'm sure that your heart must be breaking and yet you've taken the time to help educate others.

I also applaud your honesty and integrity. Many breeders would have swept this incidence under the rug afraid of repercussions on their breeding business. Speaking openly about this fatal genetic disorder and submitting samples to the scientists to help isolate the gene can only help bring the day closer when there will be a test to determine carriers so wise breeding decisions can be made and the heartbreak forever avoided.

The proud history of the Arabian horse couldn't be more honored than through the selfless act you have given here in the direst of circumstances. The contribution to the breed each heartbroken owner makes in choosing the road you are now traveling is immeasurable. Arabians are not just incredible horses, they are owned and loved by incredible people. I salute you!

[risingrainbow]

ellamarie said:

Hello Steph--First of all, I would like to tell you how sorry I am for your loss. Very sad day.

I do have a question about LFS. Have researchers identified the faulty gene? Can horses be screened like they can for the lethal white gene?

Thank you.

PS I think it is great that you allowed specimens to be taken and sent for evaluation.

I'm not Steph, but I can answer this question. The gene has not been identified.

The syndrome is so rare, the samples are limited. Looking for the needle in the haystack is dependent on a large sample base for comparisons. Steph's contributions will be an important part of the research.

[ShowMama: aka Pack Mule!]

Once again, I'm so sorry about the loss of this foal. Even though I never heard of this condition until now, I'm particulary interested in finding out more about it since our mare is half Egyptian blood. I looked at the pedigrees involved and find our mare shares some of those ancestors. I find genetics fasinating and am always trying to learn more.

MiKael, thanks for posting the article in your blog regarding this. Steph, thanks for being open and honest about this. With the help of people like both Steph and MiKael we all have learned alot, and with more knowledge we can work to eliminate these fatal conditions.

[Steph @ Elements]

Well, this morning I spent some time on the telephone with Donald Miller in the Equine Genetics Lab at Cornell. He is the person heading up the research on LFS right now. He said that while the entire equine genome has been sequenced, the gene, or genes, responsible for LFS have not yet been mapped. They are comparing sequences found in affected foals from which they have samples (about 8 so far, not including Storm). They are trying to identify what is different in their sequence from what is found in a normal, unrelated horse genome. They are very busy for a few weeks, but once they catch up, they will send test kits for us to get them samples from Frost, Shina, Shazmara, and possibly Shazmara's other foals that we might have access to as well. I will try to update this thread as I here from him. Thanks again everyone! As for being honest about it, I firmly believe that people should KNOW what they are dealing with, but also not try to be too pessimistic and scare people off. Sometimes that is a very fine line. I honestly think that education is the key to understanding!

[akkie]

I am so sorry for you Steph that you had to loose your foal to such a rare genetic disorder. I think it's fantastic that you help to educate us all. I had never heard of LFS but will keep following your thread to learn more about it, even though I breed miniatures. One never knows what might crop up and it is always better to be aware of things like these. Thanks again and hopefully this will all not be in vain. Your courage is a shining example to us all !

[kerma]

Thank you Steph for turning your loss into a wonderful education for all of us. I too never heard of LFS and will follow your thread here.

I send many prayers for peace in your heart, and much love for you and yours.

[lilpondarosamini]

For allowing us to learn while you are suffering so. I pray in his short life that his legacey will go on in a way to help prevent another one from going through this. I really appreciate you for all you have done and are still doing by trying to inform others of something that no one knows much about. to you I pray for peace and blessings to follow your way.

[Steph @ Elements]

showmama said:

Do you know what bloodlines are believed to be the origins to LFS? Particulary, is Nazeer involved? So many of the Egyptian arabs have multiple instances of Nazeer, that if he was a carrier, you would think LFS would be widespread.

You better believe that I have doing EXTENSIVE research and have far more information than I expected! Nazeer himself is not know to have ever produced a Lavender Foal (LF). In speaking with other breeders who have been extensively involved in research, I have compiled a list of both KNOWN LF producers, and also some SUSPECTED 'contributors' in that they show up in almost every single pedigree of a know LF producer. Shazmara's sire was a KNOWN carrier as he produced a number of LF foals, but people continued to use him because of his other outstanding qualities. Shaz's dam was also sired by a KNOW carrier, so there had been a 50% chance of Shaz getting it from her sire PLUS a 25% chance of her getting it from her dam. Each time that Shina is bred to a stallion who has NONE of the LF producers in his pedigree, we have a 50% chance of getting a clear foal. We will most likely never sell and of Shaz's or Shina's foals again unless there is a test developed. We have also decided that we will most likely geld any sons sired by Frost that are born on our ranch. We will most likely not continue to use Frost quite as much, ut we will NOT geld him as he is an OUTSTANDING horse, and I fully expect that the labs will develop a test someday soon.

[judmor]

Steph, I truly admire you for both your intelligence and your common sense approach to everything that's happened. That's a rare combination! The Arabian horse can only be improved by your ethical decisions.

Gotta admit that thinking about all these questions about genetics just gives me a headache. I don't know how you keep it all straight.

[ShowMama: aka Pack Mule!]

I truly appreciate you educating us on this matter. I have so many questions about this that I don't want to burden you with all of them. I would really like to see the outcome of your research when you're ready. Since our mare is half Egyptian, the more I learn about this, the better decisions I can make in any future breedings. I don't think I need to worry about the stallion we just bred to because he has very little, if any Egyptian lines.

Do you know if they suspect this LFS might be a multiple gene condition? The reason I would suspect it may be a combination of more than one gene is that the Egyptian line has a relatively small ancestor base. Unless there are numerous mis-diagnosed cases, I would think we would see the condition more often.

I commend you in the way you've handled this. So many people would have hidden it. I hope you are able to get a definite answer as to whether or not your foal was really LFS, as it would be a shame to limit the breeding choices of your horses unnecessarily. Frost is such a unique and beautiful horse.