What do these numbers mean?
On average, Poodles test at 0.25 for Outlier Index (OI) which measures how common or diverse their genetics are compared to the rest of the gene pool. Diverstiy breeders aim to increase OI and Moxie tests higher than breed average.
Internal relatedness (IR) measures how in-bred or out-bred a dog is. The average IR for the breed is 0.02 and diversity breeders aim to decrease the IR or go below that average.
Haplotypes are a gene associated with the dog's immune system. Certain haplotypes are associated with a slight increase risk of SA and/or Addisons and other haplotypes are rarer and considered protective. Moxie does not carry those risky haplotypes and one of her haploytpes is rare/protective. The 1014/2013 haplotype is only carried by 1.27% / 1.23% of the poodle population!
Studies have shown that by increasing OI and decreasing IR and being mindful how we breed dogs with risky haploytpes, we can breed healthier poodles with less incidence of autoimmune disease like Sebacious Adenitis (SA) or Addison's disease.
Moxie's Miracle Story
Moxie's first name was Miracle. She is our very special Oops! puppy. She was born just two weeks after we welcomed our very first litter. We were unaware that her dam, Wishes, had been accidentally bred until a few days before Miracle was born. Talk about a whirlwind! Because she surprised us, we had to DNA test all our boys to find out who the father was. It was determined that Sunny was the boy that bred her dam through the fence. Although accidental and unintentional, both Wishes and Sunny were fully health tested and of breeding age. Miracle's dam unfortunately had a very difficult labor. Although Moxie was born alive, three other puppies didn't make it despite our best efforts to rush her dam to the emergency vet. Unfortunately due to staff shortages because of Covid, there was not an available surgeon to do a cesarean in a timely manner to save the puppies. We were sent home with our one surviving puppy, that we naturally began calling, Miracle. The whole family helped to raise Moxie, as her dam was not up to the task. She was bottle fed and tube fed to save her life. My sister also was a great help in raising our singleton. Moxie lived with my sister for nearly a year and she earned her CGC, CGCA, CGCU, URO1, SPOT-ON, ACTJ1, and ACT1 titles with her. Moxie now lives in a loving local guardian home with a friend.