*Important Note: The test results indicate that Butterscotch has 1 variant of the ATP7B gene for Copper Toxicosis. HOWEVER, THIS IS NOT A GOLDEN-RETRIEVER-RELEVANT CONDITION AND SHOULD NOT AFFECT BUTTERSCOTCH OR HER OFFSPRING. This is a condition that affects Doberman Pinchers and Labrador Retrievers with poor diets that are excessive in copper, and is not breed-relevant to Goldens. The ATP7B gene variant is NOT the condition itself, but it increases the likelihood of developing the condition.

For more information on the ATP7B gene, check out the Embark DNA website, which is the company we used to test our dogs, including Butterscotch. https://embarkvet.com/products/dog-health/health-conditions/copper-toxicosis-accumulating/.

As you will find on the Embark DNA website, golden retriever dogs are not considered to be a dog breed that is affected by the condition, even though they may have the gene in their DNA. Further research on this even states that a normal test result without the ATP7B gene variant does not exclude the possibility that a dog will develop the condition, as it is related to the dog's diet (occurring generally from an already bad, unrecommended diet of human food high in copper). Butterscotch has a single variant of the gene, which is significantly less problematic than the two variants. Even having one or two variants of the ATP7B gene does not guarantee a dog will be affected by Copper Toxicosis; it just increases the likelihood of it happening. The diet of a dog is the main factor in this condition.

Additionally, Butterscotch has both variants of beneficial mutations that help counteract the negative effects that the ATP7B Gene may have. This is the ATP7A gene and RETN Gene. You can read more about these here: https://embarkvet.com/resources/embark-adds-copper-toxicosis-dna-test/. With all these factors in mind, we are extremely confident that this should not have any effect on Butterscotch or her puppies. Even if the dog breed was a Doberman Pincher or Labrador retriever, it likely would still not be a problem because of the beneficial ATP7A and RETN Genes, on top of the fact that Butterscotch only has one variant of ATP7B, and we are breeding her to males who are totally clear of ATP7B.