# Fleabitten Gray dominant or recessive?



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I'm not one that stays up on the _most _cutting edge of the horse color genetic studies, but last I knew, they hadn't even really isolated the gene that caused fleabites, let alone whether it was dominant or recessive.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong. I do know that gray is dominant though.


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

You're right on the money sm. What causes flea bites has not been isolated but i believe it is speculated that a homozygous grey will not have flea bites while a heterozygous grey can.


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## riddlemethis (Jun 3, 2008)

Heterozygous grays are more likely to have fleabites v.s homozygous according to the study.


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## deserthorsewoman (Sep 13, 2011)

My own study says, all my greys with one grey parent(6) were/ are fleabitten, the two with both parents grey were not.


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## SunnyDraco (Dec 8, 2011)

I know heterozygous greys who are flea bitten and others that are not. Some heterozygous greys covered in flea bites and others with only a couple. I know a lot of greys lol
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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Lol That's why I said it was believed and not fact :lol:


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## SunnyDraco (Dec 8, 2011)

I grew up with a herd of heterozygous grey horses who had only one grey parent, and none of them grew up into flea bitten greys. The one we bred that turned out to be a flea bitten grey was breeding a possibly homozygous grey mare (snowy white since she was a 4yr old) to a flea bitten heterozygous grey stallion. The filly is very flea bitten like her sire was and is also a heterozygous grey.*

Every flea bitten grey I have known through family and friends were all heterozygous greys. But being heterozygous grey doesn't mean they will be flea bitten.*
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