If you own Nigerian Dwarfs already and/or are a member of ADGA, then you've likely been hearing a lot about Congenital Myotonia lately!

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What is it? Congenital Myotonia, a characteristic of Fainting or Myotonic Goats, is a heritable neuromuscular disorder characterized by a slow relaxation of skeletal muscles following voluntary contraction. The sudden muscle stiffness often causes the animal to fall over briefly. You can read more about it here and here. There is also a wonderful Ringside Podcast featuring our friend, Stephanie Trout. 

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What does it have to do with Nigerian Dwarfs?  In the early days of developing the breed, Myotonic or "Fainting" Goats were some how introduced into the gene pool.

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How is it inherited?   CM is autosomal recessive. This means that in order to express the gene, the animal has to have two copies of the gene. This can either happen from one copy inherited from each parent if they are both carriers (N/CM), OR, an affected (CM/CM) passing down two copies of the gene to offspring. The three statuses are:

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N/N: No copy of the gene detected. Normal.

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N/CM: Carrier. One copy of the gene detected. No expression of the gene, 50% of               offspring will be carriers. 50% of offspring will be normal.

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CM/CM: Affected. Will express the gene. 50% of offspring will be carriers. 25% of                  offspring will be affected. 25% will be normal.

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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Why are we hearing about it now?  While it has always been in the breed, recently ADGA has declared that expression of the Congenital Myotonia gene to be an undesirable trait for Nigerians. Genetic testing to identify the gene has also recently become available in the US.

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What now?   We do not have any affected goats in our herd. We are in the process of testing our entire herd, unless we can determine N/N status through parentage. All statuses are listed on the individual goat pages on our website. We will NOT breed two carriers together. Moving forward, all offspring out of a carrier will be tested through GenSol before becoming available for purchase. We will not be offering carriers intact or registered. We may decide to retain a carrier that is exceptional for our own breeding program, but since we can't guarantee breeding decisions once they leave our herd, this is what we are comfortable with for now. This means that if you are looking for a registered animal, you can be guaranteed N/N status! We will make educated and selective breeding decisions with the goal of eventually breeding it out. We are grateful for this genetic testing to be available so we can make responsible breeding decisions and ensure peace of mind to our buyers!

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