Unfortunately, some who don't care about the breed health test and use the results to appear caring. Even the ABS has its problems, it's accessible to back yard breeders and puppy farmers, as much as those who genuinely care, and a large proportion of this is down to health testing.

Bordy, I absolutely loved your posts, fabulous! Dare I say you obviously genuinely care for your breed, health testing doesn't have to prove this if you know your lines and breeding.

I wasn't going to post on this very serious sticky, but just felt I had to join in. As much as health testing is a very useful tool, it should always be fully explained to people, it isn't just a case of clear means acceptable to breed from, or a hip score of 7:7 is great, a hip score of 0:0 is perfect - it isn't as simple as that.

Anyway, an update on Labrador Retrievers, there was a brief post earlier!

Recommended tests, and those required to be a member of the ABS are:

Hip score should be around the current Breed Mean Standard of 15, with as equal a score as possible, so 7:7 is acceptable, 15:0 is undesirable. The lower the score the better, so 0:0 is the best score. Each hip is scored out of 53, so a total of 106.

BVA Current Clear Eye cert, should be current at time of mating. This is an annual test, and does not cover a dog for it's lifetime. It may be that a dog that is currently clear and used in a breeding programme could later fail an annual BVA current clear eye test.

Other health tests for Labrador Retrievers are:

Elbow grading, should be either a 0 or 1. Each elbow is graded from 0-3, with the grading presented similarly to hip scores as 0:0 or 0:1 etc. Anything higher than a 1 is undesirable. Elbow grades are referred to by the highest score, so a 0:0 is a 0, and a 3:0 would be a 3.

PRA - progressive retinal atrophy, a genetic eye defect, results are either clear/normal, carrier or affected. Preferrable result is clear/normal.

CNM - centro nuclear myopathy, a muscle wasting disease, genetic test results are similar to those of PRA, preferrable result clear.

Some results for genetic tests are shown as CBP or Clear By Parentage; this has not been proven to carry through several generations as yet.

There are several other tests available, none as yet have been identified as a problem within the breed.

Tests that will be available in the near future are for HC (hereditary cataracts), HD (hip dysplasia), and also possibly for EIC (exercise induced collapse - although the underlying causes of this are debateable) and Epilepsy.

BSD = hips and eyes ( PRA)

I am a KC accredited breeder of BSD and would like to see the Kc make health testing mandatory BEFORE registrationfor all dogs on it's register.

However it should not be forgotten that health is just ONE factor when selecting for breeding - temperament, construction and type are all important too . The big danger is that some dogs may well be overused because they 'have it all' ( good health test results, good temperament etc etc ) and in breeds with a limited gene pool this can quite easily mean that many dogs can be closely related - with each health test that is introduced we inevitably narrow the gene pool even further as those who fail are ( should ) be eliminated from breeding .

The only solution for some breeds is using dogs from overseas either by importing , taking our bitches over or by using frozen semen all of these things should be made much easier ( and cheaper ! ) - i also feel that the Kc should look more leniently on the careful and structured use of intervariety matings ( such as allowing Tervueren x Groenendael matings in my own breed ) -

Personally I think it inexcusable to breed from dogs that have not been health tested - only by testing can you KNOW the problems that may be passed on. Simply saying " my dogs are healthy" does NOT make them so !

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Blood test to check liver and kidneys

Heart and Eye tests (V IMPORTANT IN THIS BREED)

Irish Wolfhound - Livershunt, Heart and Eye Tests

__________________

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Heart test by vetenary cardiologist do be done annually,clear certificates are valid for a one year period.
Eye test by vetenary ophthalmologist to be done annually,clear certificates are valid for a one year period.

MRI scan recommended at the age of 2 ½ for SM, any dog screened before the age of 2 ½ should have a second screen when older.

The above tests do not identify carriers of the above conditions, they are an assessment of the parents only.Affected puppies can still be produced.

Bulldog-DNA test for Urate Stones.

newfoundlands
kc say hip's and heart
some off use are doing elbow's and cystinuria these are all one off

Neapolitan Mastiff:

ABS says no test (the 2009 edition)...

my big mama (DDB X NEo, some say with a bit of G Dane) has been assessed for hips (by a geneticist...no hip scored) and heart (cardiologist/vet)

for dogs over 35kg at least heart and hips/elbows MUST be checked for. it would be highly IRRESPONSIBLE if it weren't.

even if i don't sell my pups, and have no proofs of these tests - except the references from the cardiologist-vet and the geneticist who carried them out... - i would never breed without at least checking for these potentially crippling conditions.




best
D

Heart and eyes yearly. CKCS should be over 2.5 years old when bred for the first time at the earliest, and preferrably older, and they should only be bred this young if their parents are over 5 and still heart clear.

MRI scan as Muse mentioned is essential.

Hips and knees can also be a problem.

See Cavalier King Charles Spaniel - Health & Genetic Diseases for the full list of things Cavaliers are prone to (there are over 40).

I think Hip Scoring and Eye testing will do.