PRA testing crossbreed

Re: PRA testing crossbreed

Virginia Campbell — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 19:00:50 GMT

Thanks for all your thoughts.

In this case I suspect

[quote user="Robert Lowe"]

breeders may be using inferior stock to create the crossbreed thinking they don't have to worry about Kennel Club health schemes. Indeed my fear is that just as the kennel club get on top of breed related disease we are going to see a proliferation of problems in crossbreeds for this reason.

Rob

[/quote]

On further questioning of breeder by O, she thought he sounded like a dodgy puppy farmer - wanted to meet her at a filling station, made excuses when she wanted to come and see sire and dam etc.

I know of precisely zero designer crossbreed breeders in Northern Ireland (although this breeder was in the Republic) who could gave a darn about health testing and O had come to the same conclusion...so is casting the net wider.

Anyone know of a good sensible cockapoo breeder in the north west of England/Wales?

Re: PRA testing crossbreed

Robert Lowe — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 15:02:58 GMT

Hi Ginny

We would advise that both parents are BVA/Kennel Club eye tested for hereditary eye disease. DNA testing would be useful in addition to this.

As the quoted paper suggests incident of hereditary types of ocular disease can be higher in these designer crosses than the original breeds. I suspect this is because breeders may be using inferior stock to create the crossbreed thinking they don't have to worry about Kennel Club health schemes. Indeed my fear is that just as the kennel club get on top of breed related disease we are going to see a proliferation of problems in crossbreeds for this reason.

Rob

Re: PRA testing crossbreed

astraldream — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:13:38 GMT

Both breed clubs advise testing for PRA as part of the recommended breeding health tests.

Re: PRA testing crossbreed

Sally Everitt — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:19:30 GMT

The Animal Health Trust http://www.aht.org.uk/cms-display/genetics_tests.html do not list genetic PRA test for either Poodles or Cocker Spaniels however there is certainly evidence of abnormailities turning up in " X breds" as shown in the paper which appeared in the Vet Record earlier in the year about Labradoodles

Paper: Survey of ophthalmic abnormalities in the labradoodle in the UK

J. A. C. Oliver,
D. J. Gould

Veterinary Record 2012;170:15 390 Published Online First: 25 January 2012 doi:10.1136/vr.100361

Sally

Re: PRA testing crossbreed

Michael Woodhouse — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 13:15:06 GMT

I bet this is a question no-one can truly answer. Maybe suggest to owner to get pup tested and find it's status.