[Tagrenine]

Patella means nothing in this breed. Dentition can be nice, but not necessary and is mostly done on stud dogs. I believe thyroid is a personal breeder decision, but not a huge issue in our breed. Usually when I see patella I assume it’s somebody who doesn’t know what our requirements are

 

[JaxonsDaddy]

To avoid starting a new post/thread, let me piggyback on my original. If a Breeder tells you that the sire/dam of a litter has been tested and is "Clear" on all genetics, would you just take their word for it or would you want to see the actual test results and verify which genetic conditions/mutations were actually tested?

 

[Tagrenine]

To avoid starting a new post/thread, let me piggyback on my original. If a Breeder tells you that the sire/dam of a litter has been tested and is "Clear" on all genetics, would you just take their word for it or would you want to see the actual test results and verify which genetic conditions/mutations were actually tested?

Unless the parents have public results posted, I personally would want to see the dog’s results in a database.

 

[JaxonsDaddy]

Unless the parents have public results posted, I personally would want to see the dog’s results in a database.

Unless the parents have public results posted, I personally would want to see the dog’s results in a database.

when you say database, do you mean like k9data? I see a lot of breeders list genetic results on k9data but some list more than others. If you are just going by what you see on K9data, is it based on the "honor system" and assuming that the breeder is submitting the correct test results or are there some checks and balances that are required to make sure the correct results are being posted? Does K9data require the actual test results to be submitted and then K9data Admin adds the info to the dogs page or can the Breeder just go in and add the information themselves?

 

[Tagrenine]

when you say database, do you mean like k9data? I see a lot of breeders list genetic results on k9data but some list more than others. If you are just going by what you see on K9data, is it based on the "honor system" and assuming that the breeder is submitting the correct test results or are there some checks and balances that are required to make sure the correct results are being posted? Does K9data require the actual test results to be submitted and then K9data Admin adds the info to the dogs page or can the Breeder just go in and add the information themselves?

No, I prefer seeing them posted in OFA.
For K9data, we can link the OFA results, including the DNA if applicable but GRCA doesn’t make DNA a requirement. A lot of breeders will out “Clear, carrier, etc” without having uploaded to OFA. For somebody I trust, I don’t see an issue. Before the advent of DNA, breeders were tracking diseases through pedigrees with success.
Now if someone is being dishonest on K9data, the results can be changed by a different user and if the transgressions continue, the admins can lock the dog.

Something I see happen occasionally is an unscrupulous breeder will have a dog in K9data that appears to have completed health testing. However when you click on the links, the links bring you to a different dog on OFA.

 

[JaxonsDaddy]

Patella means nothing in this breed. Dentition can be nice, but not necessary and is mostly done on stud dogs. I believe thyroid is a personal breeder decision, but not a huge issue in our breed. Usually when I see patella I assume it’s somebody who doesn’t know what our requirements are

Good to know! Both of our Goldens developed thyroid issues when they were around 4 years old. Fortunately it was never anything serious. Just had to do some occasion bloodwork to make sure no adjustments were needed with the dosage. The medication was given twice daily but fortunately it was cheap and the boys would take it easily once coated in peanut butter

 

[myluckypenny]

OFA charges for everything that's posted there, so I completely understand why breeders don't list more than the core four clearances. I don't think any breeder would take exception to wanting to see copies of the reports for anything not listed in OFA though, so just ask. Personally I won't pay to get DNA tests put on OFA anymore, I did with my main stud dog because it's nice to just have it all out there for bitch owners but definitely not needed.

 

[JaxonsDaddy]

OFA charges for everything that's posted there, so I completely understand why breeders don't list more than the core four clearances. I don't think any breeder would take exception to wanting to see copies of the reports for anything not listed in OFA though, so just ask. Personally I won't pay to get DNA tests put on OFA anymore, I did with my main stud dog because it's nice to just have it all out there for bitch owners but definitely not needed.

Thanks. So there's probably a good chance that Breeders might have more available information than what is listed on OFA?

 

[Hildae]

Thanks. So there's probably a good chance that Breeders might have more available information than what is listed on OFA?

Sometimes. DNA seems to rarely be posted to OFA (the cost most likely) but ethical breeders will have it and have no problem sharing it.

 

[JaxonsDaddy]

Sometimes. DNA seems to rarely be posted to OFA (the cost most likely) but ethical breeders will have it and have no problem sharing it.

This is going to sound like a really stupid question but is DNA the same as GENETICS (i.e. ICH, NCL, DM, etc...)?

 

[Tagrenine]

Yes

 

[Hildae]

This is going to sound like a really stupid question but is DNA the same as GENETICS (i.e. ICH, NCL, DM, etc...)?

Yes, the DNA testing from embark or pawprint etc.

 

[Megora]

Patella means nothing in this breed. Dentition can be nice, but not necessary and is mostly done on stud dogs. I believe thyroid is a personal breeder decision, but not a huge issue in our breed. Usually when I see patella I assume it’s somebody who doesn’t know what our requirements are

I'm more cynical than you. 🥴 When I see those things, I go back over to check what is missing. Because usually that's why all the extra stuff is done.

OFA charges for everything that's posted there, so I completely understand why breeders don't list more than the core four clearances. I don't think any breeder would take exception to wanting to see copies of the reports for anything not listed in OFA though, so just ask. Personally I won't pay to get DNA tests put on OFA anymore, I did with my main stud dog because it's nice to just have it all out there for bitch owners but definitely not needed.

You just made me feel better about myself. >.< Since I've been griping about the OFA costs for non-required clearances that already were pretty expensive.....

 

[Birdi]

Patella means nothing in this breed. Dentition can be nice, but not necessary and is mostly done on stud dogs. I believe thyroid is a personal breeder decision, but not a huge issue in our breed. Usually when I see patella I assume it’s somebody who doesn’t know what our requirements are

It's interesting that it's more likely people unfamiliar with the breed requirements rather than someone having had patella issues crop up in their dogs. I think I would've assumed the latter, but I know very little about breeding - maybe this is a sign I'm becoming too cynical! 😅

 

[Oceanside]

I’m late to the party, but I was thinking what Kate wrote. I’ve seen numerous unethical breeders try to overcompensate for a missing clearance by loading the dog with every clearance they can come up with. I suppose they think they can “wow” prospective buyers by showing that they have gone the extra mile, but as others have said, things like patella are not useful. I couldn’t care less about shoulder either. Dentition is nice, I suppose, but it’s no guarantee for the offspring.

Regarding DNA, you can ask for a copy of the report from the breeder, and you can typically call the company who did the testing and ask them to verify that the report is real. I’ve never done that, but if you’re working with an unfamiliar breeder, it wouldn’t hurt to verify. The full panel is rarely submitted to OFA due to cost — sometimes NCL, but rarely the whole thing.

 

[DevWind]

It's my understanding that to meet the GRCA Breeder Standards, the Breeders must test for elbows, hips, heart and eyes. Is that correct?

When I look at OFA's, I sometimes see where the Breeder has also included in the OFA test results the following: PATELLA, DENTITION, THYROID.

Why would some Breeders choose OFA test for only the required 4 but not the others?

If you were looking at a litter, would you want to see OFA testing for EVERYTHING?

I personally don't have everything on OFA. Just the 4 core clearances and NCL. Everything else is available on Embark, which I believe I have set to public so others can see it. I would absolutely share if it was requested.