Here's an eye clearance that I had saved online (not sent in to OFA - and there's no point now).
I don't like personal information being out there, so a lot has been scratched out on the left. Nothing has been changed on the right.
This was for my boy Jacks who I lost a couple months ago to cancer.
Best gist of an eye exam is it may last only a minute or two.
Dogs eyes will be dilated before - and eye vet takes a look at both eyes.
Owner (me) - fills out all the personal address information on the left side.
Eye Vet will check microchips and write that information down, check the eyes, and depending on the findings will mark accordingly on the right side - and sign the cert.
On the right side - he will either declare the eyes as "normal" or not.
If the eyes have something like distichiasis (very common), the eye (or both eyes) can't be marked as normal. But it's a breeder option and low concern.
With my little 10.5 year old dog - he had clear eyes all his life. Which was crazy, because he also had teary eyes all his life. <= Which, is my way of pointing out that even if a dog has full clearances including clear eyes every year.... you still need to have a conversation about health with the breeder. And ask questions about what you see with the adult dog.
Primary concerns that I would go over with a breeder any time and every time - even with my puppy's breeder who is a close friend... it's ask about skin health, allergies, stomach issues, etc.
As what the adult dogs are eating, etc.
To answer a question about whether a breeder could fake an eye cert. Probably? I guess it's easy to see how a clearance could be faked if somebody had the paperwork? And had other clearances to use to fake a eye vet's signature and #. Other thing is I don't know how easy it is to contact an eye vet and ask them to verify a client/clearance????
Especially if a breeder doesn't always have original copies of the eye clearance for studs she uses. If they ask, they probably are getting a scanned copy sent over to them. And a scanned copy is a lot easier to fake, quite honestly.
The breeder who hasn't sent the clearances in will have the cert on official paperwork to show a puppy buyer - even though, again - will just provide copies or scans to the buyer.
Anyway.
All reasons why having the clearance on OFA - at least within a year of the breeding is best! <= And I'm guilty because I do not habitually send eye certs in to OFA. Even this year, I have a cert filed away and was one of those people pulling it out to send scanned copies to whoever.
But if you think a breeder is likely to do something like falsifying clearances.... to the point where you have to ask them how you know if those clearances are real.... you should probably walk away from that breeder.
