One of my mentors is doing a frozen semen breeding from which I should be able to get a pup from for showing.

I was asking her about clearances on him, and since he was frozen some time ago and not around anymore some of the more "modern" tests can't be completed. Like elbows, heart, PRA, EIC. I think if she had 2 vials, she could do some blood testing for the last 2, but what about the first two? And she only bought 1 vial. I asked her about it and she isn't worried since the dog has historically produced sound get, and doing research she IS correct. The current generations stemming from that dog are producing passing test results. I usually trust her judgment but I haven't been able to google up much research to support what she says. Any thoughts?

Pretty simple. You must assume he is Optigen B , you must assume he is an EIC carrier, and you must breed the valuable frozen semen to a bitch that can handle that.
There was a day when we bred dogs to dogs , instead of clearances to clearances. The new thinking scares me to death.

If the female is Clear, not an issue

I don't understand, so it's OK to breed to a Carrier or even an Affected with PRA and EIC as long as the female is clear? And we don't necessarily care about the elbow or the heart since it never appeared as a problem with past breedings with this male, though he's never been paired with a female of this particular pedigree?

This certainly makes sense but why then are so many folks so anal about clearances then?

Don't forget that the PRA and EIC tests are a TOOL, not an eliminator. If the bitch is clear, an AFFECTED offspring shouldn't be produced from this breeding. Of course you will need to test the resulting offspring to see what their status is on those issues. But, isn't that why we have developed these tests in the first place? As for the hip and elbow clearances, you will have follow your heart on that one. If the dog has a good track record in that regard, I'd be tempted to take the chance. If you are not comfortable doing so, simply say, "No thank you", and walk away. Best of luck with your decision.

Why are soooo many people anal about clearances you ask ?

They have their place, they are tools to be used to put a pair together. They were never meant to be the eliminator of a dog. That thought process comes from very novice breeders, who unlike you stumble through this process with out guidance, and that is because they know it all, and nobody wants to deal with them, let alone think about mentorship. Count your lucky stars that you have a mentor.

I think much depends on the line or dog. How long is the dog deceased, what did he produce when he was alive?

I'm sure at the least his hips were cleared and his eyes CERF'd. You said his elbows weren't cleared but that should depend on how long ago he was born and passed.

If some of the newer clearances are absent it can give you additional chances of health problems *but* any breeding is taking a chance, even with all clearances. Some health problems don't have full genetic testing available today such as TVD. Even a clear echo means the bitch or stud-dog doesn't have TVD. It doesn't mean they don't carry it possibly.

I'm not totally comfortable with the EIC testing although I do it. I won't get into that discussion because of my thoughts on it.

Your mentor is giving you the opportunity to possibly have a pup from this breeding. You need to decide how comfortable you are with the stud-dog and bitch. The look at the clearances already done on the stud-dog and if you like the bitch and her clearances. Do they compliment each other?

As she's not the owner of the stud-dog and only bought 1 straw, she doesn't have the chance to test the way an owner with an extra straw or 2 could. Did the owner have enough to test? Some breeders, given the chance to test a straw of frozen semen couldn't be bothered to. Others do as much testing as they can.

You might want to ask your other mentors about that stud-dog without starting rumors. See what they have to say without telling them anything that isn't public information regarding this breeding. They might know more than you or your mentor who is breeding to the frozen semen of this stud-dog do about him and his get.

It's your decision to accept or not accept a pup offered to you from that frozen breeding based on the information you have. You could regret your decision either way. You might have a healthy, terrific show potential pup from the breeding. If the stud-dog was that special, with healthy get in the past, it might be worth taking a chance on a pup.

There's only 1 dog who had lots of frozen semen that would concern me. If it's his frozen semen, I know he produced multiple problems. I can't publicly state his name, sorry.

Be careful but don't discount what might be a very special pup from a great breeding.

Why would your mentor only purchase 1 straw, do you know that to be factual? Usually 2 straws are used for frozen breedings either for a surgical implant or transcervial insemination.

I hope you make a good decision either way. Do what your brain tell you to, not just what your heart does, jmo.