I've been interested in labrador retrievers for the last couple of years and finally found a breeder to purchase my first lab from. I just found out that her pick, which was my girl's littermate, did not pass her eye exam and will have to be spayed. I just wanted to find out from other experienced breeders what this means for my girl. I won't have a chance to talk with my breeder into later on tomorrow. Is my girl at risk for eye problems?

er, I meant until not into

I should also add, I'm also showing my dog with the possibility of breeding in the future. Of course I'm not even thinking about getting into this without as much mentoring and research as possible.

From what I read on the Optigen site, it mentions 3 results, free, carrier, affected. I'm not sure what her littermate's test came back as. I'm worried my girl will be affected, regardless of my plans for showing/breeding.

In your opinion, do I give up on her show/breeding prospect and start my search again?

Have your girls eyes tested and do Optigen to ease your mind and go from there.

What exactly was the problem? It is impossible to know how to answer you without knowing what the diagnosis was.

Was it CERF or an Optigen test? And what was the diagnosis? There are LOTS of things that it could be. But more than likely for most conditions, if she has to be spayed and placed, your girl is probably a carrier.

If it was a puppy Cerf exam, it wouldn't diagnose PRA. PRA typically can't be determined in a simple eye exam until the dog is 3-4 years old. If the pick puppy was simply a carrier, it would not necessitate spaying. It may have been retinal folds, retinal dysplasia or some other problem?

Thanks for your replies. I'm speaking to her about it today.

Find out EXACTLY what the problem is.

I agree, you need to find out EXACTLY what the problem is and then you need to take your bitch and do a CERF exam and Optigen. Just because a littermate came down with something doesn't mean that your bitch will. IMO, if your breeder is reputable, wouldn't the chance of YOUR bitch having a problem be reduced since there is only a certain percentage of the litter can come down with a hereditable disease, and if one already has it, it may have gotten the bad roll of the dice.

I only had a chance to speak to her briefly, I'm calling back later in the afternoon. Some information I did get was that it was a Cerf exam and that another littermate was tested and he was cleared. She would like me to get my dog tested. I have no problem doing this.

She's very disappointed. Her pup just finished her championship. She was a beautiful girl. I'll find out more later.

So it must not be a pup any more?

She just turned 9mths.

AKC Champion at 9 mths - must be a really nice bitch! Did the breeder CERF the whole litter before placing them?

Must not be PRA, that would not show in a Cerf exam at that age. Closer to 2 years and then it would still just be a guess and would need another test to be sure of PRA. Let us know.

If she was diagnosed with retinal folds or hereditary cataracts, she still may not have to be spayed. There are new tests on the way.

I spoke with Dr. Aguirre the end of January of this year. He has a new test for retinal folds which will differentiate the simple folds from the RD that is linked to skeletal dwarfism. He told me that Optigen test should be out this year. So, we will no longer have to eliminate the dogs who have simple retinal folds.

Also, they are working on the test for hereditary cataracts. They have determined that they are inherited as a recessive which takes both parents to produce. While this test is still a bit further away, his recommendation was NOT to spay or breed, but if the dog is young, just WAIT for the test. If this bitch has HC in both eyes, please ask your friend to go to the Optigen website and follow the directions to send in her blood. The more people who send in samples the sooner the test will be completed.

So once these tests are out, they will be like the test for PRA. We will be able to breed our affecteds and carriers to Normal/Clear dogs.

BOTTOM LINE, in the not so distant future, we will be able to do one Optigen test and learn the status of our dogs for all three hereditary problems - PRA, RD and HC, and them breed them accordingly.

Won’t that be terrific?

Laura:

Thank you so much for sharing this information. I for one, will look forward to the day we can test for all three.

:)

I just talked to my breeder and she was diagnosed with geographic retinal dysplasia. He also said the test can not specify if a dog is a carrier. I'm not sure if this is the same thing that Laura mentioned.

Thanks for the info Laura, it's very interesting.

This should have been caught as a younger puppy - was an eye exam not done at 7-8 weeks of age??? This is why we take the time and spend the money to do this on litters - so we don't put considerable time and effort showing a puppy that won't pass clearances.

Also, I'm assuming it's not an AKC championship at 9 mths? Canada?

I would recommend she call Dr. Aguirre at UofP and send him the ACVO form. He should be able to tell her if the new test applies to what her pup was diagnosed with. BTW, I had a pup diagnosed with geographic by one ACVO and cleared by another ACVO. ALWAYS get a second opinion. She always cleared after that for many years. If you get conflicting opinions, get a third opinion. These ACVO's are only human and can make mistakes.