With the DNA test now widely used for PRA, how long are people doing annual CERF exams? The past 2 times I've bred a bitch over the age of 5, the stud owners weren't concerned about a current annual exam.
What other eye disease would present on exam after around age 3-4? I know dogs can develop cataracts, but are those that appear later in life hereditary and therefore of concern in breeding? I'm wondering if annual CERF exams are necessary if the PRA status is known. Just looking for opinions........not an argument.
IMO, no need to CERF them once they are retired but you should keep up their ACVO exams until they are gone for health reasons too. For one example, labs can acquire iris melanoma for one and you would want to know this at its earliest onset to help the dog..
I guess my question is what are we looking for in older breeding dogs 4-5-6 year olds that wouldn't have already shown up. Prior to PRA genetic testing, we were looking for PRA. But what would now show up?
And as far as continuing the exam to uncover a fairly rare eye disease, would you recommend puppy buyers do a CERF exam for the same reason every year? If I weren't a breeder, I wouldn't be taking my dogs to an opthalmalogist unless my regular vet suspected a problem. That seems a little bit "overkill" to me.
Iris melanoma occurs in the labrador w/ a higher than normal incidence thus rendering it not fairly rare at all~ This, left untreated goes into glaucoma.
We have the test for the prcd mutation...There's other forms of PRA.
You could write CERF and request to purchase(I think)or have your ACVO get you the most recent report on the labrador retriever as to all its eye disorders~ I'm sure s/he would do that for you~ Mine keeps me in the loop~
In fact, this would be a good question you pose here, for you to pick up the phone and call your ACVO and visit about your thoughts, etc.
Juvenile cataracts (these are hereditary) can appear for a number of years. I believe the chart in the book shows most dogs will show this condition (if affected) by age 6. Agree w/ the CERF as a regular health check, since the eyes are often an indicator to so many things. I've gone to every other year once mine hit 6-7... right or wrong, it boiled down to not having enough room in my vehicle for everyone but now I have a van!!! ;)
I stopped cerfs when they became seniors until I had a senior with a tumor in her eye. The regular vets missed it when doing annual check ups and it turned out it was quite painful because of swelling in the eye. I would have done her a great service had I only done a cerf every two to three years as she aged. The tumor was removed and she lived to fifteen, but she shouldn't have had to be in pain before we found it. Turns out these rumors are fairly common, just usually undetected.
So from now on, when heading out to a clinic, seniors go too.
I CERF around 18 months old and then before I breed. After they retire, I like to do one more when they are older just to know for the line in the future but also it is good for them. Eye specialists simply know more than my regular vet.
If I had an active stud dog, I would do him yearly though.
