Is there any particular company that any breeder out there can recommend? Thanks.

DDC

Even better, U of MN

Is UM report accepted by OFA? I know DDC is.

I know the U of MN results are accepted by OFA because all of mine are listed on OFA - I don't think OFA accepts DDC results because there is no check of identification. I have used DDC though and they are quick and affordable.

On the subject of EIC. Can there be mistakes in the testing? Carrier bitch bred to Clear stud produces 4 affected, not carriers, affected!!?? That is not possible...right?

Haven't heard of any mistakes thus far.

If your scenario is conjecture, then I'll dismiss it as such.

If your scenario is your own personal experience, I would DNA all dogs involved if I were you. Sire, dam, entire litter to confirm.

I have heard of "mistakes" with semen when shipping. The dog you thought you bred to did not produce the semen in the tube...

Correct. The testing seems to be pretty accurate as results. It's a pretty simple genetic test.

So I agree, if you are just asking, technically a clear and a carrier would only produce clears and carriers.

If you have tested and found that not the case, I would double check with the testing company and then get ready to deal with DNAing parents and pups.

I apologize but I still do not get the whole EIC thing. I have been told by researchers that while PRA tested affected dogs result at some point in PRA affected dogs, EIC tested affected dogs most likely will NEVER ever become affected or even show any clinical signs. I have also been told that this EIC issue is WAY over blown, the test results are meaningless as far as the dogs actually becomming affected or showing signs and that once again we Americans have found something to become hysterical about that the rest of the world doesn't recognize. Is that right? If so, and if EIC tested dogs by and large never ever actually become symtomatic, why are we bothering with all this? Wouldn't we all be better off the resources were spent on tests for crippling issues such as elbow displaysia

You don't have to "get" it. If you do not find value in it, don't use it. Those people who have experience with EIC affected dogs find great value in the test and will continue to use it and breed around the condition. Everyone has a right to use the tools that allow them to breed to their own personal standards, especially since each individual is responsible for what they produce.

I personally have no experience with TVD, and based on a review of results on OFA, it would appear that disease is also non-existent. I do not believe that is true, and even though an ECHO exam does not "prove" my dogs are not carriers, I still clear my breeding stock.

Most dogs (80%) that are genetically affected DO eventually collapse. There may be some lines in which collapse is very rare because they are somehow protected by other genes. But if an outcross is done to a carrier from a line lacking that protective gene, collapse may happen "out of the blue".

I know of a number of collapsing dogs from show lines. If you never want to hunt with, swim, or play retrieving games in the back yard with your dog, then it may be no big deal to you, as your dog will never collapse in a situation that endangers its life. Then I have another question; why do you have a water loving, retrieving, hunting breed?

If spending $65 for a test and then using that information to plan breedings is being hysterical, then I plead guilty as charged. Before the test was available, I co-bred a dog that was bought as a hunting companion and could not participate in those activities because it collapsed. This was a dog from very popular conformation lines and a top stud dog at the time. Once is enough!

Peggy wrote: " If you never want to hunt with, swim, or play retrieving games in the back yard with your dog, then it may be no big deal to you, as your dog will never collapse in a situation that endangers its life. Then I have another question; why do you have a water loving, retrieving, hunting breed?"

Wow. Thanks for a good post, from an experienced point of view. Points well taken. It is a cheap test, relatively speaking, and one more tool that we can use. There are plenty of clears to use for our girls.

I like DDC and used them for all of my girs. The Univercity of Minn. is the originel tester. It's the only facilitiy that OFA will post their results on their sight.
If it's a stud dog, I would use the Univercity. If you're not worried about OFA posting, use DDC which is a few dollaers cheaper.
There are a few to many boys with out any EIC testing or claimed to be un-tested.
As long as it is a cleared bitch it's usualy okay but if she isn't clear you need a clear boy usually. Otherwise at the least you'll have to have to test the whole litter and disclose to buyersl
So why do some stud dog owners lie about testing b/c I didn't know why? I found out after breeding to an un-tested boy that he had been tested and was a carrier. I still have not heard from his owners about it altho others that breed to him have known for 2 mo.

A few of us weren't told anything. Bitch owners do talk to each other. We speak to others that bred to the same boys we have. I'm sure if he was a clear the owners would have told us right away. So be careful with your un-tested or carrier bitch'es when using a supposed, un-tested boy. Some of them have been tested just like echo dopplars, tested & the results not dilvugled. The owners feel the bitch owner doesn't need know. Wrong, we do need the tool results to make wise decesions.

There is no need to worry about what stud dog owners are doing. If you want to avoid producing an EIC affected dog, either your bitch must be tested clear or you need to verify the stud was tested clear (check the paperwork). There is no need to go into a breeding guessing the status - the dogs either have test results or they don't, and I would treat an untested dog as not clear.

I use DDC. Fast turn around and it is a very inexpensive test compared to what we spend for OFA hips/elbows, Optigen and Cardiac (for starters).

Of course, you can avoid EIC affecteds, but what bothers me is that we avoid a good stud dog because we have carriers and they are carriers

you can only slice a piece of pie so thin - why take so many breed correct dogs and put them in a narrow category of possible matings

I think they need to come up with a better/addt'l test for EIC

I don't agree that one has to avoid a good dog because of EIC. The Labrador gene pool is not small - it is probably one of the larger gene pools in purebred dogs and there are a lot of nice dogs out there. EIC tests may eliminate a specific nice dog, but there are so many nice clear dogs these days that I don't believe it impacts the quality of the gene pool at all. That isn't to say it does not impact individual preferences, but that is another story. Life is full of "what ifs" and there will always be dogs we would have liked to have used if possible, but they could be long deceased, sterile, or unclear for any number of things. That is life.

EIC is not a pass/fail clearance - it is just another piece of information. A dog can be affected and still be safely bred. If one of the breeding pair is clear, the status of the other does not have to impact a particular breeding at all. It only does because the breeder has a personal preference (for example, some people want to avoid producing carriers), but that has nothing to do with the ability to use the dog. I think the gene tests for things like EIC and PRA have opened up breeding more than it has closed it off since it takes the mystery out of the outcome for specific genetic issues - no more guessing.

I recently had a litter out of my carrier girl - when searching for a stud dog, I made a list of dogs I liked and narrowed it down to 3. I then checked on clearances. All 3 dogs were EIC clear so it did not impact my breeding decision whatsoever, and I am very happy with the stud I chose and the pups from this litter, several of which are clear themselves.

80% who are affected,do collapse? Where does this come from? I have pushed a number of affected dogs to the limit and never saw a collapse. With the number of labs out there that would be affected, if it were 80% eventually collapse, it would look like fainting goats. Hey I think I found a new category for the silver breeders and labradoodles... fainting labradors

I have only 1 dog who tested affected and she did collapse. So 1/1 = 100% by my official study.

Now. we are pretty active and she did collapse during the hardest retrieving session I had ever put her through. She is one of those very excitable personalities. It was hot. I can totally understand many affected dogs out there who do not collapse because they have never been worked hard enough.

On one level, it does seem to indicate that this is not a horrible condition as in cases like mine, activity level can easily be managed. But at another level, labs should be able to work as hard as she was and preventing the condition from getting to the next generation by breeding her to an EIC clear was a really easy thing to do.