a few breeders have told me that you do not have to submit the EIC test through a vets office but I can not find a form that would say otherwise.

has anyone just sent in cheek swabs? I dont care about OFA keeping results.

Yes, a vet has to at least sign off the paperwork and results will be sent to them as well. Really a pain if you can pull your own blood.

DDC does EIC testing you just order cheek swabs. Takes about 10 days to get results.

Not any more. U of M has threaten to or are in the process of suing DDC. They no longer offer this test which means we have to go through a much more involved and expensive procedure if we are to test for EIC.

I've been using INGEN . I know many of you have had bad experiences with them but I've had good experiences and turn around has been around a month. If you plan in advance and don't need to know results asap, Ingen is up to the task these days.

I would question their results as I've known breeders who have had inaccurate results (testing clear when in fact they were carriers). If I had a stud dog, I would make sure I used the most reliable testing available.

Folk, DO NOT USE INGEN.

I don't know about the rest of you, but when it's time to look for a new stud, I am going to ask where you ran your tests. I will not accept results from INGEN.

It may not be the lab which misidentifies carrier dogs. I have seen some people claim their dogs not are *not affected*or *clear* simply because they are not *affected*.

For the cases I know it was Ingen who said the dogs were clear of the tested disease when in fact they were not and it came out when these dogs were bred and the offspring did not test as expected. Ingen's results are not worth the paper they are printed on and I for one will not use a stud dog tested through them on my carrier bitches, so stud dog owners trying to save a buck, take heed. What is the saying "penny wise, dollar foolish"? The EIC test patent went into affect, that is why DDC stopped offering that test, they are reputable and respect the law.

From what I understand they will accept cheek swabs. They do not provide them for you though. Just give them a call, I'm sure they would answer any questions you have.

Email them. Katie Minor told me not long ago that it was NOT necessary to go thru your vet, but perhaps that has changed.

That was quick. Here is the response I received:


"If you wish to report the results to OFA, the sample must be taken by a vet and the dog must have a permanent ID (tattoo or microchip).  If you are doing this simply for your own knowledge, a vet does not need to be involved.  But keep in mind that if a vet does not take the sample, and you wish to report it to OFA later, the test will need to be taken again.

Thanks"

DDC is running 3 EIC tests for me right now, in fact I just received an email that I would receive my results tomorrow. Cheek Swabs that they sent. So what the heck are you talking about that they no longer do them!?

Go to the DDC website and try to find EIC. They are probably honoring tests purchased earlier.

Someone needs to tell them because I sent them in and paid last Thursday. They were not honoring anything.
Hope I get results as promised tomorrow. If you call them they tell you how to send them and the turn around time. Very interesting.

Did you double check your paperwork to make sure they are testing your samples for EIC and you did not accidentally send in for one of their other tests?

So happy to hear that U of M will accept Breeder's own submissions of cheekswabs. I don't care about the OFA rule-out, DDC wasn't getting us OFA either. (Mind you, CERF results appear on OFA's website and in all the dogs I have ever CERF'ed, I have never had a permanent ID checked by the opthalmologist or anyone putting on the eye clinic, etc).

Nevertheless, I'm pleased. I know that several clubs were recently in the process of writing to U of M requesting that they reconsider their "vet-only" policy, pointing out that it simply made testing more difficult and costly for Breeders and for those still skeptical, might sway them against EIC testing. Perhaps this helped or perhaps the option was there but little known. Either way, this is good news. Thanks for sharing it!

Got another email today from U of M.

"We apologize that the information sent the other day was incorrect -

Please see below for correct information:

 OFA will take results, even if they did not go through a vet.  However, their dog's OFA number will state that the dog did not have a permanent ID verified at the time of testing. 


Thanks "

Linda, U of MN has accepted personal submissions for years. I don't think I've ever gone thru my vet for this-- it's for my info, so why would I cheat anyhow? I won a cert in a raffle at a specialty a few years ago and gave it to one of my puppy buyers who had "suspicious" symptoms (thought heat issues) and sure enough, she was EIC affected. So I know they honored personal submissions 3-4 yrs ago too. Katie Minor is a great gal. Very prompt as the OP learned and what can I say but I'm really pleased/impressed w/ their service and compassion.

As for our regional Lab club, we have a couple vets as members that I believe will volunteer to collect samples and data at their health clinic. Do you have that luxury? Anne

PS Our local ophthamologist has checked all chips the past 3+ yrs (or ever since that "bubble" has appeared on the forms) at our all breed club clinic which I've chaired. We provided the scanner the first couple years but she now has one herself.

Yes, results back today. 5 day turn around as promised. I sent them an email and they said that they were allowed to fill the orders on EIC tests with kits that were mailed before July 26th. I hope they will end up being allowed to continue because they are very easy to work with. It is so easy to get the samples and mail them in.

Does anyone have the link to the form that you need to fill out to send in your swabs without the vet?

It's the same submission form for everything, just leave the vet section blank.

Not only that Linda but its way easier to send swabs with international mail than blood samples

Hi Kim: Yes, I send swabs all the time. You might recall that there was a discussion on FOS and people had talked about the letters that clubs were sending to request that even with swabs, a vet not be required.

Ive always sent swabs in too. Not concerned with OFA posting results because I have certificates from them