Our AVCO vet now is encouraging OFA eye certification instead of CERF. Since the office is so busy, I haven't received an answer on why OFA over CERF, and honestly, I had no clue eyes could be certified with OFA.

Does anyone know anything about OFA eye certification vs CERF?

Basically OFA is trying to run CERF out of business, if you use CERF your eye clearances will be in both databases CERF and OFA. CERF has already lost 30% of their business due to OFA doing EYES now.


Dear valued CERF client,

As you may already know, OFA’s new registry went live on November 1st. CERF is NOT affiliated with their new system, nor have we partnered with them or been acquired by OFA. There is no “transition plan” in place. CERF and OFA are two different systems, and we are now competing for your valued business.

CERF will continue to operate independently as we have done in the past. We’re not planning on closing the doors anytime soon. We have the longest history and greatest experience with operating an established canine eye registration database.

You still have the right to use a CERF form and submit your data to CERF, if you so choose. I sincerely hope that you continue to do so. If you sign an OFA “release form”, they will attempt to add your information into the new, unproven OFA registry. It will NOT be added to CERF if you sign this form. There is no “combined registry” or “transition” from one registry to the other.

I urge you to request an original CERF form, make your check payable to CERF, and avoid signing any type of “release form” from OFA.

If you are given an OFA form in place of a CERF form and your intent is still to use CERF, you may still send in that form for registration into the CERF registration and statistical database. Please note on the form that you wish to add the registration paperwork to CERF’s database and make the payment payable to CERF. Any OFA forms received by CERF with payment to OFA will be returned back to the owner.

CERF has not changed any procedures on our part. We still continue to send a weekly submission to OFA so our breeders can qualify for their CHIC number.

CERF is now accepting forms via email and fax for your added convenience. Please contact CERF and let us know your email address to facilitate future communications.

If you have any suggestions for how we can serve you better, please feel free
to contact me at any time. Thank you for your continued support of CERF.

Check us out on Face Book and visit our website often for any further updates.

Sincerely,

Robert Malinowski, DVM, MA, PhD
President, VMDB/CERF
CERF is now on Facebook!! Check us out and "Like" our page.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Canine-Eye-Registration-Foundation- CERF/130747340405526Canine Eye Registration Foundation- CERF

The OFA form has the same exam information on them that the CERF forms have, and it is the exact same exam..

From what I have gathered, CERF wasn't doing due diligence in reporting and sharing the data they collected as they were supposed to do and agreed to do. My ACVO told me that CERF charged him $2 a piece for the CERF forms, the OFA forms are no charge, and are much easier to fil out. I like my ACVO she does a great job, is very thorough and I am comfortable with that. Both registries are fine it is a personal decision which way to go, CERF is in no danger of going out of business.

I'm staying with CERF. OFA listed a dog I was looking at as having a "cataract" instead of "Breeders option-punctate cataract *significance unknown". CERF was easier for me to get information about specific dogs too, very helpful.

My ACVO handed me the OFA form to fill out and didn't mention to me it was OFA instead of CERF. I didn't notice until I got home that it wasn't CERF. I called CERF and they will accept the OFA form. I think my fees were a little cheaper with CERF too because it was a recertification.

Don't just accept the form your ACVO hands you, look into it.

Good to know. I have an exam here with the OFA form and have been debating on submitting it. I hate the fact we are charged extra money to include it into a database. I know it is not much but it is the whole principal of it. The age old question creeps in "Why pay an extra $12 for new listing and $8 for a resubmission, when all the exams are already submitted Annomously for research purposes, just to get a different piece of paper?"

OFA does charge the lower fee for a re-exam even if the first one was done with CERF

I was away last weekend at our National and the associated regional. My husband and a good friend took some of our dogs to an eye clinic. They used the OFA form, not the old cerf form. You don't have to fill in the dots on these new ones. It says OFA in the top left corner and I did not see the word CERF on it at all. It looks similar to the cerf form on the right side, where the ACVO Diplomate completes. It does get them to state whether or not they verified the microchip/tattoo.