Just wondering if breeders are using VetGen's results for breeding decisions. I had 2 tests done when the controversy was going on about the accuracy of their results, and have been breeding around them since I have not been able to re-do them with Optigen etc. Interested to see what others are doing..

Do you mean Ingen?

I was going to ask the same thing. I know of no controversy with VetGen.

Vet Gen never had a PRA test.

Vet Gen never had a PRA test. As for Ingen, I do not trust their results and avoid breeding to dogs tested by only them if I have a carrier.

I had the same issue as the OP. I decided that it was worth the extra money and peace of mind to just retest through Optigen. This allows me to not focus on just selecting potential sires that are tested clear.

As a stud owner, I will say if someone came to me with an Ingen tested Clear bitch to use on my Carrier boy...and I was aware that she may actually be a Carrier... I would turn them down until they have retested with Optigen. There is no reason to risk producing affected puppies. The test is reasonable in price especially if you take advantage of a 20/20 clinic and use the online entry.

I've never really understood the thing about the cost of the test at Optigen. The cost of the test is only a small fraction of a stud fee. Results are good for the life of the dog. Why would a stud dog owner fool around with an unreliable company (who is now thankfully defunct)?

Again, VetGen is a reliable company who never had a test for PRA. Someone is confusing VetGen with InGen. InGen had cheap tests but you get what you pay for.

You're absolutely correct. And why do some stud dog owners ride on prior generations listing their dog PRA--Clear by parentage ? That's being cheap! If they know how to accept the $1,000 stud fee from bitch owners, then get their dog Optigen tested for PRA. I'm finding I do more clearances on my girls then some stud dog owners do on their boys. Then they whine how their dog isn't used enough.

So bitch owners want to have "clear by parentage" studs TESTED because they DON'T TRUST the TESTS. Huh? Assuming, certificates are available, what exactly am I missing?

The sire may not be the sire. It's happened all too often. That's the reason Optigen won't issue certificates for "Clear By Parentage". When the AKC Gazette used to be published, every month there were dogs who's AKC paperwork was voided because a spot DNA test showed the sire listed was not the actual sire. As the song goes "your daddy ain't your daddy but your daddy don't know". I remember a couple years ago a breeder's boy, who was supposed to be dominant black was used and a chocolate puppy resulted. She announced on her website that her boy, much to her surprise, carried chocolate. She went on to test him for color and it came back that he was dominant black. They did DNA on the chocolate puppy and it had a different sire. If it weren't for the color, everyone would have gone on to think the first boy was the sire when he wasn't.

Huh? again. Just how would having the presumed stud Optigen tested instead of clear by parentage have made any difference in the situation?

If a dog is "clear by parentage", it means that both his parents have tested "clear". If,the male that you think is his sire, is not his sire, then there may not be "clear by parentage". Example, you have a girl(Optigen clear) in season and you breed to Dog A who is Optigen Clear. Unknown to you, your spouse or children accidently let the girl out in the yard with one of your boys who is an Optigen Carrier. They notice later and don't know that the Carrier boy has bred her. You breed her to the Clear dog not knowing she was accidently out in the yard with the other dog. Puppies are born and since you "bred two Optigen Clear" dogs (not knowing about the accident), you assume you have puppies who are "Clear By Parentage".

If the dog you think is the sire of your puppy is not the sire after all, it doesn't make a heck of a lot of difference if he is Optigen tested or clear by parentage. That is probably just as unlikely as the sire's sire's sire being wrong. The odds of either happening are really small. As in do not cross the street! You could be hit by a truck. Better to spend your energy making sure as possible the people you deal with are trustworthy.

I've heard of it happening with 2 different people and it wasn't a matter of them being untrustworthy. Sometimes oops breedings happen when you have multiple dogs.