English Springer Spaniel Owners

Bellasophia

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This a SO important to do,even if your dog is not used for breeding.Ive just sent away for a DM test as it has recently appeared in a relative of one of my dogs( and I don't breed)...if only breeders would test more extensively it would save so much heartache and prevent so many of these genetic illnesses.
 

Bellasophia

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Thistle....if both parents were free for pra than no ,it's not worth the test...in this case they would be homozygous ,i.e. Not carrying the mutation for pra
But The parents would have to have been tested to be sure they are homozygous. No carriers..!
If one was a carrier,he would appear to be free from pra,, but....yes I would want to test to see if this dog also had the recessive gene in his genotype.
Both parents would be technically free from pra but if one was a carrier you would want to know the implications if he were to be bred..(especially if he were a carrier)
A from an untested female
B from a carrier female..
Many breeders advertise their dogs as free from pra( in this example) yet fail to mention the dog is a carrier ie heterozygous for the gene and thus could pass on the condition if the female he was mated to was also a carrier( and in essense not showing the condition.
If the dog was a carrier for the gene he could still be used at stud,but only to tested homozygous,i.e. Non carrying,totally clear females...many argue using such a dog keeps the gene pool open but can help to eliminate the problem if later carriers are not bred from and only clear are used thereafter in the breeding program.
 
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Bellasophia

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If parents are both tested homozygous clear then he should also be clear.

I recently enquired about a poodle pup,but turned it down as one parent was a carrier for pra...I just didn't want to buy the pup if it wasn't from totally clear parents.
I know this was overkill on my part but after eleven years of health issues with my last dog I truely wanted a clean slate,as much as you could hope for ,in this genetic health gamble.
 

Thistle

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I agree, if everyone had this attitude then many diseases would become obsolete.

There are so many health issues with dogs that if it's possible to buy a pup from clear health tested parents then it's a good idea.

You can negotiate for reduced insurance premiums too as you know you won't be claiming for some common problems.

I'm lucky and didn't need to travel far for my pup. He breeder lives in the nearby small town and just happened to have a litter born when I started looking. They were ready the week of my husbands birthday and Beans was his surprise present.
I get the fun of working him though as he would rather concentrate on his shooting.
 
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