WHO TESTS and WHICH KINDS ??

[MaxandMe]

cocoandjane
Senior Member


Joined: 25 Feb 2007
Posts: 1014
Location: near Dallas, Texas
Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 12:00 am Post subject:

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Yes, I, too, want to thank those
that have helped others by letting folks know
what testing is being done.
It is very important and am so glad breeders
are being responsible to do all that testing.

Thank you for promoting the integrity of the breed
by producing puppies from parents who are clear of known
diseases. What a tremendous chance the pups have to
live a healthy life !!



_________________
Jane

"If you haven't tasted soap,
you haven't bathed a doodle."

[MaxandMe]

Jac
Senior Member


Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 5457
Location: Northern CA
Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 12:35 am Post subject:

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Well said Jane...thank you!
_________________
Jacque (Bayley, Lexie, Chase, Rosie, Nitos, Amelia, Dupree, Madison)http://backporchlabradoodles-jacque....bradoodles.com
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[MaxandMe]

MaxandMe
Site Admin


Joined: 04 Nov 2006
Posts: 7888
Location: Rochester, NY
Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 6:41 am Post subject:

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WOW funny how originally i thought this topic could stir the pot and instead it IS BEING WELL RECEIVED...........i am so happy

and ok Who's NEXT TO BUMP UP?????? step right up
_________________
Annmarie, Max, Peanut & Beau
Forum BLOG ARTICLE LINK http://blog.labradoodle-dogs.net/

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[MaxandMe]

Doodlesville
Senior Member


Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Posts: 1093
Location: VA
Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 5:33 am Post subject:

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Me !!! Sorry im a bit slow,,,No energy even less brain cells LOL

All of our Dogs are Hip Tested, we use OFA
due to too many false negatives and posisitves i dont use penn hip at this time
all are VWD, unless parents were already tested negative ,,
Cerf testing ,,,this test must be preformed every year ,, what to do if one year they dont pass seems like a worthless test to me
I am in the process of DNA with Pawsitive ID,,,*thanks annemarie,
Im very excited about this and im sure this tool will help tremendously especially with the aussiedoodles!!! woohoo here is hope for less guess work in color ,ect, and to clear for PRA which can run in Aussies
havent had any issues over 6+yrs so i guess im doing somthing right,,

UPDATE :: just made a testing list,
TESTING LIST

VWD - unless cleared by parentage. (other then Golden Retrievers they don’t carry this)
OFA - hips ,elbows if old enough to be certified
(We don’t use Penn Hip due to the false negatives and possessives this has produced)
PRA DNA - unless cleared by parentage (Some are completed ,we are in the process of sending in to Pawsitive Id those that are not, we are even doing some that have been cleared, Im really excited about this

I choose not to do SA – This test is unreliable since you could test a affected dog and get a negative result by simply testing a spot that was not affected –

CERF - eyes This test is also not reliable due to the fact you must test every single year,
what do you do if your dog clears one year and doesn’t the next? Some of my dogs are cerf tested, however this is not one of the test I hold a lot of merit in.

CBC & Thyroid Panels - this is another test that I am not Thrilled about
Some of our dogs are done ,but I have decided its not totally reliable

I tend to think that some of these testing leads to false hopes in buyers, and breeders simply do it to get listed on certain sites.
It guarantees nothing!! you can test till your blue in the face and still produce problems, its all up to where the genes fall, nutrition, care and protection of the pups as they mature ect,
_________________
Nancy at Doodlesville
(Virginia)
Aussiedoodles, Goldendoodles & Labradoodles
www.Doodlesville.net

Our Chat forum:
www.DoodleChat.com

[MaxandMe]

ALSO....TRINA shared this GREAT link with me

http://www.upei.ca/~cidd/intro.htm and you can look up many diseases and such which would also explain some tests then such as ones on pawsitive id

[Jac]

It's probably good that I am reposting...I won't be quite so wordy!

I test hips through PennHip, eyes through CERF, cardiac only through my regular vet but hope to use a cardiologist someday, I did vWD through blood testing and then through DNA with VetGen, I am now using Pawsitive ID because of the variety of testing, including PRA for blindness, as well as color testing.
I tested Chase for SA, but don't believe it is a valid method. I test for thyroid, and before every mating I check for brucellosis (sp?) even if I use the same breeding stock. This disease is a really bad one for puppies and not many breeders routinely check for it because they think it is a sexually transmitted disease...but it can be transmitted a variety of ways and pups can be born with it and have no symptoms. One natural breeding with an affected dog and you ruin the healthy dog for future breedings as well as risk losing the entire litter.

[cocoandjane]

The following is an aritcle about Brucellosis.
If anyone has any further information,
I'd be interested in reading it.
Thanks,

The Threat of Canine Brucellosis: Myth or Menace?
by Ed & Chris Faron

Copyright 1995 by Ed & Chris Faron. This article is from our book The Complete Gamedog and also appeared in the May/June 1995 issue of Your Friend and Mine.

Even though we have seen this disease mentioned in articles before, we thought it was something that needed to be covered in a little more detail. We have heard a lot of untruths and misinformation about Brucellosis (even veterinarians we've asked about it sometimes contradict each other) and we found it very frustrating to try and figure out what to believe. We set out to try and discover everything we could about Brucellosis and thought we would share this information with other dogmen.

Brucellosis is a disease of the reproductive tract which may cause abortion in females, infection of the sexual organs in males, and infertility in both sexes. It is caused by a bacteria of which there are several different types that infect specifically cows, goats, pigs, horses, sheep or dogs. Though there have been isolated incidences of dogs becoming infected by contact with livestock infected with one of the other species of Brucella bacteria, the bacteria that infects dogs specifically is called Brucella canis. It is spread by contact with the semen or vaginal discharge of an infected dog or bitch (most commonly during mating), by contact with mammary secretions and aborted puppies, and can also possibly be spread by contact with urine or other body secretions. In indoor kennel situations, it may even possibly be spread by the airborne route. It can be contagious to humans, in whom it causes flu-like symptoms.

Symptoms of Canine Brucellosis
Females: Abortion of litters, usually between 45-55 days after breeding, litters with some pups born dead or dying immediately after birth, and pups that die at the embryo stage and are reabsorbed -- in such cases it may appear that the bitch didn't take.

Males: Inflammation of the epididymis, prostate and/or testicles (often leading to testicular atrophy), infertility because of abnormal sperm and poor sperm motility, and reluctance to breed due to pain caused by inflammation of the sex organs. Males may also cause lesions by licking at the painful area.

Both sexes: Swollen lymph nodes. Some dogs may show non-specific signs of poor health, such as poor vigor. In rare cases the disease has caused damage to the kidneys and nervous system.

Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of the disease is it's insidiousness; the above symptoms are not always seen -- in many cases an infected dog may show no outward signs at all. Infected bitches will have normal heat cycles and breed normally, in fact in many cases a bitch infected with Brucellosis, after aborting a litter, may conceive and whelp a live litter subsequently. The danger in this is that such a bitch can infect any males she is bred to, and her puppies will most likely be carriers of the disease and go on to infect other dogs.

Most experts estimate 1% to 6% of the canine population are infected, with the main source of the disease being stray dogs. There is no vaccine for this disease in dogs, and treatment, which usually consists of prolonged administration of Tetracycline and Streptomycin, may not be effective. The only prevention is to have all broodstock tested for the disease before breeding. The test for the disease is a simple and relatively inexpensive blood test. Many veterinarians will say that the test is unnecessary because the disease is very uncommon; but while it is true that Brucellosis is not very prevalent to begin with (and probably even rarer in bulldogs than many other breeds because dogs are kept isolated from each other, so it doesn't t get spread by grown dogs being kenneled together) we would still recommend having breeding dogs tested for the disease.

Canine Brucellosis is a very serious disease, not because dogs are very likely to contract the disease, but because of the consequences if a dog does become infected. The disease itself will not kill your dog, but your dog will be genetically ‘dead because he or she will be unbreedable -- even if the disease does not render the dog sterile. A dog that has tested positive for Brucellosis should not be bred, not even by artificial insemination. Bringing one infected dog into a breeding program could wipe out years of work establishing a family of dogs.

Additionally, because of the threat of transmitting the disease to humans, if you have a dog that tests positive for the disease in some states the health department can demand the dog be destroyed. The disease is most often transmitted to a human being by handling aborted pups from a bitch with Brucellosis. For this reason, if one should ever have a bitch that aborts or has stillborn pups, the dead pups, membranes, placentas, etc. should be handled with gloves and the area disinfected thoroughly. The bitch that had the pups should be tested for Brucellosis as soon as possible to rule out the disease as the cause for the stillborn litter.

We used to believe ourselves that the test was unnecessary until 1992 when we had a little 'close encounter' with Brucellosis. We got a letter in 1991 from a guy in the Midwest who had a very well-bred bitch he wanted to breed to our Bandit dog; if we remember correctly he told us the bitch had just been bred but didn't take. When she came in heat again, he was not in a position to ship her out to be bred at that particular time, he wrote to us that he d bred to a different dog locally but he still wanted to breed her to Bandit her next heat. We didn't hear from him again for almost a year, when he wrote us a letter to let us know that the reason he never got back to us was that his bitch had missed again the second time he'd bred her, so he took her to a veterinarian and it turned out she had Brucellosis!

Had he shipped her to us to be bred to Bandit, who at the time was our main stud dog, we in turn probably would have infected most of our brood bitches before we discovered we had Brucellosis on the yard. From that point on, we have made a point of routinely having our own dogs tested, any new dogs we add to the yard, and any outside bitches that are bred to our studs -- even if they'd never been bred before. It's a bit of an inconvenience and to be honest, we've probably lost a few outside stud fees from people who either didn't want to go through the aggravation, or their vet discouraged them when they asked about the test and told them it was a waste of money, or they were insulted that we'd suspect their dog of having some disease.

We hope the information in this article helps promote a better understanding of this disease and shows that in the case of Canine Brucellosis, it s definitely a matter of 'better safe than sorry'.

[Lucky Me]

I had Tuesday DNA tested for vWd, her hips OFA'd, and a CBC done prior to breeding. So far on Marley...we did the PawsitveID DNA test, and will do hips prior to or after 2 yrs. Both dogs will be CERF tested in May, as the yearly dog show of the local kennel club has an eye specialist there that does CERF tests for $18, (if they will see my mongrels). The nearest eye specialist after that is 4 hrs away. I leave the heart assessment to the vet.
I will now do Brucellosis always prior to breeding. I was not aware that it could be picked up from contact with "urine and other body secretions". Nothing like one more thing to worry about!
I also wanted to add about getting your dogs from a breeder that has a line with several generations of genetically healthy dogs. Marley's dad is 10 yrs. old, in great shape,has produced 5 generations of genetically strong dogs and gave me a beautiful litter of 11 puppies. His father is 11 yrs. old, in great shape and still producing big litters of 11-12 puppies. The stud's mom is 12 years old and looks and runs around like a lot younger dog. I talked to the owner of Tuesday's dad, and he was out of a kennel that had a strong genetic lines also. She got to see parents, grand-parents, great grand-parents.....
I could be wrong, but figured that if I did the best I could this way, the less likely problems would show up when it came to testing.

[gsmagoo2]

I sent an email to Pawsitive ID, and asked them about the age requirements for testing for vWD. I have always heard that you could only test for that if the dog was at least one year old. Rick from Pawsitive ID, just replied to my email, and said that testing them as early as 6 months is fine, as they are getting positive feedback on the results.

FYI

[Lucky Me]

Since it is genetic, I would think that they could be tested as soon as they stopped nursing?
I did Marley at 5 months.....is his test no good? What would change genetic wise?

[MaxandMe]

OK even though it is HIGHLY UNLIKELY that Beau would be carrying chocolate.......i am dying to know why pawsitive id lists it 3 times in their test results

[gsmagoo2]

Here is their response on your question. I was going to email you with it. But since you posted, I'll copy it here...You will still need to call them.

Here's their response:

As to the brown genes, there are 3 different brown genes
our test screens for. How the outcome of the individual gene are
(heterozygous, homozygous or does not carry) will help determine if the dog
in question will throw chocolate puppies.

The physical attribute part of our test is the most complicated. Give me a
call and I'll try to explain. Although I am not one of the PhD's in this
group.

Thanks

Rick Dobbins
PinPoint DNA Technologies, Inc
404-367-8400

[MaxandMe]

thanks Trina
and also thanks to Lucky me and everyone else who is helping
to share their testing info and questions .....I LOVE when breeders
work together as a team

[Lucky Me]

Here is some info from a poodle breeder, great info
http://arpeggiopoodles.tripod.com/color ... odles.html
(If she only knew...they hate us LB breeders so.....)
Annamarie,
In all those links I sent you was one about the 3 browns and what they do....eventually I will find it and post!

[gsmagoo2]

Originally Posted by Lucky Me

Since it is genetic, I would think that they could be tested as soon as they stopped nursing?
I did Marley at 5 months.....is his test no good? What would change genetic wise?

I think you are fine....here is a link that I was just reading.

http://www.k911.biz/Petsafety/Abnormalbleeding.htm

Your results should be accurate!