Quote:
Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly  Gail, I was wondering if we always have a corresponding health test list for each of these conditions with any corresponding certifications that we can ask to see on the dam/sire and grandparents, etc., or a signed/dated vet clearance for those things we need checked that aren't tested. Or is my question so muddled as to be obscure?
In other words, how will we know the parents and ancestors did not have these conditions other than the breeder's word? Do they show you something to prove the parents, grandparents, ancestors had none of those conditions? |
It is not obscure at all, particularly the last paragraph.
My answer is going to be long; so I warn you in advance.
First in the realm of testing anything on breeding dogs, it is relatively young here in North America. Maybe 30 yrs old, and maybe 15 yrs old where you began to see a significant volumne of breeders testing and posting health results on the reputable third party organizations that were set up to record health data on dogs. One such is OFFA, and another is PENNHip. The CHIC datasite is relatively recent, and essentially amalgamates info from OFFA, and will add in other testing that you have done for your dog. Like Hyperuricosuria genetic test, thyroid testing, BAER, Heart et al. The CHIC database records what is the recommended tests as they aare given from the National Clubs what the Club recommends for their breed to get a CHIC number.
So grandparents and great parents, if tested and submitted could be on the CHIC or OFFA or PENN Hip. But for some things what is key are the siblings from the breeding pair you want to have a puppy from. things such as Hip and Elbow Dysplasia where-in horizontal pedigree seems to be a better foreteller then vertical pedigree.
Now at best you will get a "spotty record" and most especially for Rare Breeds who by their very nature don't have a long term history within North America.
If you go onto CHIC I don't know right now what number of Yorkies have CHIC'd numbers but the last time I checked was a pretty low number.
For sure great grandparents history will likely be only anecdotal.
I read a post somewhere that said there should be no LS evident in 10 generations back. Wow. How would one really know that? Given that BATS testing probably wasn't even around 30 yrs ago, and that is only 4 or so generations back. This is what breeders deal with all the time. No concrete evidence back say beyond grand-parents level.
this is one reason why Genetic Tests are so so very important.
Because you can do that Test and know for sure the status of any puppy, and make intelligent breeding decisions from that information.
So I will say; that all these tests add up to a lot of money. Which is not to say don't do it. But the breeders should be screening at least for the big three health issues in Yorkies. One of the biggest is LS and there is no genetic test yet. But there are BATS; and all breeding dogs should be screened for their BATS prior to breeding. Why it is only recommended on the YTCA site? All I can say is that there is probably a lot of dissenting opinions on the usefullness of the BATS test, maybe even its' accuracy, et al.
For LP in Europe, and I would need to check exactly which countries; LP! dogs are allowed to be bred. And yet again we don't have and may never have a genetic test for LP, we rely on Vet examination to grade the LP. Certainly at level one, there is no XRAY to confirm or deny the existence of same. And no independent board to review those Xray results.
Then there are the detractors of the evaluators of any system for grading Xrays. I did tell you this would be long!
Breeders may not have the actual documentation for great grand parents or even grand parents.
At this point in time, I think it is reasonable to expect the breeder to know to the best of their ability to know, the grand-parents and then the great parents health lineage. It will be some hodge-podge of maybe one tested for this, one tested for that, etc.
But what the breeders do have control over is what health testing they do before breeding on their dog/bitch, and to select a healthy mate with health clearances.