Re Homeing a mini without an eye test

[katywhite]

hello

We have been to see a lovely black mini and popped down a deposit, but having looked at his KC Cert i can see that he hasnt had an eye test. His Sire was registered as unaffected in 2011.

Have you any advise for us, should we walk away or take a gamble and get him tested once we have him?

All help gratefully received

Thanks

[Dawnspell]

I think puppies are tested at 6 or 7 weeks so if your puppy is under that age that is why its not showing as tested or they haven't submitted the info to KC yet. Unless of course the breeder has said they're not being tested.

[Robin black mini]

Genetics is a gamble...health testing stacks the odds in your favour,but never gives 100 per cent guarantees.
If you are buying a pup from currently untested parents..and note that pra should be tested for every year in breeding individuals...
....plus ,the pup does not have a test for hereditary cataracts...then you have already rolled the dice by putting down a deposit, and yes ,are taking a risk.
A pup will be with you for at least ten years...so if you are prepared to stand by the pup,whatever the odds,I'd say get the pup and keep your deposit...
If you realise the possible risks of buying an untested pup from untested parents(could be both costly and upsetting)..either walk away and lose your deposit...or get the pup and test him at once for HD with a veterinary ophthalmist and take it from there. Over here the test is about 80 euros.

In uk there are so many breeders that DO test for eye issues that IMO it is worth the wait for an eye tested pup (HD)from eye tested parents(pra)....but the ultimate decision comes down to you. . Good luck in whatever you decide.

[zeta1454]

Hi Katy - do check some of the other topics under healthcare on the Forum regarding eye testing for more information re this.

Hereditary eye problems in minis is still a major issue in the commercial breeding of puppies, many of whom are not tested and neither are their parents. If you take on a puppy or an older dog with no eye tests and a hereditary condition does occur, it is unlikely that any insurance company will pay for treatment or surgery and you could well be facing a bill in the thousands of pounds and the distress of seeing your dog having to suffer pain and the trauma of surgery.

Miniature schnauzer puppies are tested as a whole litter for Congenital Hereditary Cataracts only, as said above, around the age of six or seven weeks of age. The eye screening is carried out by one of the BVA specialist eye vets and the breeder is given the certificate with the results for all puppies at the time. The results are published in the Breed Records supplement produced quarterly by the Kennel Club but they do not appear on the registration certificate or on the health records of the puppy online.

The parent dogs need to be tested annually for Hereditary Cataracts and Progressive Retinal Atrophy as well and the three eye tests can be carried out from a year old by a BVA eye specialist and these results will be publicly available on the Kennel Club website as well as on their puppies' registration documents. Both parent dogs need to have last been tested within 12 months of the mating and definitely not as far back as six years! The eye test is a physical examination which records the state of the eye health at the time of the test and the certificate records that there is no clinical abnormality detected (often abbreviated to Clinically NAD), as well as marking they are clear of the hereditary conditions on that examination. Hereditary Cataracts and Progressive Retinal Atrophy can develop within the following years up to the age of around seven to eight years of age which is why the Kennel Club and the Breed Clubs recommend annual eye tests for breeding dogs and all responsible breeders will do this.

The information you need to check re the parent dogs should be publicly available on the Kennel Club website and, if you register for MyKC, you will also have access to pedigree and other health test information for dogs in the same line as a puppy you are interested in.

https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/our-resources/mykc/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/servic ... fault.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You will need the full KC registered name of the parent dogs but you presumably already have that and, with MyKC you will be able to access even more information than just on the health test finder link.

Only recently someone posted on a social media site about re-homing a young miniature schnauzer who had been used for breeding. She had been eye tested twice - the first time no issues showed but the second revealed she had Hereditary Cataracts. The new owner had not checked the publicly available information and was now facing bills believed to be several thousand pounds as the insurance company would not pay anything (understandably in this case as the condition was not only hereditary but had been diagnosed a couple of months before the dog was rehomed).

As stated above, the eye tests are not 100% guarantee for the future as they are not a DNA type test, but if you are looking for a healthy puppy, always go to a breeder where they can show you recent certificates for both parent dogs, give you their KC details so you can check health test results for any other dogs on their pedigree and a copy of the litter eye screening certificate. To buy a puppy without these is not only a gamble which could prove costly but is also giving money to breeders who do not care about the health of their puppies or the long term health of the breed. I have been discussing this kind of irresponsible breeding with a vet today who despairs at the preventable health conditions he has seen in dogs of many breeds due to breeders not carrying out available health testing or taking the time to research and understand how to breed for good health and good temperament but are just looking to make money regardless.

It is frustrating if you have put down a deposit but, personally, I would not take a puppy from anyone who has not health tested the parent dogs in the previous twelve months and cannot supply a clear eye screening certificate for the litter.

Actually not sure, re-reading your post of this is a puppy or an adult dog, but, if the latter, I would still want the dog to have had an eye test for all three hereditary eye conditions before taking it on or you are risking a situation similar to that which I highlighted above. It should be the responsibility of whoever currently owns the dog to ensure he is healthy before sale.




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[Pennyblack]

Puppy eye tests won’t show on their KC pedigree, however, both parents should be tested each year and all adult eye test results will show on each of their pedigrees. This can be checked out easily on the KC website.

My youngest wasn’t tested as a pup due to the practice where the visiting vet did his eye tests screwing up the booking for my breeder. However, both parents had clear tests and I already had his older sister from the previous litter and was happy to get the eye test done myself which I did at a dog show earlier this year - cost is cheaper that way at £39.

To me, the most important factor is the parents eye health. Puppies should not be bred from untested parents IMO. If they’re not doing that, what else are they skimping on? Personally, I would walk away, however the decision is yours, good luck [emoji4]


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