[JoJo]

Good idea Karen .. no dog or new owners should have to suffer with a cockapoo going blind.

In my opinion all breeding dogs when breeding cockapoos of all mixes and generations should be DNA tested for prcd-PRA.

 

[JoJo]

Surely breeders that do this dont care about the puppies life and furtue or the owners experience either ...

Also if without these tests and if pups are found to be PRA affected .. surely the breeder should be giving these puppies to families free of charge .. or refunding the cost of the puppy to help with the on going care ... just seems the right thing to do.

 

[JoJo]

Elaine, your poo is lucky to have you and your family and such a loving home despite everything

It makes me so cross when I read about breeders who don't do the decent thing by health testing or even worse deliberately deceive people by lying about health testing (I've heard of one who is supposed to be a CCGB approved breeders, how did that happen?).

I wish there was a list where we could name and shame these breeders and put them out of business. sorry, rant over!

You are allowed to have a rant Clare, this is not good practice and not good breeding

I have just been catching up on this thread and I am really saddened that this breeder is deceiving people into parting with a lot of money and not only not testing his dogs but lying about any previous history of PRA.

I hate to be blunt and I appreciate that emotional attachements get formed very easily but I would not be prepared to give this man my money. Whilst people are still willing to buy them he will keep breeding untested dogs. It is only when we start to walk away from breeders like this they they get the message.

Elaine, I am sorry to hear about your story but it sounds like you have done a fabulous job and should be very proud, what a lucky poo to have such fab owners!

With regards to testing and approved breeders this needs to be a water tight system. Prospective puppy owners will look to the approved breeder list as some kind of reassurance that the breeder has been checked and is a good choice. I still believe that it is a positive move to have an approved breeder scheme but as long as it is managed properly. The problem with any inspection system is that it needs to be monitored on an ongoing basis. This applies to all types of inspection, I have seen it with ofsted, eveyone panics about an ofsted inspection and yet routines and admin get relaxed once it is over and they know they wont be seen again for another three years. Ofsted inspectors are paid however the breeder scheme is run by volunteers doing this because they are passionate about the breed. I am sure lessons will be learnt however I don't think the whole 'idea' should be doubted.

There is no official approved breeders scheme Sarah when breeding, apart from if you are a licenced breeder that have certain checks but then this is aimed at large scale and volume breeders. And the GB club is not official and doesn't include all breeder as not all breeders wish to join as they dont share the ethics or standards or for what ever reason really.

So I guess the point is when breeding please take PRA seriously and DNA your breeding dogs ... & if this breeder may have produced affected puppies please just give them free to loving homes with the knowledge they may be affected and stop breeding carrier to carrier as it is not good practice, for the dogs and their owners.

So sad really .. as the information is out there and it really does only take a few health tests to prevent cockapoos being bred like this.

 

[JoJo]

I know it is not official Jo The licencing scheme is not worth the paper it is written in either and I also do not believe that they are any more experienced when you consider the amount of puppy farmers we have out there that are not only licensed but masquerading as home breeders!! It is all shocking however I will not knock an attempt to try and raise standards even it is a lower bench mark of acceptance than I would personally like to see.

It is essential that people find out all that they can and make their own minds up and check all of the paperwork personally but if a scheme does exist it needs to have credibility otherwise there is no point to it.

Basically what you are saying is no licencing scheme or unofficial clubs are water tight and all potential new owners need to the research themselves ..

Good job there is lots of information out there regarding what to look for etc, and people who have researched or experienced getting a puppy that will guide and help others

 

[JoJo]

No you didn't mention unofficial, I did...

Basically what you are saying is no licencing scheme or clubs are water tight and all potential new owners need to the research themselves .. hope that reads better

Anyway I feel this has upset you so I will not continue.

Back to the topic of DNA testing for PRA being very important for all breeders.

 

[JoJo]

Yes a few weeks for the test results to come back ..

I am sorry to hear that your kids may be upset if you dont go for this puppy, but the puppies health really is important. Basically breeding dogs when breeding cockapoos should be DNA tested for prcd-PRA, makes sure you see proof and that it is DNA not just BVA eye tests (another form of eye testing, but DNA testing is clearer when it comes to PRA), you want to see at least one parent DNA Clear and this way your puppy can only be Clear or a Carrier of PRA, a carrier will not be affected by the condition but when breeding Carriers extra care must be taken .. for example a Carrier bred to a Carrier can produce a litter outcome of 25% Clear pups, 50% Carrier pups and the sad bit is 25% Affected pups.. the affected pups can suffer from PRA and possibably go blind over time. You wouldn't want this for any dog

Any concerns please ask .. we will all help you

My advice to see the paperwork and be happy or walk away ... but I appreciate this is easier said than done. Really feel for you.

 

[JoJo]

Well done Elaine, hey I struggle with techy things and always ask my hubby for help Your Bobby is a scrummy choccy cockapoo, what a lovely surprise as choc is one of my fave colours Thank you for adding a photo of him.

 

[JoJo]

Such a shame you feel this way and that you dont want to be part of this forum, as it is fun and I hope you have a rethink and continue to be a member. People were just sharing their experiences and views about DNA testing, dogs going blind and PRA, which is always quite a serious topic.

Your puppy does look gorgeous and I really do hope his health remains excellent throughout his life, but the sad part is, you will not know until the DNA tests are confirmed, which your breeder will do, and I truly hope the results are good for your puppy and you.

Hope you have a rethink and stay on the forum as you can share your own cockapoo experiences with other lovely dog owners

 

[JoJo]

Jonro, As you can see from the above posts, all of the members of this forum are simply cockapoo lovers that truly care about the breed, and this thread was created to show the important of DNA testing for PRA. A lovely member of this forum has had to go through her cockapoo going blind due to no health or not adequate testing and I thank her for sharing her experience.
It was all about raising awareness of not breeding dogs that go blind.
Like I said before, I and I am sure everyone else on here hopes your puppy has a long, active and healthy life.
But in all honesty would I buy a puppy from Elaine’s breeder or the other breeder that was apparently a GB cockapoo club member that possibly lying about health testing, no I wouldn’t, as I would simply be too worried about the heartache it would cause to watch a dog possibly go blind. I would not consider a breeder that didn’t DNA test for PRA.

 

[JoJo]

Thank you Elaine for sharing your experience on this forum and for being so open about Bobby's condition. Also thank you Mandy for letting us know their are other dogs suffering from blindness due to being PRA affected.

This thread and other threads on this forum have had over 3500 views, so people are being made aware for this type of breeding now and also know the important of DNA tested parents for PRA.

All cockapoo breeders should really be DNA testing their breeding dogs, it's simply for the puppies sake and long term health .. if not testing, yes it is bad and lazy breeding. DNA testing is not a new thing and has been available for years.