[hernkingAnank]

Actually humans DO test themselves genetically when a woman becomes pregnant they do a full panel of genetic testing if the mother allows they sample their blood for genetic defaults such as CP....this lady sounds weird

[mymnduccete]

Agreed.

[Serttyfd]

I can understand why a responsible breeder may not want to test for everything under the sun. However, if they want to be considered reputable, they should at least test for a couple of the health issues that their breed is known for.

[Ingeborga]

I tend to agree with atheist on both his posts in this thread... And to the OP.. How much is she charging for her pups? If its 200 - 500 dollars you should expect little to no genetic testing has been done.. But if your talking about forking out 1500-2000 dollars for a proven show quality dog then you might be warranted to ask such questions.

[mymnduccete]

Wow. What a stalker.

I am still wondering how she found my thread so quickly.. My posting and her email reply about it were only an hour apart. Maybe she's a member LOL

[Adollobdeb]

Were you being serious about not getting them out in the rain? LOL because mine absolutely will not go outside to pee (or for any reason) when it is even sprinkling the rain! & yes I will post pictures in the near (or far) future, depending on my luck.

yea mine refuses, i have to pick him up and take him out and he looks at me like im killing him, then will come in and hide under the covers for awhile lol

[Adollobdeb]

keep looking till you find a good breeder, i have a dachshund also, i do have to say they are sweet loving dogs, thou you cant get them out in the rain and one thing to look for, make sure the parents arent yappy, cause these guys can get yappy i heard, thou mine has only barked 3 times, and read up on there back problems and warning signs for those, i know you probably know these things , anyways good luck with findnig a breeder, and when you pick out a puppy i want to see pics , oh and they LOVE to sleep under the covers

[mymnduccete]

Here's an idea. You asked, they said no, so don't get a puppy from them. It's pretty simple if you ask me. All the bullshit back and forth is useless dribble. Nobody forces anybody to buy a puppy from a breeder they don't approve of.

When I received that email, any plans I had for getting one of her puppies circled the drain. She emailed me shortly after I made this thread, with a link to this thread, accusing me of publicizing her email to make fun of her. My only reply was telling her I was glad she found this website because it has a lot of useful information on it.

[Toninvell]

I am just confused because I definitely don't see genetic testing as a fad or a bandwagon to jump on.

There would be NO confusion in my eyes. The "Breeder" is trying to sell you a load of bullhocky! Be picky! Search for a breeder until you get the answers you are looking for.

[mymnduccete]

I can understand why a responsible breeder may not want to test for everything under the sun. However, if they want to be considered reputable, they should at least test for a couple of the health issues that their breed is known for.

Agreed.. I only asked her if she done any testing for a couple specific defects and she began lecturing how wanting a "perfect" puppy is unrealistic and that life is life and nothing is perfect, lol

I tried to explain I am not aiming for a perfect puppy, and that investing the time and money into having some tests done is not to make "perfect" offspring but healthy ones. But of course she knows that, she's just beating around the bush about the real reason she doesn't do any testing.

[avaiguite]

Just keep looking, there has got to be someone who is honest and does testing!

[Tveabuti]

Here's an idea. You asked, they said no, so don't get a puppy from them. It's pretty simple if you ask me. All the bullshit back and forth is useless dribble. Nobody forces anybody to buy a puppy from a breeder they don't approve of.

[mymnduccete]

keep looking till you find a good breeder, i have a dachshund also, i do have to say they are sweet loving dogs, thou you cant get them out in the rain and one thing to look for, make sure the parents arent yappy, cause these guys can get yappy i heard, thou mine has only barked 3 times, and read up on there back problems and warning signs for those, i know you probably know these things , anyways good luck with findnig a breeder, and when you pick out a puppy i want to see pics , oh and they LOVE to sleep under the covers

Were you being serious about not getting them out in the rain? LOL because mine absolutely will not go outside to pee (or for any reason) when it is even sprinkling the rain! & yes I will post pictures in the near (or far) future, depending on my luck.

[Pypeassesty]

Most genetic testing is done through OFA, and you can look up any registered dog on the database to verify breeder claims. A responsible breeder will give you this information. Other claims such as "genetically cleared through parentage" should also be verifiable.

For example, I had got Lily's PennHIP. I obviously am not breeding her, as she was spayed at 6 months, but at any point in time if someone asked me to verify what her DI was on each hip, I would be able to present to them the official statement from PennHIP. Both I and my vet have a copy, and PennHIP does keep record.

If I bred dogs, and a prospective owner asked me to verify the report, I would gladly do so. A breeder that does not do this, IMO, is either lying or a jackass and either way not someone I'd want to deal with.

As for what labs do the testing, I'm not familiar with other genetic tests, but, for example, when OFA says "thyroid", they are talking about a Thyroid Panel sent to one of these approved locations: Orthopedic Foundation for Animals: Thyroid Disease

In my experience, and for the purpose of my job at my hospital, I know that Idexx does not do the testing, they send their test requisitions to the University of Michigan (DCPAH).

So I am curious, who pays for genetic testing of a breeders animal? The OFA website has a long list of genetic conditions that can be tested for but what does it cost a breeder to get all of these genetic conditions tested?

After looking at the OFA website I must say that it seems to me for any genetic test to be of value to a potential dog purchaser, I suppose you would first need to research every condition known to occur in a particular breed with any frequency, then ask the breeder if they have certified results of each DNA test for that particular group of genetic anomalies for it to have any real value.

Do they test every dog or just the dam and sire? Can a dam and sire who are free of the gene for say hip dysplasia still have a puppy with hip dysplasia? Frankly if it were me, I would just find a breeder by recommendation who has produced lots of great dogs without problems and has plenty of satisfied customers you can speak with.

People who need certified laboratory genetic tests to pick out a dog seem a little anal or obsessive IMO. Jeez your buying a dog not developing a country. Spending money on genetic testing seems OK for a breeder looking to invest in top quality breeding stock but for a pet owner? Especially since the external risks to dog ownership far exceed the internal genetic risks. Other than a certified test that can guarantee for example that a dog cannot possibly develop a genetic condition which your are specifically trying to ensure against, what real value is it. I guess that if you can guarantee my puppy would never get crippled from a genetic hip problem that might be worth paying a little more for but it is probably more likely that same puppy is at higher risk of getting hit by a car or something and winding up dead or crippled.

Millions of mutts out there live happy and healthy lives with no need for DNA testing. Breeders do play with nature and therefore may want to take precautions but I would guess that if for every breeder who said their dogs are DNA tested, if the customer demanded to see certifiable documentation, many would find it is just a crock, simplya marketing tool high priced breeders use to help justify the prices of their dogs. Some people actually believe the more you pay the more you get.

Below is the OFA info on the thyroid testing for example, read it carefully and you will see that it really means nothing other that it can only determine if the dog currently is OK. So if you bought a puppy and the breeder said it has had a thyroid panel, great, but what good would that be after the dog is a year old?
OFA Thyroid Procedures


Purpose

To identify those dogs that are phenotypically normal for breeding programs and to gather data on the genetic disease autoimmune thyroiditis
Examination and Classification

Each dog is to be examined by an attending veterinarian and have a serum sample sent to an OFA approved laboratory for testing according to the enclosed application and general information instructions. The laboratory fee will be determined by the approved laboratory. All OFA forms and the OFA fee are submitted with the sample to the approved lab. Check with the referral laboratory for special sample handling and tests for registry purposes.
Certification

A breed database number of will be issued to all dogs found to be normal at 12 months of age. Ages will be used in the certification process since the classification can change as the dog ages and the autoimmune disease progresses. It is recommended that reexamination occur at ages 2,3,4,6, and 8 years.
Preliminary Evaluation

Evaluation of dogs under 12 months of age can be performed for private use of the owner since the few dogs are already positive at that age. However, certification will not be possible at that age. Dogs with Autoimmune Thyroiditis

All data, whether normal or abnormal is to be submitted for purposes of completeness. There is no OFA fee for entering an abnormal evaluation of the thyroid into the data bank. Information on results determined to be positive or equivocal will not be made public without explicit written permission of the owner. Thyroid Abnormalities

Thyroid abnormalities fall into several categories—two types will be defined by the registry.

• Autoimmune Thyroiditis
• Idiopathically Reduced Thyroid Function

Autoimme thyroiditis is known to be heritable
Equivocal Results

Those dogs with laboratory results that are questionable, therefore not definitive, will be considered as equivocal. It is recommended that the test the repeated in three to six months.


My conclusion is this stuff is way over rated.

[OnerePeepsy]

The breeder pays for all genetic testing, which run hundreds to thousands of dollars.

IMO, it's worth the money. Hypothyroidism is genetically linked, as is hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, and a very large number of other disorders. If you don't think that it's worth the money, then don't do it. But I wouldn't purchase a dog that did not have any genetic testing done. IMO, that's worse than getting a shelter mutt; at least my crapshoot would be cheap.

[mymnduccete]

yea mine refuses, i have to pick him up and take him out and he looks at me like im killing him, then will come in and hide under the covers for awhile lol

Hahaha mine is the same way about snow, too. He will barely step onto the front porch, which is sheltered..

[OnerePeepsy]

"Well, you had kids, did YOU do any genetic testing on yourself?" lololol

Actually, yes, many people do. For example, in the Jewish community, it is irresponsible to have children without testing for Tay-Sachs disease. Most parents of jewish descent that are purposefully trying to have children will test for this disease.

[mymnduccete]

I tend to agree with atheist on both his posts in this thread... And to the OP.. How much is she charging for her pups? If its 200 - 500 dollars you should expect little to no genetic testing has been done.. But if your talking about forking out 1500-2000 dollars for a proven show quality dog then you might be warranted to ask such questions.

I didn't even get far enough to ask her about price - I asked about the testing first.

[mymnduccete]

IMO I think it is worth it for a breeder to invest the time and money to have testing done, if their goal is to produce healthy specimens of the breed, that is.. Having a top of the line show quality dog isn't my priority, but NOT giving money to someone who just breeds dogs that don't have "obvious faults" as she put it, is. There aren't any adoptable Dachshunds in my area but I think I'm just going to wait patiently until there is... I'm moving out on my own soon and I don't want to take my Dachshund with me because he is the family dog, and is VERY attached to my parents. I love them and have been looking for a while for one available for adoption, and also for responsible breeders.. Sigh I think I'm going to have to make a 4 hour drive to my state's Dachshund rescue.

[Percocetti]

What a bunch of BS she was just trying to justify her actions