All dogs that are bred from are examined annually by a qualified canine ophthalmologist and hold a clear eye certificate. They are also DNA screened for genetic defects/diseases. Every puppy bred by us has at least one parent that is genetically "clear" for these defects/diseases, so we can guarantee that none will ever suffer from from PRA or FN.

	Date and status of the most recent ophthalmological eye certificate	DNA screening for prcd/PRA*	DNA screening for FN**
Sarah	18/08/2006: "clear" for all hereditary defects	A/clear	clear
Lina	to be done	A/clear	clear
Claire	08/06/2007: "clear" for all hereditary defects	B/carrier	clear

* PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) is a hereditary disorder that causes the retina of the eye to degenerate slowly over time. The result is declining vision and eventual blindness. "A" means that the dog is genetically clear of prcd(“progressive rod-cone degeneration” which so far is the only hereditary type of PRA known in Cockers). I.o.w. the dog is not affected by the disorder and will not pass it on to its offspring. "B" means that the dog is not affected by the disorder, but genetically a "carrier" of it and as such can pass it on to its offspring. "C" means that the dog is affected by the disorder, so is very likely eventually to go blind, and may also produce affected offspring. This test is carried out by Optigen, a US based genetic lab.

** FN (Familial Nephropathy): inherited renal disease which is untreatable and inevitably causes death at a very young age (approximately 2 years). This test is carried out by Antagene in France.

If you would like some more information about our dogs, please do let us know, and hopefully you won't forget to sign our Guestbook!

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