Can a blood sample be sent directly to america or does it have to be to a 20/20 clinic? whats the easiest method?

Yes but it is cheaper to join in with a clinic.  Some of the clinics accept postal submissions.

yes if you can find a clinic it's much cheaper - there's one at Weardale agility show at the end of next month (on optigen) which you could join (via the post) if you can't find a local one.  email Kate (on optigen) and she'll tell you the code nearer the time :-)

does it matter where in the uk the clinic is?

not if you do it by post, no, but you do have to go to a vets to have them draw blood and sign the papers.....

If there isnt a suitable 20/20 clinic at the time required whats the next best way?

when do you need it? if there's no clinic you can simply send off one sample, but it'll cost you more.

I need to do it this month.do you have to pay per sample and have you any idea of the cost?im testing my dog and my sister is testing her 2.

You may be better off sending cheek swabs (much cheaper, and if they do not have enough to sample they will test blood free of charge, sending blood will be more expensive.

Go to the optigen site http://www.optigen.com/opt9_info.html and all the procedure and costs is there, and add on the relevant shipping charges and your vets fees.

Depending on the test fit and fertile do some now a lot cheaper and I believe comes through Optigen. your vet has to do everything though including the paperwork.

Is the cheek swab just as good as the blood samples ie are the results as acurate?

Yes the only thing that can sometimes happen is that there is not enough DNA for the test, which is why they will retest on blood for free. 

All those in my breed that couldn't get into a 20/20 clinic have opted to send in swabs and I don't know anyone failing to get theirs tested.

I thought i read on the optigen website that the test for pra isnt available as a swab,is that correct?

Unless that is very recent then no, as I know lots who have used the swabs as we are required to test the whole litter of puppies if we use a carrier, and most people opt for swabs.

Doesn't mention it here: http://www.optigen.com/opt9_cheekswb.html

The various links to the instruction pages cover all questions, kinds of swabs, shipping etc etc.

I found following the instructions step by step I got on fine.

If you click on tests it says at the top of the page we cannot accept swabs for these tests.

That's only for the asterixed items.  CL for Border Collies, rcd3-PRA in Cardigan Corgi's, PFK in cockers and ESS, Clad and RCD1-PRA in Irish/Red and White setters etc

So it is,oh dear feel a bot silly now.well i think the swabs may suit me better then.where do i get the swabs from?

There is advice on one of the links tells you which kind are acceptable, and your likely to get them from your vet or chemist.

Thanks,i have found some swabs online.what do you recommend i send the swabs back in,it says an envelope,would that be just a plain ordinary envelope?

http://www.optigen.com/opt9_cheekswbship.html

Idexx offer most of the Optigen tests - you need to go through your vet and the time taken is longer, but the cost is much lower :-)

They collect them, bundle them up then ship them as a huge lot, hence the reduced prices :-)

I've known dogs who have been swabbed to get incorrect results thats why I will only do i with bloods.

It was my belief that cheek swabs cannot be verified as coming from that particular dog (as it is done at home) so the KC wont list the result?

Maybe it depends on what condition is being tested for (the list mentioned would make it seem so) as certainly no problem with results from swabs being recorded for prcd-PRA with KC for our breed.

It is the pra one that has been wrong. Whether it is due to numerous dogs being done and paperwork being mixed up I dont know.

Which PRA? Is it a definitive test or a linkage test?

Is this query to me Brainless?  It is the prcd-PRA test that there have been a few errors on and I think they were all done by swabs.  People have innocently used carrier dogs when they believed they were clears, only for pups to then become carriers.

Well as it si litters that are being tested in my breed and the test sheet says what sample was used then it seems strange.