what things shall i look for when i am choosing a pup from a litter of 6.The obvious one is temprement as i have 3 children,but is there anything else i should look for to help ensure i get the right pup,the pups are rough collies from a kc reg breeder who has just had placings at crufts

ALSO,
I have visited the breeder and chatted at length about the dogs and asked the relevent questions and the breeder was v helpful and answered all my questions, but on the subject of collie eye anomoly she said the pups were not checked but the parents have been and there is no history of it in the parents bloodline , should i be worried about this or not.

The pups should be tested aswell IMHO as even though the parents have been tested they could be carriers which may then go on to produce an affected pup. Slightly affected will not cause a pet puppy any problems but without testing there is no way the breeder can be certain of the puppies eye status.

Rough Collie pups should be checked by a Veterinary Opthalmologist before they go to their new homes to detect Collie Eye Anomaly.  The retina colours as it matures and the lesions can be difficult to detected in adults.
I would never recommend that an untested puppy is purchased.  It doesn't matter that it is not clear, but it does matter that it is tested and the Opthalmologist has diagnosed the severity and looked for any other problems that affect the breed's eyes.

It looks like we all said exactly the same thing when you asked last month.

could i get the pup checked myself at my vet after taking it home and with the breeders agreement return it to them if it is affected.Why would they not check for cea ,is it cost?

It only costs £26 to have a litter checked! 
How would your children feel having brought the puppy home, if you took it back? 
Your Vet, unless he's an Opthalmologist, can't check the eyes.  They needs to go to a BVA panellist.

I don't know if it is the same in Roughs, but in Borders they need to be checked between 5 & 7 weeks.

Yes, exactly the same. :)

The breeder should have the test done.  I remember a number of years ago when my parents had a litter and we took them to a friends who didn't have dogs.  One of the pups was totally lost and couldn't find its way around the room, it was completely blind and it wasn't obvious at all at our house due to the scents etc.  We were shocked at how well it adjusted to our living conidtions and that we didn't even notice the problem until it was out of these surroundings.

Don't buy if they don't test!

Hi again Kevin,

Are you categorically being told that both parents were clear at puppy test, or that neither parent has a problem?

Different breeder, but having personally known a dog that was bought on the premise that the breeder had no problems in their lines and knowing that the dog had virtually no vision, my advice would remain the same. However, obviously your decision and hope you find a nice puppy whichever way you go. :D

M.

there is no history of it in the parents bloodline , should i be worried about this or not.

Hm that IMHO is the breeder inferring that their dogs bloodlines are CEA free  which in Rough Collies I very much doubt

The only way to guarantee dogs are CEA free is by DNA testing either both parents are genetically DNA clear or the the puppies are DNA tested clear. Screening only tells you the puppy doesn't have CEA or the degree to which it is affected. It doesn't mean the dogs are CEA free

My BC spuppy doesn't have CEA & will never have it but he carries CEA

However I personally doubt there are very many genetically clear Rough Collies & I don't think many will have been DNA tested in the UK.

Slightly affected dogs can need normal lives but I personally would never buy an affected puppy & of course they shouldn't be bred from

Our old Sheltie boy developed a non-treatable eye problem - a 'misty patch' in his right eye (I don't think it was CEA ).  It was right over his pupil and grew larger as he got older but was never bigger than 1-1.5cm diameter.  He more than likely had poor vision in that eye but you would never have known!  We got him at 18 months old and the problem wasn't apparent then (didn't noticably start to develop til he was about 5).  However, if if we were to get a young puppy now we would want to ensure that not only had the parents/grandparents/great-granparents been tested and cleared of all breed related illnesses/ailments but also that the pups had had any relevant tests before we purchased it.  Hope this helps :)

Doesn't sound like CEA as that affects the retina.  I wonder if the misty patch might have been a corneal dystrophy?  I've seen it a few times in my breed.  Strange because it's considered to be hereditary in Shelties but not in Rough Collies.  http://www.eyevet.ca/

Parents hips should be scored too.
Gail :) :) :)
Also to say, I breed roughs and I personally wouldn`t let a puppy leave until the eyes have been tested.

Cavaliers are very prone to corneal dystrophy which is fatty deposits on the eyes & can come & go It's nothing to do with CEA as Val says as CEA is inside the eye & not visible

Try this link as well http://tinyurl.com/lqbeg

If my cavaliers get the tiny patches I reduce any free lipids(cholesterol) in the dogs diet & also give them some of my cholesterol reducing yoghurt drink, which does appear to get rid of them

Yes, I've had this in two Roughs. As you say, it comes and goes - although an opthamologist told me it didn't, despite the fact he was retesting a dog who had it before but it had disappeared.

M.

Thanks for the advice on what our old boys eye condition could have been ;)  It didn't come and go - it was visible all the time - and 'grew' over the last 4-5 years of his life.  May never know what it was *hmmmm*

Edit to say - it was only ever in one eye and was a whole 'spot' (not several different spots or a 'ring')