Have been asked for advise on breeding Labs, not my breed but said I would find out what tests are required. Hips obviously, what eye tests are needed & is there anything else. There is no point in trying to explain that the dogs should have done well in the show ring & at field trials. The stud has been chosen & the breeding will take place, but at least the parents will have been tested & the pups will have a good start in life.

:rolleyes:

First of all, hip scoring.   Both parents will need to be put under GA (or the owners be prepared to travel to a specialist who does not use GA) for the hip Xrays to be taken.   These will be sent to the BVA hip scoring panel, which meets every 6-8 weeks, and the scores will be decided.   Cost?   Around £120-£150 depending upon where you are in the country.   Time for hip scores to come back?  Could be as much as 12 weeks.

Eye testing.     Again, eyes are tested by specialist opthalmic vets.   Cost?   Around £20 per dog.

And what if the scores are not good?   Will the dogs still be bred from?

Margot

Labradors should also have DNA tests done before breeding via Optigen http://www.optigen.com/opt9_test_prcd_pra.html & http://www.optigen.com/opt9_test_narc.html

Hi Lokis Mum

Maybe I should have said, that with many years of experience I personally know exactly what is entailed with hip scoring & eye testing. My question was what specific tests are needed for the Labrador?.

Just looked up details of the DNA tests required & will pass this information on.

As to your question, what if the scores are not good?. All I can do is advise them not to breed, but ultimatley it is their choice.

At least they are asking what tests to do & that has to be a good starting point.

If you look at this link (click on 'Breeds' on the left and scroll down to Labrador Retriever) you'll find details of the inherited conditions the breed is prone to, and what should be tested for.

Of course, if the results are bad, the animals shouldn't be bred from at all. If you point out to the owners the very real possibility of being sued if any of the pups turn out to have a condition that could have been avoided, they might take the tests seriously.

Thanks for the link. I must say at first glance I thought, my god the Labrador is in a bad way. I then looked at my own breed & realised that it lists everything that could possibly be inherited, most of which have never cropped up in my breed in the U.K. I doubt that being sued has even crossed their minds. The pups, if the breeding goes ahead will be going to a close circle of their family & friends.