Skip to content

Required Testing Before Breeding

Breeder Talk
  • I say more required because a responsible person will see it that way. Also I am learning so that's why I'm asking :) Tiggy is still way to young to breed, I just want to know more now and have a better knowledge and understanding for if and when that times comes.

    So through reading other posts I have gathered the a dogs Hips and Patella's (OFA), Thyroid, and Eyes (CERF). Should all be tested and come back clear, and that the hips cannot be tested until the age of two.

    Is there any other testing that should be done, and what age are the eyes and thyroid tested (I can't seem to find info on that)? I have not forgotten about Fanconi, and Tiggy has had his DNA test (carrier).

    Final question, have I missed anything to ask, lol?

  • @WBL:

    I say more required because a responsible person will see it that way. Also I am learning so that's why I'm asking :) Tiggy is still way to young to breed, I just want to know more now and have a better knowledge and understanding for if and when that times comes.

    So through reading other posts I have gathered the a dogs Hips and Patella's (OFA), Thyroid, and Eyes (CERF). Should all be tested and come back clear, and that the hips cannot be tested until the age of two.

    Is there any other testing that should be done, and what age are the eyes and thyroid tested (I can't seem to find info on that)? I have not forgotten about Fanconi, and Tiggy has had his DNA test (carrier).

    Final question, have I missed anything to ask, lol?

    Eyes are important. I always had my puppies done between 8 and 10 wks to get a base line and if there were any early problems like Coloboma. Then I would CERF them at least at age two, if no problems then at least every two years. If breeding certainly that year for sure. Thyroid you can do at least by the time they are a year…

  • @tanza:

    Eyes are important. I always had my puppies done between 8 and 10 wks to get a base line and if there were any early problems like Coloboma. Then I would CERF them at least at age two, if no problems then at least every two years. If breeding certainly that year for sure. Thyroid you can do at least by the time they are a year…

    And it is really critical CRITICAL to go to a veterinary opthamlogist who is experienced and practiced at looking a Basenji eyes. So many are quick to misinterpret what seems to be common place in Basenjis. You can get a doc saying 'this dog is blind' …then when you take the same dog to a more experienced vet, you get 'this dog has perfect eyes'.

    Hopefully this is something that the BCOA Health committee will be discussing soon, and have some suggestions to alleviate paying for multiple tests with wildly different diagnosis.

  • Thank you Andrea and Pat!!! By the time he is old enough to be breed I will be living back in the states so those sort of things will be easier for me to find, lol, it can be difficult here at times with the language difference.

    As for the eyes I'm guessing that they are also made up differently than most dogs??

  • @WBL:

    Thank you Andrea and Pat!!! By the time he is old enough to be breed I will be living back in the states so those sort of things will be easier for me to find, lol, it can be difficult here at times with the language difference.

    As for the eyes I'm guessing that they are also made up differently than most dogs??

    Yes, that is the theory. No one is really too sure right now…but it seems that things that may scream "problem" in "normal" dogs, may not mean the same thing in Basenji eyes.....why be normal? ;)

  • And with any luck maybe we will have a DNA test for PRA

  • LOL, I have learned that many things are different in basenjis than other dogs. I didn't know that males tend to have one testicle that will "hide" until they are 6-7 months. This had me worried at first with Tiggy, but just over the past few days it has started to "present" itself. My vet here didn't know that, I found out by his sire's owner and then my vet in the states is familiar with Basenji's and she said the same thing.

    So the list goes on, testicles are positioned different and they can hide, eyes are different, vocal cords, anything else, lol?

  • @WBL:

    LOL, I have learned that many things are different in basenjis than other dogs. I didn't know that males tend to have one testicle that will "hide" until they are 6-7 months. This had me worried at first with Tiggy, but just over the past few days it has started to "present" itself. My vet here didn't know that, I found out by his sire's owner and then my vet in the states is familiar with Basenji's and she said the same thing.

    So the list goes on, testicles are positioned different and they can hide, eyes are different, vocal cords, anything else, lol?

    Yes in B's the testicles are carried one in front of the other… and they can "still" suck one up... especially if frighten by something or like at a show if the "judges" hands are cold...:eek:

  • @tanza:

    Yes in B's the testicles are carried one in front of the other… and they can "still" suck one up... especially if frighten by something or like at a show if the "judges" hands are cold...:eek:

    LMAO, now that is kinda funny. Luckly Tiggy has gotten used to being handled, lol, down there because everyone suggested massaging to help it along

  • Just as an FYI, if you are having other things done, ou can always have hips done BEFORE they are two years old… the only difference is that you cannot get an OFA certification for it.. but you do get a Pre-Lim Report and it will state whether the dog is Excellent, Good, Fair, or a non-passing grade.

    Many people (this includes many long-time breeders) breed and have no issues telling puppy people that the dog is too young for hips on their testing blurb. Sure, I'd say 6 months is too young, but if hte dog you are using is above 8 months old, then is SHOULD be at least Pre-Limmed on hips. There are NO excuses not to do it.

    I think that Pre-Lims are now posted on OFA... I did some from 2001-2005 and those weren't posted online (can't recall the reasoning then).

  • Kathy, do you traditionally do a formal OFA later on then, or do you just use the pre-lim as your test?

  • While that is correct that OFA is available for prelim and anyone using a young dog that is not old enough for hips other then prelim should certainly at least have that done… my question would be, is it really necessary to use a dog before he is 2?

  • @tanza:

    While that is correct that OFA is available for prelim and anyone using a young dog that is not old enough for hips other then prelim should certainly at least have that done… my question would be, is it really necessary to use a dog before he is 2?

    I don't think it is really necessary …but sometimes people have their reasons...and it is nice that there is an option rather than just waiting to see.

  • The other option for hips before the age of 2 years is PennHip which does certifications at a younger age than OFA.

Suggested Topics

  • New testing

    Breeder Talk
    15
    0 Votes
    15 Posts
    4k Views
    BuanaB
    @Terry: Buana - have you considered collecting Chafuko and using the chilled semen AI? That way neither dog would have to undergo the stress of travel. Terry We never considered that, I will get information about that (for this time it's too late but for a next time) I'ts always good to know.
  • 2009 Breeding Plans

    Breeder Talk
    32
    0 Votes
    32 Posts
    11k Views
    tanzaT
    We will have puppies in the house… but just not born here..gggg.... but thanks for the kind words....
  • Breeding Using Younger Dogs

    Breeder Talk
    32
    0 Votes
    32 Posts
    8k Views
    khanisK
    I completely agree with Pat on this one. I know that Pam/Sheila [Eldorado] used our Rocket Man last year. They bred him to a clear bitch, and were really hoping for more than the 1 clear that they got… Sean [RWD at the national] was their clear pup. So, they pre-limmed Sean this year and used him on two bitches; for one, it was her last litter and a way for them to continue forward with these bloodlines and producing all clear puppies. I see absolutely NOTHING wrong with this…. they did the health testing... the dam herself is older and Sean's sire turned 14 last month. The pedigree is laden with health-testing WITH GOOD RESULTS. It is completely different than the PP mentioning using a young male that wasn't pre-limmed, and although the sire is I think she said 12, has produced enough HD to make using this dog WITHOUT pre-lim testing quite risky. Sure, it can be done, but why make it so there could be potential problems in unborn pups? It's better to give them the best possible start in life that you can. And, since a pup over six months old can be pre-limmed, there is ABSOLUTELY NO EXCUSES for not having it done!!! I also agree that you do not trust someone saying "my vet looked at them and they are fine" Sorry, if you are willing to put the $150-300 into the health-testing you are just not going to balk at the miniscule $35 to have an OFA certification number for your results!
  • Breeding Plans

    Breeder Talk
    216
    0 Votes
    216 Posts
    118k Views
    bellabasenjiB
    I am loving McCartney's work, thank you for the link Jenn! I bookmarked it for future reference… it's great stuff!!!:cool:
  • Kinetic Breeding Plans

    Breeder Talk
    142
    0 Votes
    142 Posts
    77k Views
    YodelDogsY
    Based solely on these photos, I would rank Bella and Dean the highest but Clark and Flash are certainly not far behind. This is a fabulous litter. I love them all.
  • In-Breeding/Line Breeding

    Breeder Talk
    18
    0 Votes
    18 Posts
    8k Views
    tanzaT
    @Quercus: <> Right...I wasn't sure if that was the litter that Sue was referring to? But I don't know of her doing any other brother/sister breeding. So yes, Ariel is a product of that breeding. The idea was to do a test breeding to see what genetically, if anything, might be brought out. By doing an inbreeding, you can 'expose' recessive genes, and see what you've actually got. You can also set (as in permanantly set) type...but, that wasn't the goal in Sue/Jeff's breeding. In this case, the two "best" "typey" puppies from this litter will most likely be bred on from, as long as they test out as genetically and physically healthy, they will most likely be out-crossed, to bring in different genes. Ariel's brother, George, is quite stunning, and is easily the best looking puppy in the litter. Ariel has a beautiful head, but is long in body, short in leg. Neither one is what we consider a "show dog" ;) And the litter's sire is quite handsome!.... the dam of the litter, while long in the back and short on leg (like it sounds Ariel is) has a great temperament... both are great to build on the future.... and breeding out from these pups will be great to build on too.... I am pretty sure that would be the breeding Sue was talking about, like you I don't know of any other brother/sister breeding she and Jeff has done.