hi i know ive asked before but i cant remember,i want to PRA test my poodle.i am so confused.i know there is a test you have done at the vets and it lasts a whole year but am i correct in thinking there is also a test that is carried out and will tell you if your dog will be clear for life or not please.i really dont mind doing the yearly test but if its easier to put her through the test once and ive only got to wait the out come once id sooner do that.
anyone with info on the subject and/or where to go would be really appreciated thank you.x

Here you go: http://www.optigen.com/opt9_test_pra_poodle.html

From this you will see that you will also need to eye test annually in case of the other forms of PRA or for that matter any other eye disease.

Our breed club insists we still have annual eye tests even though we are only listed for the PRA.  This is so any emerging conditions are caught.

thank you.this is the site i was looking at before posting on here.shall try and get my head around it.thanks.x

> i am so confused.i know there is a test you have done at the vets and it lasts a whole year

You don't have to go to the vets the annual test needs to be carried out by a specialist a list of these people can be found on the BVA web site and both dog papers have lists of people running group eye testings around the country. Group eye testing sessions are usually cheaper than having it done privately.

the list of panelists is on the BVA eye scheme page http://www.bva.co.uk/canine_health_schemes/Eye_Scheme.aspx

very interesting. thanks for the link.the vet that is on the bva list is actually 3 minutes around the corner to me so ive booked in to see him.

I find it sad that your average owner does not seem to be able to access this data more easily. The GP vets are very poor at giving info on health schemes.

Now wonder so many BYB's think a vets one over constitutes a pre breeding Health Check.

The BVA should issue posters to all surgeries for the basic tests of Hips and eyes (elbows even) to make ti clear that testing is needed before breeding.

> Now wonder so many BYB's think a vets one over constitutes a pre breeding Health Check

maybe so but what makes you think that byb's will even take a second look at posters.byb's are in it for how much money they can make are they not?its only responsible owners that will go looking for the info.
BUT i do agree it should be more widely available.and explained more easily too,it can get quite confusing lol

Ah but the ordinary pet owner goes to the vet, they often want to bred a litter from Flossy, and also are often the unwitting buyers of pups from untested parents.

I must say my own vet is excellent at advising all clients about the health testing schemes. They even attend the eye testing sessions I run with their dogs.

I found not a single local vet knew where to get the BVA KC eye panelist list from when I enquired (before KC had their website).  Most seemed to know nothing about the eye testing scheme and only vaguely what was wanted for hip scoring.

im relly sorry but i just dont get it.

ive been to see the vet today(not mine a bva registered vet) and had lolas eyes tested.
i specifically asked for the pra test,when it was all dont i asked now forgive me but im confused,is that the actual pra test you've done to which he replied no it was a full eye examination.we do not test for one condition but for all condtions.i cae away uspet as i was promised he would explain all and talk to me but he pushed me out the door and didnt want to talk to me at all.
hes kept my registration form to fill it in and said will post it.he gave me the results vrbally,but im still upset.i dont know whats shes been tested for??ive been given a yellow form which he said would explain all but it doesnt.im so upset i gonna call the vets tommorra and im gonna ask for explanation.

That's very weird, you or receptionist usually fill in the form and you are given everything back straight away.  But yes it's normal for them to do all eye tests it is not a general PRA test.

Sounds like you haven't been given the eye test certificate, and that will be sent on to you (never had that happen, always got given it when I handed over my dosh).  On it will be a list of all the eye condition and ticks will be against the unaffected boxes for all the diseases your breed is listed for. 

The others are usually crossed through. 

With ours only PRA is listed as hereditary (the under investigation conditions aren't ) but if they found that your dog had one of the other conditions you would obviously get an affected tick, but only the conditions listed as definitely hereditary in your breed will appear on the dogs registration records at the Kennel club.

The BVA link I gave earlier in the thread has articles explaining the eye scheme and also an article about the various conditions if memory serves.

It would have been nice for the panelist to explain things briefly.

Which BVA panellist did you see? This sounds odd to me, at our eye testing sessions the yellow form is the one the panellist keeps. The form you should have filled in with the receptionist or vet has four carbon copies, the top copy is white the next layer down blue, the one below that is yellow and the final one is pink, which is kept by your regular vet.

You should have had the certificate handed to you as soon as the eye test was completed, unless you did not have your dogs registration certificate with you. Then the panellist will usually keep the forms until you return with the dogs registration paper, so that the forms can be completed. If you have travelled a long way most panellists will tell you to post the registration to them and then they will return the registration and eye test certificate to you by return of post.

The panellist is correct all eye conditions are looked for and this will include problems connected to the eye lids as well. So your dog will have been tested for PRA. The only time you would get a separate test is if your breed had glaucoma in which case the glaucoma test is different to the standard eye test, but even then if you are having both PRA and glaucoma tests the results will be on one set of forms.

morning all.....thank you for helping me understand.i live in havering so i saw mr lawton the surgery is a 9 minute drive!
i did fill in a form at the front desk with all her details ect and yes i had to go back home for the registration certificate as i didnt realise i had to have that with me.i felt like a child being ttold off he was so rude to me.didnt explain anything to me at all.i came away not knowing what had even happened to my dog.he didnt even say hello to lola.now the only time shes been on the vet table(not his)is for her jabs.
charles will always say hello stroke ect and ask how we're doing.i dont ever wanna go back and im annoyed as i know this test needs doing yearly.
i wanted the test that clears her for life is it called the optigen eye test?
you who understand it are probably feel like your banging your heads on a brick wall but your not.i listening and im like  sponge i love to learn.dont give up on me yet lol.

ive just read again the link brainless posted for me (thank you) and i THINK i have it.
i should test once a year for any forms of eye disease and then there is the genetic test we can do too.
im going on the war path now.i like to know all my dogs are healthy,i traveled to angela way away from me to get the good hip scoring done and ill travel again to get this eye test sorted if i have to.i dont know about going back to him again i may just prepare to travel to the next closest bva vet!

Oh Tamara that's a totally different test.  Look at 20/20 eye testing which is on the Optigen eye testing site.  For that blood is taken and then sent off to America, though depending on the breed I think there's now a company over here doing some of this, unfortunately not mine.

Thank you perrodeagua,thats the test im looking for thank you.now all i have to d is find who does it and get it done.
i have found a site thats says get the sample from your vet and ship it to them but im worried its wrong even though its in black and white and ive read it over and over

>at our eye testing sessions the yellow form is the one the panellist keeps.

The procedure notes are yellow.

> i wanted the test that clears her for life is it called the optigen eye test?
>

Details of how to get the Optigen test, is on the Optigen website (gave the link earlier) the clinic schedule gives you the dates (all over the world so look for UK ones) where you can get a discount. 

The actual test is booked on-line and there is a link for that at the top of each page, as you work through the site..

yep done it thank you.its just understanding that im doing the right thing thats all.thank you you have been a great help i appreciate it all.xxx

Once I had found a convenient clinic that were also doing the blood taking I then booked my test on-line.

I found ti easiest to go through the instructions step by step and assemble all the documents you need to complete the form, which once printed is what you take with you to the clinic if they are taking the blood, or to your vet if they are not in order to then take/send to the clinic organisers to send in the batch to Optigen (again cheaper than doing it alone).

Those that organise the 20/20 clinics if you contact them are very good at leading you through the procedure ads they are doggy people no vets, so know you may have never done it before..

I think for others reading it is helpful to point out;

The BVA eye tests are "Clinical Tests" to detect clinical signs of an abnormality/diseases.  This means that the eye certificate shows the dog to have sings or no signs of a problem at the time of testing, and in conditions that have a variable age of onset testing is needed every year.

These tests cannot detect carriers

This is totally different to a DNA test, which can be done at any age from after full weaning, and will show if a dog has the genetic disease, is a carrier or it clear.  Very important with late onset diseases such as the PRA in my breed which seems to have become later and later in onset, with some affected animals still not being completely blind at 15.