PRA: Breeding with Carriers; advice for breeders

Post date: Nov 21, 2016 10:7:36 AM

We are often asked what the advice is on whether or not cord1 PRA Carriers should be used for breeding. The DNA test has been available since 2005 so there really is no excuse for anyone to be producing Affected puppies these days.

All the recorded Cord1 PRA results, including Hereditary Clears, are available on the KC website and show the following:

• • Mini Longs - 19% of the dogs recorded are Carriers

  • Mini Smooths - 16%

  • Mini Wires 7%

So, even after all the time people have been using the test, there are still a significant number of Carriers in the populations of each variety. It would be a disaster from a genetic diversity perspective if those Carriers were removed from the gene pool by not breeding from them. They can be mated quite safely to dogs that have been tested Clear, or who are Hereditary Clear.

N.B. Those % figures are Carriers as a percentage of (Hereditary Clear + Clear + Carrier + Affected).

Read Dr. Cathryn Mellersh's (AHT) advice on breeding with Carriers.