Ethical Breeding Guidelines

The following Ethical Guidelines have been jointly agreed by all eight UK English Springer Spaniel Breed Clubs:

Ethical Guidelines For Using Fucosidosis and CORD1 PRA DNA Tests:

• Owners should ensure that all currently used Stud Dogs and Brood Bitches are DNA tested or are the product of two DNA tested Clear parents (i.e. ‘hereditarily clear'), for Fucosidosis and PRA (Cord1).

• Owners of Stud Dogs should check that Brood Bitches brought to them have been DNA tested or are the product of two DNA tested Clear or DNA ‘hereditarily' Clear parents.

• Owners of Brood Bitches should check that the Stud Dog they intend to use has been DNA tested or is the product of two DNA tested Clear or DNA ‘hereditarily' Clear parents.

• Stud Dog and Brood Bitch owners should disclose to each other if either has been DNA tested as a Carrier for either Fucosidosis or PRA (Cord1).

• A known Carrier for either disease should never be mated to another known Carrier for that disease, or to an untested ESS that could be a Carrier.

• In cases where a Carrier is mated to a Clear, all resulting progeny should be DNA tested prior to being re-homed.

• New owners should be informed of the genetic status of their dog for Fucosidosis and PRA (Cord1).

• Owners should have their dog(s) DNA tested at an approved laboratory. By doing so, they will also be giving their permission for the test results to be automatically passed on to the Kennel Club, to be added to the KC registration database and published on the KC website and in the Kennel Gazette, in accordance with existing official KC/ESS DNA Testing Schemes.

Ethical Guidelines For Using Health Tests For Inherited Eye Diseases:

Currently, PRA (Cord1 mutation) is the only eye disease affecting English Springer Spaniels for which there is a DNA test available. Other forms of PRA that may also exist in the Breed, and which are caused by a different genetic mutation, have yet to be genetically identified.

It therefore remains the case that clinical eye examination should continue to be used to identify dogs clinically affected by any form of PRA, as well as other eye diseases. Breeders should, in addition, use the available DNA test to determine the genetic status of their dog(s) for the Cord1 mutation.

Breeders should be extremely careful and responsible when deciding whether or not to use known Cord1 carriers (i.e. those dogs that are known to have produced affected progeny, or are the sons or daughters of an affected parent, or have been genetically identified as carriers for the Cord1 mutation).

The clinicians advise not to breed from such animals, and that is preferred. However, should breeders choose to place temperament, type and ability foremost, we are seeking to offer them guidelines on best practice.

Some breeders may choose not to use known carriers or the sons and daughters of known carriers. Others may feel it would be a serious loss to the breed if such dogs were totally excluded from their breeding programmes. They will be free to make such a decision, but all breeders must be seen to take responsibility for their own actions. Should they decide to go ahead, they should ensure that:

• Any dog/bitch mated to that carrier should carry an up to date, clinically clear Eye Certificate (valid at the time of mating). ***

• Stud Dogs should continue to be screened until they are no longer used, or until at least the age of 8 years, whichever is the later.

• Brood Bitches should continue to be screened until at least 8 years of age (after which time progeny are no longer permitted to be registered with the Kennel Club).

• They are certain that the mating does not take place with another known carrier.

• Pedigrees are evaluated carefully to lessen the risk of doubling up on a carrier and potentially causing a situation that could produce affected dogs. (This might mean checking back further than three generations - possibly five). Owners may wish to make use of the KC Health Test Results Finder, where all the recorded health test results of individual dogs can be found.

• Stud Dog owners should disclose to owners of bitches who wish to use their dog that the dog is a known carrier (by virtue of it being out of an affected parent or having itself sired affected offspring, or by virtue of it having been genetically identified as a carrier for the Cord1 mutation), even though the Stud Dog may himself have a current clinically clear eye certificate.

• Owners of Brood Bitches should disclose to owners of Stud Dogs whether she is a known carrier (by virtue of her being out of an affected parent or having herself produced affected offspring, or by virtue of her having been genetically identified as a carrier for the Cord1 mutation) even though the Brood Bitch may herself have a current clinically clear eye certificate.

*** Whether or not a known Cord1 carrier is being used, breeders are strongly advised that all dogs/bitches being used for breeding should carry an up to date clear Eye Certificate, valid at the time of mating.

• A Standard Eye Test Certificate is deemed up to date if a dog has been passed clinically unaffected no more than one year prior to a mating taking place.

• A Gonioscopy Eye Test Certificate is deemed up to date if a dog has been tested no more than three years prior to a mating taking place. Dogs used for breeding should have a PLA grade 0 or 1, or be passed as 'Gonio Unaffected' if tested before 1st July 2017. Dogs given a PLA grade 2 should only be bred from with caution. It is not recommended to breed from dogs given a PLA grade 3. Note: The guidelines for gonioscopy were changed in April 2016 from a one-off to a 3-yearly test.