How many of you that CERF your dogs have had Breeder Option code diagnosis?

All three of my dogs have cleared the eye exam with regards to getting a CERF #, but all three of them have breeder option codes too.

Two have distichiasis (double eye lashes) and one with Persistant Pupillary Membranes / iris to iris.

I realize that up until a few years ago, these additional things were not posted as part of the CERF information therefore making it almost impossible to research the database for dogs that may or may not have the same issue.  So a dog that's last CERF exam was 5 or 6 years ago would not have any information other than CERF #.

But a dog whose last CERF exam was 5-6 years ago would not, per OFFA, be current on their CERF, they need to be re-CERF'd annually, or as a lot of people do prior to breeding.

Am I understanding your question?

 

Posted By Rhenee Fadling on 18 Jan 2010 02:11 PM

But a dog whose last CERF exam was 5-6 years ago would not, per OFFA, be current on their CERF, they need to be re-CERF'd annually, or as a lot of people do prior to breeding.

Am I understanding your question?

 

The 5-6 years ago was in reference to the fact that up until a few years ago, OFFA did not list the Breeder Option codes along with the CERF #'s, therefore going back into a dogs pedigree would not be possible as the listing of the codes are relatively new.  A dog whose last exam was 5-6 years ago may be deceased or no longer an active sire/dam.

I don't really have a specific question other than wondering if it is common for 3 out of 3 dogs (from entirely different breedings) to wind up with Breeder Option codes.

IMO, if you have a Cerf# your good to go. Alot of dogs will have eyelid probs. as well as punctate cataracts from an injury. This is not a big deal.
Thats why it is a breeders option-does not mean it is a heredtary disease. Refer to a Animal Opthamologist as far as conditions that will not be certified by cerf. Such as certain heretitary cataracts. Jon

I agree that the CERF # is the most important thing.

I was told by the Veterinary Opthamologist that performed the exam that is WAS hereditary. Breeding one dog with it to another without it did not seem to concern him, but he recommended that I NOT breed two dogs together that both have it as the entire litter would have it.

Does anybody have an experienced opinion on that?

You are correct distichiasis is an inheridible eye problem, it can be painful, as I have witnessed with my dog, especially after hunting tall grass or red grass. The dog can be helped if it's severe to have the eylashes removed.  Labradors are not as affected as some breeds. It's recommended these dogs not be bred.

It is the dog owner's option as to whether problems that exist but do not cause failure of the CERF exam to be listed on the CERF certificate. Many breeders do not want them listed because it may be bad for their business hence the name "breeder's option". CERF should list these regardless of the wishes of the owner. Punctate cataracts are deemed of "unknown significance" even though they may in fact be hereditary. Several years ago I had two dogs CERF'd at the same time They were closely related and both had the exact same punctate cataract in the same eye at the same location. This is pretty conclusive evidence that they are hereditary but they are tiny and their location does not threaten vision so CERF does not fail a dog for them. These cataracts have not grown any over the years. Unlike what some believe many eye problems are hereditary and even if they do not cause failure of the CERF exam they should not be bred to another dog with the same eye issues. This is why the CERF certificate might be the most important qualification a dog should have in a breeding including titles. I had a Brittany go blind at 12 years of age 30 years ago and while she could still hunt you always had to keep her in sight. Cataracts can take years to show up. Because of this a dog may pass annual CERF exams but be passing the gene for cataracts to 50% of every pup from litters the dog is a part of. This is why you can have a dog fail it's CERF exam even though both parents had current CERF clearances when bred. One of the highest titled GMPR's has produced at least one known dog that failed it's CERF due to cataracts and the GMPR has a current CERF to this day. There is now a DNA test for one type of cataracts but it is only for one breed and not for Labradors. If more breeders line bred rather than the constant outcrossing these could be exposed and eliminated much more quickly but unfortunately most feel that it is politically incorrect to line breed. Before DNA tests were available it was the only way to expose and eliminate hereditary diseases. This is why we now have the huge problem of EIC. This gene may be in as much as 50% of all Labradors in the US now according to the UMN-VDL which developed the EIC test.

I'm pretty sure that the "Breeder Option Codes" appear on the CERF certificate regardless of the breeders wishes (bad for business or not). All three of my dog's CERF certificates have the breeder option codes listed as well as them being listed on the OFA website. You send the exam paperwork and your check to CERF; there is no place to "check" as to whether or not you want the option codes made public or not...

Posted By Mountain G on 04 Mar 2010 08:47 PM
I'm pretty sure that the "Breeder Option Codes" appear on the CERF certificate regardless of the breeders wishes (bad for business or not). All three of my dog's CERF certificates have the breeder option codes listed as well as them being listed on the OFA website. You send the exam paperwork and your check to CERF; there is no place to "check" as to whether or not you want the option codes made public or not...

As it should be, in my opinion.  Full disclosure is the only way to go if we are going to actually better the breed and inform the public, the majority of whom do not want dogs for breeding.  By "hiding" carriers-of anything-we are just perpetuating the myth that there is something "wrong" with them. 

I just had a dog CERF examined March 5, 2010 and she passed. The option is still on the form you send in to CERF to get the certificate/number. If you do not notice it/sign your name the information will be released to the public. It is in a box on the right hand side one third of the way down in a decent size box/frame. It is however the smallest print on the form. Many people do not notice it or understand and are probably reluctant to sign their name so the information is released in the codes on the certificate and the public record. OFA is putting the codes on their site if the dog is in their database.

Yes, you are right about the "option" to make the results public, but I believe it is an "all or nothing" option. Meaning that your dog's entire CERF information is posted to the public or none of it is; not just the"good news" or "bad news". If you are planning on breeding a dog, I would question anyone who claims their dog has a CERF #, but I can't find a public record of it on OFFA or CERF. That would be a red flag to me. I personally would ask to see the CERF certificate and then the dog's Option Codes would be revealed.

As stated before, breeder option codes are NOT the end of the world. It just reveals some information that a breeder should pay attention to when choosing a mate. All three of my dogs have passing CERF exams, but due to the knowledge I now have regarding two of my dogs having Distichias, I will not be breeding those two as I had hoped. I now must choose a male that meets my criteria and is free of Distichias (and hopefully does not have it in his "lines"). That goes back to my original comment regarding the fact that Breeder Option codes being "published" along with CERF information being relatively new (the past couple of years), makes it hard to trace option codes very far back into a dog's pedigree.