Breeders Beware by Peter Wood

I am writing this article for the benefit of anybody who decides to breed from their    Beardie bitch, or anyone who uses their dog for stud purposes.

As some of our members know, I have tried to persuade owners to have any    dogs/bitches that are going to be bred from eye tested.  If they are good enough to     breed from, they must be worth testing.

We are now aware of what we believe to be the first case of PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) in our Beardies.

Although the bitch was from an unknown line of dogs from the Isle of Lewis, the owner, being conscientious, had her eye tested and she passed all clear, as had my dog.

Unfortunately, now nearly four years on, it seems that this one dog has developed PRA.

I have penned these notes to highlight the fact that when thinking of breeding a LOT of thought needs to go into it.  If you are the owner of the bitch, do your homework, and ask questions about any future mate for her.

From my own experience I know we cannot be too careful and that even from tested parents there is still avery slight risk of the odd pup being affected.

As long as we are careful with our matings we can keep this potential problem under control.