Can an English Cocker Spaniel from outside of North America be tested for prcd-PRA?
OptiGen limits prcd-PRA testing to SHOW-BRED LINES of English Cocker Spaniel. Comments from European veterinarians indicate that PRA in European English Cockers that are dark red to ginger in color seem to have an earlier onset form of the disease. These animals differ greatly in appearance and are probably more representative of what one might expect to see in a “field-bred” animal, or the “generic” backyard variety. Animals bred in this manner were not participants in the studies to develop this test. Until it can be established without doubt that the genetic basis of the disease is the same for all types of ECS and verify the prcd-PRA test for these other lines, OptiGen limits testing to ECS show-bred lines.” (http://www.optigen.com/opt11_search.
OptiGen limits prcd-PRA testing to SHOW-BRED LINES of English Cocker Spaniel. Comments from European veterinarians indicate that PRA in European English Cockers that are dark red to ginger in color seem to have an earlier onset form of the disease. These animals differ greatly in appearance and are probably more representative of what one might expect to see in a “field-bred” animal, or the “generic” backyard variety. Animals bred in this manner were not participants in the studies to develop this test. Until it can be established without doubt that the genetic basis of the disease is the same for all types of ECS and verify the prcd-PRA test for these other lines, OptiGen limits testing to ECS show-bred lines.
