The Papillon Club of America recommended DNA testing for NAD and PRA1, and OFA testing for Patella’s, eyes and hearts. I get all those tests plus the DNA tests for CFIIV and VWD. The parents’ results will be included in the puppy folder for your puppy.
Though it’s important that your breeder perform these tests, the DNA tests are only useful for breeders, as tools to aid in deciding who to breed to whom. Dogs can carry most genes without being affected by them and these DNA test help us to avoid breeding two carriers together, increasing the risk of producing a puppy that is affected with that gene.
The more important tests to know about for pet homes, are the OFA exams. These exams tells us if our dogs are actually affected by having something wrong with their eyes, heart or knees. If a breeder is breeding dogs with Luxating patellas, or something wrong with their heart or eyes, that tells you all you need to know about the integrity of that breeder.
Also, beware of breeders who brag about their dogs being “fully Embarked”, and that it means they test for more things than show breeders do; this is a deceptive “sales pitch” in that yes, they test for more things genetically but those extra things they test for do not apply to Papillons. Unscrupulous breeders use this extra testing to justify not doing the OFA exams even though the things that are examined for in the OFA exams are not tested for genetically.
Beware, also, of breeders who say it’s too expensive to test or that they don’t need to test because they’ve never received any notice that a puppy they sold had a problem.
1. It’s only $125 to test a dog’s DNA for all 4 diseases that affect papillons and
2. it only cost me $50 for each of the 3 OFA exams. It comes to about $550 to test both parents
3. Without OFA exams, they could have premature cataracts, get premature luxating patellas, have liver shunts, heart problems, clotting issues etc. and yes, they can live to 15 years old with these problems. With the right care, an unhealthy dog can live a really long time, but how much is it going to cost you in care and vet bills. Most people who end up with an unhealthy dog are not going to stay in touch with the breeder and risk having to send their dog back with no refund.
Most Backyard/pet breeders charge the same price that we show breeders do, so affordability is not an issue. Anyone that doesn’t do the testing is not even trying to be a reputable breeder. There is no acceptable excuse for not doing it.