At Paw Print Genetics, we are often asked about a common scenario, “My bitch is about ready to whelp and I just found out that her half-sister carries this horrible genetic disease. What should I do?”. Our answer is always the same. Follow these simple steps to avoid this situation while saving you time, money and anguish in the future:
1. Test your dam and sire with the breed-specific panel before you breed.
Performing a complete, breed-specific panel on your dam and sire will help you make an informed decision to breed or not to breed.
Testing first the dam and sire with an entire panel also saves money in the long run by reducing the need to test their future puppies. This is because puppies will be clear for a disease if both tested parents are also clear for that disease. Therefore, the puppies sold as future breeding stock will only need to be tested for any disease-causing mutations found in the parents. If both parents are clear of all disease-causing mutations, no testing of the puppies is necessary.
2. Test your new puppy with the entire breed-specific panel before you buy.
Introducing a new dog into ...