Big Paws Only Dog Forums

BPO Medical Forum => Medical Conditions & Diseases => : Guardian Angel's White lightning May 26, 2008, 09:30:43 PM

: CERF.....perhaps bad thing?
: Guardian Angel's White lightning May 26, 2008, 09:30:43 PM
I was reading on a mastiff message board about a pup who has watery eyes and sometimes had eye discharge too.  Titan is having this problem...the issue is that they where saying that the pup probaly would not pass the Cerf test because of this..... what is the cerf for? I know it is the eyes...but what about the eyes?
: Re: CERF.....perhaps bad thing?
: VdogLover May 26, 2008, 10:27:40 PM
CERF..stands for Canine Eye Registration Foundation.

When you go for "CERF testing" a board certified veterinary ophthalmologis t looks for a list of heritable eye diseases. The results of the test are then sent to CERF so that they are in a centralized national registry.

Here is a list of what they look for...
http://www.vmdb.org/dxspot.html

CERF testing is done yearly. CHIC states that Mastiffs are to be CERF'd and have OFA cardiac. You can get both of these tests done (Cardiac after 1 yr old) at the many genetic health clinics that go on around the country.

I have to disagree with the board you where reading or atleast say it is not a 100% thing a dog with watery eyes will fail...Mine (May) did not fail and she has a over active tear duct in her right eye.
: Re: CERF.....perhaps bad thing?
: Guardian Angel's White lightning May 27, 2008, 08:42:19 AM
Oh..thank you! The other thing i have a question about is many of the breeders i have looked at have only done a Cerf test at 8 weeks old..and now they plan on breeding it...they have never done it again....do people really do it every year? I have not seen one breeder on any of the sites i am attached to do this at all!!!
: Re: CERF.....perhaps bad thing?
: VdogLover May 27, 2008, 08:46:12 AM
A yearly CERF exam is required to be CERF certified. Some parent clubs do allow every 2 years (For cHIC) but yours is not one of them. However no matter what the parent club states CERF themselves says yearly for all breeds to be certified.

There are currently 635 Mastiffs who not only are CERF'd yearly, but have their hips, hearts, elbows and are PI. So some are doing all the required testing for your breed.
Many breeders will only redo CERF when they plan on breeding so this could mean skipping a year or two, thats not uncommon.

I see they now have a PRA DNA test for them what a great thing for the breed!!