Genetic Testing
Genetic testing can help reduce the risk of passing on inherited conditions to puppies. In the border collie breed, there are over a dozen breed-relevant conditions that we know at present. This is continuously evolving as new markers are found. One of our goals is to stay up to date with testing our dogs to prevent avoidable health conditions. Below is a list of the current known genetic conditions that can affect border collies.
What tests, and why?
Every dog genetic panel out there will test for certain genes and conditions. At present, the only panel that tests for the Early Adult Onset Deafness (EAOD) complete markers is Optimal Selection. Unfortunately, this panel does not cover Border Collie Glaucoma (BCG). Therefore, we use multiple panels to cover testing for all breed conditions. All of our dogs are currently tested with Optimal Selection as well as at least one additional panel, such as Embark DNA, Animal Genetics, or AKC Health, to be thorough with genetic testing. We will never breed carriers together or intentionally produce at-risk dogs. Thank you to Heather Tetzlaff for creating this table to compare genetic panels and to provide insight as to why we choose the panels we do to test for breed relevant diseases.
