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Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) is a condition of the eye. PRA is a group of diseases that eventually lead to blindness. PRA affecting Goldendoodles is recessively inherited. Dogs adjust to their blindness quite well and there is no pain associated with this disease. Impact: low degree of severity. It has mild effects and generally does not pose any significant health concerns, or is easily managed. Inheritance: Autosomal Recessive. Result types: clear, affected, carrier. Severity: PRA’s have a moderate degree of severity, it is not a fatal disease, though it can decrease the quality of life. Three forms of PRA affect Goldendoodles: prcd-PRA, GR-pra1, and GR-pra2.
Required DNA Disease Tests
Progressive Rod Cone Degeneration/Prcd-Pra (Applicable Breeds: Poodles, Golden Retrievers, Goldendoodles). One clear prcd-PRA parent required per breeding pair. Caused by degeneration of rod and cone photoreceptor cells in the retina. Most dogs show signs of vision loss and/or loss of peripheral vision at approximately 3-5 years of age. As the affected dog ages, changes in the Tapetum (behind the retina) can be observed in a veterinary eye exam. Most dogs eventually become blind.
GR-Pra1 (Applicable Breeds: Golden Retrievers, Goldendoodles). Affected dogs typically develop symptoms of night blindness or loss of peripheral vision at approximately 6-7 years of age. Result types: clear, affected, carrier. Effective 1/1/19 required for Red Ribbon. Already required for blue ribbon.
vWd1 (von Willebrand Disease, canine bleeding disorder): At least one clear in the breeding pair. Poodles and Goldendoodles can be cleared by parentage or by DNA testing. Golden Retrievers are not required to be tested as they are not risk for vWd. Therefore, if one of the breeding pair is a Golden Retriever, it will count as the clear parent. Poodles and Goldendoodles do not have to be tested for vWd if they are paired only with a clear partner for breeding. To clear a dog for vWd: Submit DNA test results from an OFA approved lab for the dog, or submit DNA test from an OFA approved lab results showing both dog’s parents are clear. Effective 1/1/19 vWd1 will not be required for Red Ribbon Status.
Golden Retriever Progressive Retinal Atrophy (GR-PRA1) (Applicable Breeds: Golden Retrievers, Goldendoodles). Affected dogs typically develop symptoms of night blindness or loss of peripheral vision at approximately 6-7 years of age. Result types: clear, affected, carrier.
Neonatal Encephalopathy with Seizures (NEWS) (applicable Breeds: Poodles, Goldendoodles). NEWs is a developmental brain disease. Symptoms are extreme weakness, often accompanied by severe seizures. Symptoms get progressively worse until the puppy dies. Most puppies do not survive the first week, and all usually die before seven weeks of age. Inheritance: Autosomal Recessive. Result types: clear, affected, carrier. Severity: 5, most extreme as it is a fatal disease that may also cause a significant decrease in the quality of life. Required as of 1/1/19.
Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) (Applicable Breeds: Poodles, Golden Retrievers, Goldendoodles). DM is an adult onset neurologic condition with progressive limb weakness and muscle loss, usually seen to occur around middle age. There is thought to be other factors that play into exhibition of this disease. Dogs that carry two genes for DM (affected) are at risk, but may not be affected. Mode of Inheritance: Autosomal Recessive with Incomplete Penetrance. Severity: 4, a high degree of severity when the disease manifests as it generally causes a decreased quality of life and may also decrease the life expectancy. Required as to 1/1/19.
Ichthyosis A (ICH) (Applicable Breeds: Golden Retrievers, Goldendoodles). ICH is a skin condition where the skin becomes thickened and scaly. Because this condition allows the skins integrity to be impaired, secondary infections or irritations may occur. The biggest impact is the appearance of the dog and the irritation it causes, although the disease itself is not life-threatening. ICH can manifest in different degrees from mild to severe. Mode of Inheritance: Autosomal Recessive. Severity: 3, moderate degree of severity, as it is not a fatal disease, though it can decrease the quality of life. Required as of 1/1/19.
Chondrodysplasia & Chondrodystrophy (CDPA/CDDY) Recommended DNA Test: Not all genes that can be tested for in a particular breed are relevant for that particular breed. The Goldendoodle Association is recommending breeders test for Chondrodystrophy (CDDY) in their breeding dogs so that we can monitor the occurrence of CDDY/IVDD in Goldendoodles. At this time there does not appear to be any association with the CDDY gene and IVDD disease in Goldendoodles. In an abundance of caution, GANA recommends that breeders test their breeding stock and track IVDD for any correlation and report those results to GANA in order that recommendations can be instituted if the disease incidence appears to be manifest in the breed. Removing dogs with specific genes from breeding programs is not always the best response to a disease. Therefore, we are recommending that if breeders do decide to eliminate this gene from their breeding program, that they consider that associated genes (that are not identifiable) will also be removed, and the best plan is to breed the gene out slowly. Note: results from Embark will not be accepted as they only offer a linkage test for CDDY which is not accurate for this mutation