# Poodle Health Registry confusion...



## Feralpudel (Jun 28, 2010)

At the bottom of the search screen (as I recall) there is an explanation of all the alphabet soup. 

I am a pedigree geek, but I am still very careful about how I use PHR. Some thoughts:

--it doesn't include all problems or all testing. 

--it can be difficult/impossible to determine the timing of diseases versus breeding decisions

--reporting of conditions to PHR is voluntary and requires a fair amount of paperwork by the owner. So if a BYB sells a bunch of pups to less than knowledgeable owners, conditions may never show up in PHR. On the other hand, some breeders report conditions in dogs they own. So IMO it is inaccurate and unfair to conclude that "Fluffy is healthier than Fido" based on what you see in PHR. 

--You should hope and expect that a breeder knows far more about what is behind her dogs than you can see in PHR. 

--I am less interested in what is behind a pup than I am in knowing how a breeder looks at health risks, and what she does to breed away from problems.


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## Newbie in BC (Dec 27, 2009)

Thanks Feralpudel. I agree, it's not like you can look at the PHR by itself and make conclusions. I'm not sure I want to keep looking at it at all. For someone new to this, it can be difficult to know what to ask. You ask them if all the basic, typical testing has been done, and it has. But I think it's the questions you don't know to ask that can provide useful information as well. You ask "have you seen this or that", well, the more breeding that's been done the more often it shows up, which doesn't necessarily mean it's a problem. Oy, this can be overwhelming! I guess you have to keep having more conversations, and go on gut instinct.

Thanks again.




Feralpudel said:


> At the bottom of the search screen (as I recall) there is an explanation of all the alphabet soup.
> 
> I am a pedigree geek, but I am still very careful about how I use PHR. Some thoughts:
> 
> ...


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## wishpoo (Sep 12, 2009)

*



and go on gut instinct.

Click to expand...

*OH NOO, please do not do that :afraid: !!!

Yes, not all health results are listed on PHR *BUT when they ARE*, use that information wisely !!!!

Look at the OFA also ! If you see the pattern , like HD (hip dysplasia ) occurring often in a line , be VERY sure that both Dam and a Sire have hips OFA-ed (good or excellent) . I would be OK with fair ONLY is HD was NOT seen in previous generation or any of the offspring of the same pair. If you see a lot of cases of HD in previous generation and Dam , for example is fair, it would make ME very nervous personally. 

SA - sebaceous adenitis (skin disorder), if it is sub clinical, it means that it could be very probable and if that is ever seen in a Stud or a Dam involved in particular litter that you are looking into - do not even go there :afraid:. If you see it couple of times in pedigree or previous gen., than be sure that Dam and Sire are both TESTED for SA biopsy and clear !!!! With line that has couple cases of SA , I would also be sure that both Dam and Sire are not only tested BUT are at least 4-5 years old a clear !!!!! 

So, you get the picture . What is occurring through generation sporadically can be an indication of a possible problem in that particular line. Whatever it is - be sure to check that both dam and sire are cleared from THAT particular condition by testing or genetic testing. 

Some conditions can not be tested - like cancer, or bloat or epilepsy . If you see A LOT of that in a pedigree, be very cautions. I personally would steer clear from that litter. End so forth ...

Nothing is 100 % full proof, BUT, at least one knows that one exhausted all info available and made the best possible decision at given time with given information.

ASK< ASK <ASK !!!! Ask a breeder, ask other breeders , read OFA, read PHR, ASK to see results if not listed !!!! If your breeder says there are NO problems ever in her lines- he /she is not honest !!!If she tells what is the problem, than ask what is she doing to ensure that this litter has no major mishap. . Go possibly with repeat breeding since than you will get a picture of how puppies looked like in previous litter and also what was their health status .

Best of luck with everything :clover: It is not easy, but certainly worth every effort !!!!


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## Newbie in BC (Dec 27, 2009)

Thanks Wishpoo for your reply. Yes, I would still look into everything I can, but by "gut instinct", I meant how I felt after discussions, and health research, not simply by if I felt the breeder was 'nice'. I think even a good reputable breeder can make a bad judgement call based on emotion rather than fact, so we have to do our best to come to our own conclusions. It's just difficult when this is new and complex. So I will carry on and probably continue to ask questions of you guys. Thanks a lot for all the help!


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