24/09/2024
Ok folks, going to be a long one!
We received the results of Sushi's second eye test as well as her CHIC certificate.
As some may know, Shoosh had her OFA eye exam at a clinic last year. During the exam, we learned that she has a large, but very thin, cataract in her right eye. The good news: she can see through it, and it doesn't cause her any issues. The vet that did the exam told us that it is most likely (99%) NOT Inherited, and just something that happened, and made the notation as such. We submitted this to OFA for record and they advised to restest in 6 months to note any changes and to see if she could have a passing score with a breeder notation in OFA. Which we did, and submitted the test in June of this year.
Her tests were sent off to the OFA specialists and we did receive her result a few days ago, as a not passing result due to the cataract. While it is still thought to be not Inherited, there is no way to be 100% sure (even though within her lines there have been no issues). OFA utilizes the AVCO Blue Book for eye test results protocols, and their recommendation is that ANY dog with a cataract should not be bred, unless there is positive proof of a traumatic injury or nutritional deficiency to the organ; it is better to be safe than sorry.
With that said, a small part 2! She also received her CHIC #. Just a small reminder if you are looking for a pup, and "parents are health tested", please ask to see the results of the minimum required tests. In Danes, that is Echocardiogram, Eye, Thyroid, and Hip. OFA is a health registy, CHIC numbers are issued to dogs that COMPLETE the Breed Minimum Required Testing. A CHIC number does not mean the dog PASSED all the tests, just that theyve had them done, nor does it mean they are clear to breed or have a litter. We see so, so many folks that are surprised when their pup has an issue, because parents were tested, but they never thought to ask their breeder if the parents actually passed their testing. So please ask to see results. Your breeder should be able to provide you with a link directly to the dog (or dogs) in questions results.
You will also see on her CHIC certificate that her thyroid test was equivocal (borderline). That is because her first thyroid test was completed while she was in standing heat, which can greatly skew the results due to the hormone rush during a heat cycle. She was retested, with a normal result, but we did not submit the results to OFA as we were waiting on her eye results.
So with all of that, the sad news is that Sushi is being pulled from the program, and will be spayed. We are unsure of anything past that, but we refuse to take the 1% chance that she could potentially pass this on. She is happy, she is healthy, and she can see, and that is what we are the most concerned with. To those of you on her waitlist, we are sorry to have to share this news. We will not be having another litter for a minimum of 2 years; a more realistic time frame is 3 years. (This is also why we do not take deposits on waitlists. You honestly never know what the future holds). If you were on Shoosh's waitlist, and still want to wait for a future litter, absolutely unknown pairing at this point, please let us know. Our program will be continuing in the future, pending health testing as always, and while this is a very big hit to our program, the future still looks bright. If you made it to the end of this, thanks for reading!
INTCH UCH BLDs Harbinger Thought She Could, Sushi Did
"Sushi"
3 years, black.
