PROGRESSIVE RETINAL ATROPHY
This is one of the breed's success stories as the incidence in the breed is very low and we have not had a case for several years now, due to the vigilance and sharing of information within the breed. It is not only because people have tested for it.
The test that is available only tells you if a dog is affected or not, but cannot identify carrier status, so it cannot prevent you from possibly producing it. If a breeder knows that they have carrier lines in their pedigree then they would be advised to test their stock before breeding at an earlier age as the disease might not have shown up by this stage. However, unless you are aware of the carrier lines, this test would not prevent you possibly breeding with a carrier. As there are new people coming into the breed all the time and also those carrier lines disappearing off the 5 generation pedigree, it would be worthwhile keeping PRA at the forefront of our minds as a reminder to check our pedigrees thoroughly before going ahead.
The Irish Wolfhound Study's database can provide a Risk Analysis as it knows the carrier dogs, so this would be a more reliable way of helping you to breed with a reduced risk. There is also plenty of information in the public domain in the breed about those carrier lines and plenty of people who can help check out a pedigree. So we consider the emphasis should be on testing if you know there is a risk of carrier lines in your pedigree, to encourage a more in depth look at that aspect of the proposed mating.
For more information about those carrier lines and how to manage them, please click here. You will also be able to request a risk analysis on a proposed breeding. Everything is in confidence.