We encourage all PWDCC members to participate in the PWDCA sponsored PWD Health and Litter Database. Whether your dog is a pet or a show champion, your dogs' health information can ensure healthy dogs for generations to come. All purebred and mixed breed dogs are prone to hereditary health problems. The Portuguese Water Dog is no exception. The Portuguese Water Dog Club of Canada encourages its members to be aware of health issues and responsible breeding practices to reduce or eliminate hereditary health problems. The information provided herein should help you in your quest for a responsible breeder and a healthy dog. There may be other health issues not specifically identified – ask the breeder if there are any other hereditary issues in their lines. Always ask to see the actual health certificates and go online with the open registeries to verify the certificates. (www.offa.org, www.pwdhld.com)
PWDCC Recommended Health Tests for Breeding Dogs
The PWDCC recommends the following health tests as the accepted standard for breeding pairs.
Both Sire and Dam of each litter have the following permanent/current test certificates prior to breeding:
Hip Evaluation (Elbows optional) Hip X-Rays of the Sire and Dam must be assessed by either:
OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals), www.offa.org Preliminary evaluation at 12-24 months with Excellent or Good rating, or final certification at 2 years with Excellent, Good or Fair rating
OVC (Ontario Veterinary College), www.ovc.uoguelph.ca Pass (program in effect up to October 31, 2011, suspended further testing effective this date)
CERF test pass (current for one year from date of issuance, not required after a dog reaches 120 months of age), or CERF fail with the dog rated Optigen C or C1 provided it has a current CERF exam form with the diagnosis of PRA as the sole reason for failure. For more information on CERF and a veterinary ophthalmologist in your area see http://www.vmdb.org/cerf.html.
In addition both the Sire and Dam must have each of
Storage Disease Testing by GM-1 test, Neurogenetics Laboratory, NYU Medical CenterÂ
Junior Dilated Cardiomyopathy Testing (JCDM), Section of Medical Genetics, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
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Progressive Retinal Atrophy Testing (PRA, PRCD) Testing by Optigen, www.optigen.com
Either the Sire and Dam of each litter have the following permanent/current test certificates prior to breeding:
Breeding must not take place between 2 carriers of PRA, JCDM or GM-1 as indicated by the test result certificates. Breeding a clear or normal dog to a carrier or to an affected dog is permissible.
These tests are REQUIRED for a breeder/member:
who is a participant in the PWDCC Breeder Program to list a Litter Due on the Breeder Contact section of the club web site, and;
to publish Breeding Related advertising in the Waterlog as set out in the Waterlog Advertising Policy for dogs 2 years of age or older.
The links below contain some health issues that are currently identified in the Portuguese Water Dog.
