Breed Health Registries and PRA: How to Use Databases to Verify Testing, Find Clear Dogs, and Contribute to Breed Health

A breeder once told me that health testing is a private matter between her and her veterinarian. Her test results, she believed, belonged to her and had no obligation to be shared. Within a single breeding program, this philosophy might be sustainable. Across an entire breed, it is actively harmful.

The power of genetic testing is not limited to the individual dog being tested or the single litter produced. When test results are contributed to accessible registries, they become a resource for every other breeder evaluating that dog's relatives. They create a picture of allele frequency within breeding populations. They allow the research community to track progress over time. Private health testing serves the dog being tested; public health registries serve the breed.

Major Health Registry Databases

OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) — United States

The OFA operates the most comprehensive canine health registry in the United States. Their online database (ofa.org) accepts results for eye examinations, DNA tests, orthopedic evaluations, cardiac assessments, and numerous other conditions. PRA DNA test results can be submitted directly by accredited laboratories or by breeders with laboratory documentation.

The OFA database is searchable by breed, individual dog, or sire/dam. Breeders evaluating a potential breeding partner can verify claimed test results, examine the health records of first-degree relatives, and review the overall health testing compliance within a bloodline. This is particularly valuable when assessing the PRA testing history of dogs whose breeders claim all-clear status but have not submitted formal documentation.

BVA/KC (British Veterinary Association / Kennel Club) — United Kingdom

The UK's BVA/KC scheme coordinates both clinical eye examinations and DNA test result recording. Results from BVA-accredited eye examination clinics are submitted directly to the Kennel Club's health database. Breed clubs can access aggregate data to monitor condition prevalence and testing compliance across registered breeding stock.

The KC's Mate Select tool uses health registry data to help breeders evaluate mating combinations, flagging potential concerns when one or both dogs have health records suggesting elevated genetic risk. For PRA, this can indicate when a proposed pairing lacks documentation or when relatives in the database carry the mutation.

ECVO (European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists) — Europe

The ECVO coordinates eye health certification schemes across European countries. Examinations are performed by ECVO diplomates or specially approved veterinary surgeons. National breed registries in most European countries accept ECVO examination certificates, and many maintain breed-specific health databases where results are publicly accessible.

Breed Club Health Databases

Many breed clubs maintain their own health databases independent of or supplementary to national registries. These tend to be more accessible for breed-specific searches and may include information not captured by general registries. Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, and Cocker Spaniel breed clubs in multiple countries have historically maintained detailed PRA testing records. Consulting the breed club health committee for your specific breed will identify the most relevant registry for your purposes.

How to Submit PRA Test Results

Submitting results to health registries typically requires:

1. Laboratory certificate: The original document issued by the testing laboratory, including the dog's name, registration number, date of birth, and specific test results.
2. Registration documentation: Proof that the dog is registered with the relevant national kennel club.
3. Submission fee: Most registries charge a small processing fee, typically substantially less than the cost of the test itself.
4. Owner authorization: Some registries require owner signature confirming the accuracy of submitted information.

Many accredited laboratories now submit results directly to OFA and other registries with owner permission, streamlining the process. When ordering tests through the laboratory, check whether direct registry submission is offered and enable it. Our guide to certified testing laboratories identifies which providers offer this integrated service.

Searching Registries for Breeding Candidates

When evaluating a potential breeding partner, registry searches should be systematic:

Absence from a registry does not necessarily mean a dog is untested — some breeders test without submitting results. However, breeders who genuinely prioritize health transparency submit their results. Reluctance to provide documentation, or test results that appear only on breeder-created certificates rather than registry records, warrants additional scrutiny.

Registry Data and Population-Level Monitoring

Beyond individual breeding decisions, health registry data allows breed organizations to monitor population trends. When registry data is analyzed by research teams, it can reveal whether carrier frequency is rising or falling over time, identify bloodlines with elevated mutation loads, and assess the effectiveness of health programs.

This population-level insight directly informs the kinds of breeding recommendations that breed clubs can offer their members. A breed that has seen carrier frequency fall from 25% to 8% over fifteen years of systematic testing can demonstrate that the health program is working. A breed where carrier frequency has remained static despite testing programs may need to review compliance rates or the effectiveness of its educational efforts.

Open vs. Closed Registry Models

Some registries operate on an open model: all results, pass or fail, are publicly accessible. Others maintain closed models where only certifying results are published. The debate between these approaches reflects genuine tension between encouraging participation (breeders may be more willing to test if negative results remain private) and maximizing information utility (open registries provide more complete pictures of population health).

The OFA traditionally operated a closed model for many conditions. Growing consensus within the veterinary genetics community favors open registries for conditions like PRA where the public health benefit of complete data clearly outweighs the privacy concerns of individual breeders. Several major breed clubs have adopted requirements that all test results — including carrier and affected findings — must be submitted and made publicly accessible for any dog used for breeding.

Connecting Registry Data with Research

Health registries also serve as a bridge to research. When a new PRA form is identified in a breed without an available DNA test, banked DNA samples and clinical records from registry-enrolled dogs provide the material for mutation discovery research. Breeders who register their dogs' health data contribute to the possibility that future mutations will be identified more quickly.

This connection between registry participation and research progress is one reason breed health committees actively encourage submission of all results, not just favorable ones. The pace of PRA research has accelerated as increasingly large datasets from registry populations have become available for genome-wide association studies.

For breeders committed to the long-term health of their breed, participation in health registries is not optional. Testing without registering produces information that benefits only one dog and one breeding decision. Testing with public registration produces information that benefits every breeder in the breed, every buyer evaluating bloodlines, and every researcher working to eliminate conditions that cause preventable blindness in dogs.

Dr. Amanda Foster, Veterinary Ophthalmologist