However, OptiGen says it will finish adding all of the Mastiff test information Monday. The MCOA PRA Committee is currently looking into ways to subsidize the cost. Click on the link above to read more. Also read Thoughts on Murphy by Jane Walsh. There are several recognized forms of PRA some of which now have DNA gene or marker tests.
Mastiffs now have a DNA gene test.
Mastiffs with PRA should not be bred. PRA has been found during Mastiff eye exams as early as four months and there are Mastiffs that have CERFed as normal at three years and been found to have PRA before they turned four years old. The MCOA PRA Committee has undertaken a breeding study to help determine the mode of inheritance of PRA in Mastiffs. The Study is based on a proposal written by Dr. Acland for the MCOA and peer reviewed by well known and respected PhDs in the field of DNA research. In simple terms the Study involves breeding a PRA affected Mastiff to a Beagle mix from Dr. Acland's kennel that is known not to carry any PRA genes.