Re: Vertical Pedigree: How come I never noticed that? 😃 OFA should have that in blinking neon letters.
About the OFA good for one generation policy. This is b/c the further back you go in the generations, the odds are increased that a dog on the family tree doesn't really belong there. For example, with 16 great grandparents from 15+ years ago, it's possible that one of the eight great granddaddies was another male that slipped in.
Now technically, if the ancestry is true going back 3, 4, or 5 generations on both sides, and all dogs on the family tree really were negative for PRA-PRCD, VW, DM, or NE, then those diseases are
not in that line and those litters are clear. However, I didn't see any DNA testing of the parents or grandparents for those conditions.
What's there looks good to me (especially hips). People applying to OFA for CHIC need only to select one of three other elective tests for Spoos: thyroid, cardiac, or SA. I can't recall ever seeing a poodle on OFA where the breeder got all three plus hips, it's just too expensive to get every test out there, unless the dog is a show sire cranking out dozens of litters.
It comes down to do you trust the breeder's word that she hasn't had any health problems in her lines? To her benefit, she's been answering your questions. Her poodles are gorgeous and some are titled. Her current and retired poodles are stunning. She clearly breeds quality poodles, but apparently hasn't jumped on the DNA train that's become popular over the past few years. In her case, it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me unless I was looking for a puppy to show and breed later.
If you are concerned about DNA results, I suggest you ask if you can add to the contract that if a
DNA Poodle Panel that you pay for yourself shows that the puppy you buy is "affected" (meaning it will develop a particular genetic disorder), that you can swap it out for a genetically clear puppy. This can feel overly demanding to any breeder especially the old school ones who feel offended that you'd think she trying to sell you a lemon, but out of curiosity she might go for it.