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HOME TESTING for PRA

By Leona Domino ( e-mail : ldomino309@aol.com )

The progress of PRA  (Progressive Retinal Atrophy)  begins with night blindness. The disease in Papillons is “ late

onset ” which means that visual diagnosis can be diagnosed after the ages of 3-4 years in older dogs by a Veterinary

Opthalmologist.  Meanwhile the dog has developed into an adult and perhaps has been used in a breeding program. 

Want a way to check on your dog’s night vision at home ?

There is a simple home test that can be used on puppies as well as mature dogs.  Dogs normally have very good night

vision ( far better than yours or mine ).  As PRA develops the first thing to be affected is difficulty navigating in

darkness.  This subtle indication is rarely noted by the owner as the dog is in familiar surroundings and manages 

very well.

However, if there is any question or you might have a "suspect" in your pedigree, you can do the home test easily.  

Veterinary Ophthalmologists often  do this test in their office as part of the screening process. This test can detect 

a problem long before the V.O. can visually see retinal changes at an older age.  

The needed equipment is minimal ...

Aim the red colored flashlights at the ceiling. Have a TOTALLY dark room.  Allow your eyes and the dogs eyes to 

“ night adapt ” to the darkness for a few minutes. You should be able to see with the red light.

Have a friend release the dog/puppy from across the room.  Call the dog to you.  The dog should be able to come 

to you directly and avoid all the obstacles.  If there is a slow, hesitant approach or the dog accidentally brushes 

or touches the objects in its path there is a definite problem with night vision. You need to seek further expert help.

It has been found that in some animals PRA does not always involve total blindness as an adult.  The dog often will

adapt very well in their own environment. Frequently loss of vision is discovered by the owner when  unfamiliar

surroundings (such as changing furniture) are encountered by the dog.  

It is a good practice to "screen" your puppies with the night blindness test before placing them.  Until there is 

a genetic test found for PRA, owners need to utilize what ever methods they have to check their dogs eyes yearly 

for development of problems.

The night blindness test is just a tool for breeders but does not replace veterinary ophthalmologist exams on 

a regular basis and certifying the test results with CERF.