If you're researching Yorkshire Terriers — whether you're thinking of getting one, you already have one, or you're a breeder yourself — you've probably come across the term PRCD. It stands for Progressive Rod-Cone Degeneration, and it's one of the most important genetic health issues in this beautiful little breed. It's also one of the most preventable, once you have the right tools.
I want to share our story with you, because it's a story that completely changed how we run our breeding program at Doll Face Pups — and it's a story about hope, science, and the responsibility every breeder has to make the breed better than we found it.
Meet Clair — The Yorkie Who Changed Everything
Clair, who we lovingly called Jojo, was our very first Yorkie. She was the dog who started it all — the spark, the heart, the reason I fell in love with this breed all those years ago. She was everything you imagine a Yorkie should be: tiny, brave, spunky, deeply loyal, and full of personality.
Clair lived a wonderful, full life with us. She had her babies, raised her litters with so much love, and was retired comfortably to enjoy her golden years as a beloved family pet. Around age seven, after she had been retired for some time, I started to notice that her eyes were changing. Her vision was slipping. Within a year or so, she had lost most of her sight.
It was heartbreaking, but it was also the moment that taught me something profound — and gave me the gift of knowledge that has shaped every breeding decision I've made since.
What Is PRCD? The Science in Plain English
PRCD, or Progressive Rod-Cone Degeneration, is a form of Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) that affects a number of dog breeds, including Yorkshire Terriers. It's a genetic disease — meaning a dog is born with it, and it's passed down from parents to puppies through DNA.
What PRCD does, in simple terms, is gradually break down the light-sensing cells in the retina (called rods and cones). The rods, which handle low-light vision, fail first — so dogs with PRCD usually start to lose their night vision. Then over months and years, the cones fail too, and daytime vision goes as well. Eventually, the dog goes completely blind.
The thing that makes PRCD especially sneaky is that it doesn't show up until later in life — usually between ages 3 and 8 in Yorkies. A puppy with two copies of the gene will look completely healthy through their entire breeding age. They'll pass the disease on to their puppies. And then, years later, they go blind — usually long after they've already been part of a breeding program.
That's exactly what happened with our Clair. There were no warning signs. There was no way to know during her breeding years.
The Genetics: Clear, Carrier, and Affected
PRCD is what's called an autosomal recessive disease. That means a dog has to inherit TWO copies of the bad gene — one from each parent — to actually develop the disease. A dog with only one copy is called a carrier, and they will never go blind themselves, but they can pass the gene on to their puppies.
Here's how it breaks down:
✦ CLEAR (no copies): The dog does not have the PRCD gene. They will not develop the disease, and they cannot pass it to any puppy. ✦ CARRIER (one copy): The dog has the gene but will never develop the disease. They can pass the gene to their puppies. ✦ AFFECTED (two copies): The dog has the disease and will eventually go blind. They will pass at least one copy of the gene to every puppy.
And here's the most important part for breeders: as long as you only breed pairs where AT LEAST ONE PARENT IS CLEAR, no puppy in that litter can ever be born affected. That is how PRCD gets bred out of a line.
How Genetic Testing Changed Everything For Us
After Clair lost her vision, I sent off DNA samples for genetic testing — something we now do routinely, but at the time felt like uncharted territory for many small breeders. The results came back, and there it was in black and white: Clair carried two copies of the PRCD gene. She was affected.
That was the moment everything changed for Doll Face Pups.
I immediately had every dog in our breeding program DNA tested — for PRCD, for breed-specific health concerns, for everything we could test for. I learned which of our dogs were clear, which were carriers, and which I would never breed to a carrier. From that day forward, every single breeding pair has been planned with that genetic profile in mind. The next generation of Doll Face Pups was bred specifically to eliminate PRCD from our line — and over the years, we have.
Losing Clair's sight was painful. But that loss gave us a roadmap. It gave us the knowledge that every puppy who has left our home since has been protected from the same fate. And it forever changed the standard of care we owe to this breed.
Embark, AKC, and the DNA Tests Every Breeder Should Run
We test all of our breeding dogs using Embark Vet's full breed panel, which screens for PRCD and over 200 other genetic conditions. Embark is the gold standard for breeders in our space — it's affordable, reliable, and the report tells you exactly what each parent is clear, carrier, or at-risk for. We pair this with AKC DNA parentage testing to verify lineage.
If you are buying a Yorkie from a breeder, this is one of the single most important questions you can ask: 'Are both parents Embark tested? Can I see the PRCD result?' A breeder who is doing this work right will be proud to show you. A breeder who hesitates, deflects, or doesn't know what you're asking about — that's a real red flag.
The Honest Reality: Why Some Breeders Skip This Step
I want to be open with you about something. Genetic testing costs money. A full Embark panel is around $200 per dog, and a serious breeding program tests every dog. That's thousands of dollars of testing before a single puppy is born. Many casual or backyard breeders skip it entirely. Some don't even know it exists. Others know about it but don't want to absorb the cost.
When you pay a premium for a puppy from a tested, reputable breeder, this is part of what you're paying for. You're paying for the testing, for the careful pair selection, for the years of work to remove genetic disease from a line. You're paying for the peace of mind that your puppy will not lose their vision at age 5 the way Clair did.
That's not just marketing. That is the difference between a Doll Face Pup and a pet store puppy.
What This Means For You As a Buyer
If you're shopping for a Yorkie right now, here is exactly what to do:
1. Ask the breeder if both parents have been Embark DNA tested. Ask to see the actual reports. 2. Specifically ask about PRCD status. The acceptable answers are 'both parents are clear' or 'one parent is clear and the other is a carrier.' If they say 'both parents are carriers' or 'we don't test for that' — walk away. 3. Ask about other tested-for conditions in your breed. For Yorkies, you also want to know about Legg-Calvé-Perthes, patellar luxation, liver shunt, and dental issues. 4. Get the testing documentation in writing as part of your puppy purchase agreement. 5. Plan to have your own puppy DNA tested once they're home, so you have their full health profile for life.
The Good That Came From Clair's Story
Clair didn't lose her sight in vain. Her story is the reason every Doll Face Pup that has been born since is screened, planned, and protected from the genetic disease that took her vision. The tools we have today — DNA testing, genetic panels, breed-specific health screens — are extraordinary gifts to the breed. They give responsible breeders the power to make every generation healthier than the last.
That is the work. That is what it means to take this breed seriously. And it's why I'm so grateful, every single day, for the lessons Clair taught me.
Frequently Asked Questions
What age does PRCD typically show up in Yorkies?
PRCD usually starts to show clinical signs between ages 3 and 8 in Yorkshire Terriers. The first sign is typically night blindness — the dog seems hesitant in dim light or starts bumping into things in the dark. Over the next 1 to 3 years, daytime vision gradually deteriorates until the dog is fully blind.
If a puppy's parent is a PRCD carrier, will the puppy go blind?
No — as long as the other parent is CLEAR (no copies of the gene). A carrier-to-clear pairing produces puppies that are either clear or carriers themselves, but never affected. Puppies only develop PRCD if they inherit two copies of the gene, one from each parent. This is why responsible breeders never breed two carriers together.
Can a Yorkie with PRCD live a happy life?
Absolutely. Dogs are incredibly adaptive to vision loss, especially when it happens gradually. They learn their environment, rely on their nose and ears, and continue living full, joyful lives. The goal of testing is not to abandon dogs who have PRCD — it's to keep producing healthy puppies who will never have to go through it.
Why don't all breeders test for PRCD?
Cost is the biggest reason. Volume breeders and backyard breeders often skip testing because it cuts into profit. Some smaller breeders don't know testing is available, or assume their dogs are 'fine' because they look healthy. The truth is that there's no way to know without a DNA test — and skipping the test means risking blind puppies in future generations.
Should I have my own Yorkie tested even if I'm not breeding?
It's not strictly necessary, but a lot of pet owners do it anyway. Knowing your dog's genetic profile helps you and your vet anticipate health issues, and the breed ancestry results are fun to see. Embark sells a pet version of their test that's reasonably priced.
What other genetic conditions are Yorkies prone to?
Beyond PRCD, Yorkies can carry genes for Legg-Calvé-Perthes (a hip joint condition), patellar luxation, primary lens luxation, hereditary cataracts, dental disease, liver shunt, and tracheal collapse. A good breeder screens for as many of these as possible and breeds away from problems.
The Bottom Line
PRCD is heartbreaking when it happens — but it's also one of the few genetic diseases we have completely in our control. With responsible DNA testing and thoughtful breeding pair selection, no puppy ever has to be born affected again. That's our promise as a program, and it's the legacy Clair gave us.
If you're considering a Doll Face Pup, you are choosing a puppy whose parents have been tested, whose pairing was planned, and whose health has been protected by years of careful breeding decisions. If you have questions about our health testing or our breeding program, I would love to talk with you.
