Health testing can be a very in-depth topic; the purpose of this article is to provide to-be puppy owners with a basic understanding of the pieces that make up the puzzle. Health screening is a very important aspect to be aware of when choosing a breeder.
Modern advancements in medical and genetic technology have come a long way in identifying biological traits. The tools and resources readily available to dog breeders for health screening can identify some of the characteristics associated with common health issues among specific breeds; however, there are still many untraceable attributes that science has yet to bring to light.
‘Health clearances’ or ‘health testing’ refer to evaluations performed on parent dogs before breeding to ensure the resulting offspring of the breeding pair do not inherit preventable health conditions that could have otherwise been avoided.
There are multiple pieces to this puzzle; putting the pieces together correctly is the responsibility of a reputable breeder and their resources. If you are an individual looking to get a dog, you do not need to become a geneticist or biologist in your search for a healthy puppy; however, you should be aware of these tests and be sure to choose a breeder who performs these practices and breeds with consideration of the results.
What are you able to test Golden Retriever parent dogs for?
Today’s technology has allowed breeders to perform screenings for several heritable genetic conditions, including assessments that are breed specific. For Golden Retrievers, you should look for a breeder whose minimum testing protocol consists of a breed-specific genetic panel, and eye, cardiac, hip, and elbow evaluations. A thyroid evaluation is also available and recommended. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that provides radiographic assessments and data management of canine test results for many of these evaluations; Oak Bluff Golden Retrievers utilizes OFA’s testing protocol for our eye, cardiac, hip, elbow, and thyroid screenings. Genetic testing is offered through various organizations; Oak Bluff Golden Retrievers uses Embark for our genetic screening requirements.
Genetic Testing: This test looks directly at the dog’s DNA. Embark, a highly recognized leader in Canine genetic testing, can produce results for more than 230 genetic health risks. Typically, the test is administered using a swab to collect a saliva sample; the sample is then sent to a lab for analysis. For the Golden Retriever, the breed-relevant genetic results most sought after are attributes related but not limited to skin, eye, neurological, and collagen disorders. By analyzing this data, breeders can appropriately select a compatible breeding pair to avoid commonly known conditions that are otherwise preventable in the offspring; this improves the Golden Retriever breed.
Eyes: Although genetic testing includes eye attributes, all disorders may not be present in the genetic screening. The OFA Companion Animal Eye Registry (CAER) provides breeders with information regarding canine eye diseases. These evaluations are performed on the parent dog by a board-certified ophthalmologist.
Cardiac: This aspect looks at the parent dogs’ hearts. This examination is performed by a veterinary cardiologist to analyze the dog’s heart, per OFA protocol, to identify the presence of heart disease.
Hips & Elbows: This screening assesses the parent dog’s hips & elbows, particularly looking for dysplasia, which is a common developmental abnormality. The screening involves a series of x-rays taken by a certified agency and reviewed by a veterinary radiologist. Oak Bluff Golden Retrievers utilizes OFA protocol for this certification. PennHip is another certifying agency that performs these evaluations, whose name you may also commonly come across.
Thyroid: This is an examination that analyzes the parent dog’s blood for thyroid-related disease.
With all this analysis to assist with breeding, does this mean my new puppy will never get sick?
As much as we would love for that, unfortunately, the answer is no, it does not. Acquiring health clearances to aid with the selection of breeding pairs can eliminate the possibilities of some known heritable conditions in offspring and reduce the risk for others. There are many conditions that technology has enabled us to identify; however, there are many that are not detectable. Acquiring health clearance data allows breeders a ‘roadmap’ for risk reduction. Although all bad things are not preventable, reputable breeders go to great lengths to reduce risk as much as possible.
In conclusion
Hopefully, this was beneficial to you. There are many known and unknown items in dog biology and the discussion could be endless. The goal of this article was to provide you with basic awareness of health clearances and health testing. If you are searching for a new puppy, please be sure to choose a breeder who understands and follows these protocols. Proof of certifications is available upon request.
At Oak Bluff Golden Retrievers, we test all of our dogs and analyze results before selecting breeding pairs.
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