MY BREEDER SAYS HER PUPPIES WILL BE VET-CHECKED. SO THEY ARE HEALTH-TESTED, RIGHT?
Nope. Health-testing isn't carried out on the puppies themselves (with very few exceptions). It is carried out on a puppy's parents - before breeding.
A vet-check can reassure you that a puppy is healthy at point-of-sale, but it can't tell you about genetic conditions which might occur, later in that puppy's life.
'Health-testing' refers to recommended breed-specific tests which are carried out on the parents - before breeding - to minimise the risk of your puppy suffering from these conditions.
What are the recommended health tests?
The recommended health tests differ, according to the breed concerned. Of the breeds we’ve owned, Labradors have the most extensive requirements for health-testing - so we will focus on explaining those, here.
The majority of responsible Labrador breeders in the UK, Europe and the US are testing for:
BVA Hip scoring - an x-ray, scored by a panel of BVA experts, to screen for hip dysplacia
BVA Elbow scoring - an x-ray, scored by a panel of BVA experts, to screen for elbow dysplacia
Annual BVA eye testing - an eye exam by a recognised BVA listed expert annually, to screen for retinal dysplacia; hereditary cataracts; generalised progressive retinal atrophy; retinal pigment epithelial dystrophy; and other eye diseases
prcd-PRA DNA testing - a cheek swab, to screen for the prcd form of progressive retinal atrophy
SD2 DNA testing - a cheek swab, to screen for skeletal dysplasia 2 (dwarfism)
EIC DNA testing - a cheek swab, to screen for exercise induced collapse
CNM DNA testing - a cheek swab, to screen for centronuclear myopathy
ARE THESE DISEASES THAT SERIOUS?
Yes. But don't take my word for it. Look at the menu on the left and read about the various conditions. Google the diseases, check out YouTube videos of affected dogs - and decide!
Do these diseases affect many dogs?
The number of dogs affected obviously differs from one condition to another, and from one breed to another.
From my own experience, here are a few examples:
A Labrador puppy in one of my training classes seemed to develop normally to the point of 6 months. Then his legs seemed to stop growing. He looked like a Basset Hound with a Labrador body. I asked his owners about this, and they said both his parents 'looked' normal and were not short like this. He had SD2 (dwarfism). If a Carrier is bred to a Carrier, Affected dogs will result.
I saw a young Labrador for dog reactivity. By two years of age, this dog was crippled from hip dysplasia and on prescription pain medications daily to manage the pain. He could not be exercised much and chose to lie down a lot of the time, at home. Chronic pain can be a contributory factor for dog-reactivity. Neither parent was hip-scored prior to breeding. Another sibling was similarly affected.
A locally-bred Labrador in my training classes, sired by a popular local stud dog, attended a BVA eye test and was found to have hereditary cataracts which will eventually lead to blindness. The parents have not been BVA eye tested. The stud dog has sired other litters.
A locally-bred Labrador in my training classes, started collapsing during exercise. On my advice, she was tested for EIC (Exercise Induced Collapse) and found to be Affected. Neither parents were tested.
So: Yes, these diseases are prevalent.
HOW DO I CHECK WHAT TESTS A DOG HAS HAD, AND THE RESULTS?
If a breeder is:
based in the UK OR
lives in Jersey, but imported the (parent) dog from the UK
Then it is easy to find out health test results.
All you need to know, is the dog's registered KC name.
The UK Kennel Club has a great online tool called Mate Select, which provides health information on all dogs registered with the UK Kennel Club.
The first link there is the Health Tests Results Finder. Enter the KC registered name of the dog, there, and you will get back all results for that dog.
Results not showing there? Very occasionally, especially with some of the Labrador DNA tests, a breeder may not have sent results in to the KC. So, if a breeder claims that a dog has been tested, but the results are not coming up on the Health Tests Results Finder, then just email the breeder and request a copy of the results.
If a breeder:
lives in Jersey AND
the parent-dog is a Jersey-bred dog
Then it is a bit harder to find out health test results. Because the Kennel Club of Jersey does not have an online database of health-tests.
If you are interested in a litter from a Jersey-bred dog (or stud), then you will need to email the breeder and request a copy of the test results, by email.
Don't be afraid to ask for health test results. A 'good' breeder will welcome these requests and be only too pleased to send you this information.
It shows that you, the puppy-buyer, have done your homework.
