What is dog health testing and why is it important?

​

Dogs, just like people, have a unique genetic makeup, and like people they will often carry genetics that can bring about disease and poor health. Unlike people, dogs are frequently tested for many of these major health issues before breeding and test results can be used to help make the next generation of dogs healthier. Health testing is important because many of the more common harediatry discease that dogs deal with can significantly reduce their quality of life. 

​

The AKC recomends that golden retreivers breeds should test for the fllowing list of herediaty problems in dogs.

​

​

​

What tests should I be watching for in golden retrievers?

​

There are 5 big testing areas that it is great to test for with golden retrievers - hips, elbows, heart, eyes, and genetic testing.  These tests are performed by different private and non-profit organizations and the results can be compiled and recorded on several different websites, including OFA.com and K9data.com. 

​

• OFA Hips and Elbows - one way to help test potential breeding dogs to limit and reduce hip and elbow arthritis later in life is to have an OFA hip and elbow test done. This test is an x-ray taken by a vet of the hip and elbow joints and then sent into the OFA to be reviewed by a radiologist. The the x ray is looking to see how tight the ball and joint of the hip fit together. For example, if you think the hip joint as a bowl with a ball sitting inside it, the tighter the bowl and ball fit together the less likley the ball is to pop out of the bowl. 

​

How will I Know if the results are good or not?

Basically any test that says it