Health Testing
Understanding the world of dog health testing can be confusing, especially for people who have not bought a puppy before.
Buyer Beware!
There are many breeders out there claiming to have "health tested" dogs, but are not being truthful.
There are many different tests that are recommended by the Golden Retriever Club of America in order to meet the requirements that they set as "adequate testing." Breeders who don't do ALL of these are usually hiding something-- either their dogs did not pass all the tests, or they are afraid their dogs might not pass so they choose not to do them.
Why does testing matter?
Golden Retrievers have a high potential for developing health problems throughout their lives. We have a breed with a very high rate of hip dysplasia, cancer, health disease (commonly DCM, Dilated Cardiomyopathy), ichthyosis, allergies... the list goes on. Ethical breeders will test for as many of these variables as they're able to. Some things, such as cancer and allergies, may have a genetic link, but it's currently unknown. Some things, such as hip and elbow dysplasia, can have a genetic and environmental component.
Is it worth the higher puppy fee?
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By purchasing a puppy from an ethical breeder who does all the testing, you are greatly improving your odds of having a healthy, long lived companion animal, one that won't be in pain, one that won't require high vet bills, and one who you will be able to enjoy doing things with for many extra years. The initial purchase price might be higher than that of other breeders, but the long term benefits will eventually pay off when you aren't paying for special medications, surgeries, or having to leave your dog at a kennel every holiday because it has severe hip dysplasia at age two and it can't come on the family camping trip.
What if the breeder does *some* testing?
Another common antic among unethical breeders is to claim that the sire has health testing, but mom has none, or vice versa. I would like to scream from the hilltop-- if both sire and dam do not have all testing done, (and preferably several generations back in the pedigree also) then you might as well just buy a puppy with no health testing whatsoever. It is completely useless to just test one parent when you're working with problems that can be genetic from either or both sides. If a breeder did a genetic panel only-- this also does not count for much. Structural problems are not included on a genetic panel, and these are some of the most troublesome and common problems in Goldens.
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What to look out for and why it's important:
OFA certification-- The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals is the registry for health testing. You can learn more about their program here: www.ofa.org
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Current requirements for breeding Goldens are:
OFA hips, done after the age of 24 months. Prelims do NOT count for breeding.
OFA elbows, done after the age of 24 months. Prelims do NOT count for breeding.
OFA advanced heart, done after the age of 12 months
OFA eyes, redone yearly, starting as early as age 12 months
Genetic panel, can be done as early as birth.
NCL testing-- a new, deadly problem in Goldens, called Neuronal Ceroid Liopfuscinosis. More information can be found here: https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/ncl-gr
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