Health Testing

When we chose to breed, we chose to do it the right way. We promise to do everything we can to better the breed. We commit to fully health testing all our dogs and will only breed them if they not only pass all their health testing, but also show great temperaments and promise in a multitude of areas.

Below you'll find information on all of the health testing we do!

OFA

"Our mission is to promote the health and welfare of companion animals through a reduction in the incidence of genetic disease."

Learn more about OFA here.

OFA

HIPS

The OFA classifies hips into seven different categories: Excellent, Good, Fair (all within Normal limits), Borderline, and then Mild, Moderate, or Severe (the last three considered Dysplastic).

Excellent: Superior conformation; there is a deep-seated ball (femoral head) that fits tightly into a well-formed socket(acetabulum) with minimal joint space.
Good: Slightly less than superior but a well-formed congruent hip joint is visualized. The ball fits well into the socket and good coverage is present.
Fair: Minor irregularities; the hip joint is wider than a good hip. The ball slips slightly out of the socket. The socket may also appear slightly shallow.
Borderline: Not clear. Usually more incongruency present than what occurs in a fair but there are no arthritic changes present that definitively diagnose the hip joint being dysplastic.
Mild: Significant subluxation present where the ball is partially out of the socket causing an increased joint space. The socket is usually shallow only partially covering the ball.
Moderate: The ball is barely seated into a shallow socket. There are secondary arthritic bone changes usually along the femoral neck and head (remodeling), acetabular rim changes (osteophytes or bone spurs) and various degrees of trabecular bone pattern changes
(sclerosis).
Severe: Marked evidence that hip dysplasia exists. The ball is partly or completely out of a shallow socket. Significant arthritic bone changes along the femoral neck and head and acetabular rim changes.

OFA

ELBOWS

Elbow dysplasia in dogs has multiple inherited etiologies which may occur singularly or in combination. These etiologies include fragmented medial coronoid (FCP) of the ulna, osteochondritis of the medial humeral condyle and ununited anconeal process (UAP). The most sensitive view used to diagnose secondary degenerative changes in the elbow joint is an extreme flexed mediolateral view of the elbow which is required by the OFA and recommended by the International Elbow Working Group. Veterinary radiologists are most interested in the appearance of the anconeal process of the ulna.

When there is instability of the elbow joint due to elbow dysplasia in a dog, one of the most sensitive radiographic findings is new bone proliferation (osteophytes) on the anconeal process of the ulna associated with secondary developmental degenerative joint disease.

Bone proliferation can be very subtle to visualize in some dogs. Other arthritic findings such as sclerosis in the area of the trochlear notch of the ulna and bone spurs at joint edges are also reported. If fragmentation of the medial coronoid only involves the cartilage, it may not be seen radiographically but occasionally if the bone is also fragmented, it can be visualized as a separate calcific opacity superimposed over the radius.

OFA

ADVANCED CARDIAC

To gather data regarding heart diseases in dogs, and to identify dogs which are phenotypically normal prior to use in a breeding program. For the purposes of the registry, a phenotypically normal dog is defined as:

One without a cardiac murmur.
One with an innocent heart murmur that is found to be otherwise normal by virtue of an echocardiographic examination which includes Doppler studies. The OFA maintains two separate and distinct cardiac databases: The Basic Cardiac Database and the Advanced Cardiac Database.

OFA

CAER

The purpose of the OFA Companion Animal Eye Registry (CAER) is to provide breeders with information regarding canine eye diseases so that they may make informed breeding decisions in an effort to produce healthier dogs. CAER certifications will be performed by board certified (ACVO) veterinary ophthalmologists. Regardless of whether owners submit their CAER exam forms to the OFA for “certification,” all CAER exam data is collected for aggregate statistical purposes to provide information on trends in eye disease and breed susceptibility. Clinicians and students of ophthalmology as well as interested breed clubs, individual breeders and owners of specific breeds will find this useful

OFA

PATELLA

The patella, or kneecap, is part of the stifle joint (knee). In patellar luxation, the kneecap luxates, or pops out of place, either in a medial or lateral position.
Bilateral involvement is most common, but unilateral is not uncommon. Animals can be affected by the time they are eight weeks of age. The most notable finding is a knock-knee (genu valgum) stance. The patella is usually reducible, and laxity of the medial collateral ligament may be evident. The medial retinacular tissues of the stifle joint are often thickened, and the foot can be seen to twist laterally as weight is placed on the limb.
Patellar luxations fall into several categories:

Medial luxation (toy, miniature, and large breeds)
Lateral luxation (toy and miniature breeds)
Lateral luxation (large and giant breeds)
Luxation resulting from trauma (various breeds, of no importance to the certification process)

Numbers 1-3 are either known to be heritable or strongly suspected.

OFA

DENTITION

The Dentition Database was established in late 2011 at the specific request of the American Rottweiler Club. Full dentition is an element of breed specific health, form and function for a number of breeds. The purpose of the database is to certify dogs with all adult teeth fully erupted. The database does not certify overall dental health, misaligned teeth, or dentition in accordance with a breed standard.

PENNHIP

AIS PennHIP Hip Improvement Program The research-based hip-screening procedure known as PennHIP has proven to be the most accurate and precise method to measure hip laxity. It can identify—as early as 16 weeks of age—dogs that are susceptible to developing hip dysplasia. This offers breeders the opportunity to make early decisions on breeding stock, and allows veterinarians to advise pet owners on lifestyle adjustments and preventive strategies to minimize the pain and progression of the disease.

EMBARK

Did you know that 75% of dogs are at risk or a carrier for a genetic disease? Embark screens for 250+ genetic health risks so you can make the best choices for your breeding program. With the most accurate dog DNA test on the market, you can rest easy knowing that Embark’s stringent quality control ensures >99% accuracy for mutation tests and most linkage-based tests.