Why Is Health Testing So Important?
You’ve just gotten a puppy and its love at first sight. They’re tiny, beautiful, perfect and fit into your family so well, its like they were created specifically for you! Everything is going so well until they start getting older…and all of a sudden your perfect little puppy is being diagnosed with genetic diseases that make their, and your, life so much harder and more painful. It’s heartbreaking.
That can be avoided!
When an ethical dog breeder tells you they do “health testing” it’s so much more than your average trip to the vet. A responsible, ethical breeder goes out of their way to do specific, specialized testing for commonly found genetic diseases and issues in their breeds.
The purpose of health testing — and making those results publicly available — is to provide breeders and their respective breed communities with information regarding genetic diseases so that they can make informed breeding decisions in an effort to produce healthier, happier dogs.
Here at Walley Farms health testing is of the utmost importance. Every dog in our program goes through all of the required testing for their breed, and more. When you add a puppy to your household you’re not just getting a pet, you’re getting a new addition to the family! By extensively health testing our breeding stock we are ensuring that each and every puppy brought into this world is given the best opportunity to live a long and healthy life at your side.
However, they are living, breathing animals and sometimes issues pop up in places you least expect them. There is no such thing as a 100% health guarantee, but with continued testing and informed decision making, ethical breeders can do their best to get close.
That’s why it is so important that as health tests become more sensitive and we uncover new information about genetic diseases, we continue to grow our databases and work together with our breed communities to spread the word.
Here at Walley Farms our breeding dogs undergo some, or all, of the following health tests:
OFA Cardiac Auscultation/Echocardiogram
There are two types of accepted cardiac examinations: auscultations and echocardiograms. The first is done by listening to the heart with a stethoscope, and the latter is done using a Doppler (ultrasound) machine. While echocardiograms are always preferred at Walley Farms, some breeds are only required to have auscultations to be considered fully health tested.
According to The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, “Many congenital heart defects are thought to be genetically transmitted from parents to offspring; however, the exact modes of inheritance have not been precisely determined for all cardiovascular malformations.”
This is why it is essential for breeding dogs to be repeatedly tested for potential cardiac issues.
OFA Eye Exam (CAER)
This annual exam screens for genetic/inherited eye diseases. This exam is performed by a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist about 30 minutes after pupil-dilating drops are placed in the eyes and consists of indirect ophthalmoscopy and slit lamp biomicroscopy.
OFA Patellar Luxation Exam
Primarily an ailment affecting toy breeds, patellar luxation is where the kneecap luxates, or pops out of place. A luxating patella in dogs is diagnosed by a veterinarian through a physical examination and is graded based on severity from 1-4, if present. This physical exam can be performed by your regular veterinarian.
Embark DNA Test
Embark for Breeders tests for over 230 genetic health risks, measures the coefficient of inbreeding (COI) of a dog as well as provides the dominant and recessive genes a dog may cary that can influence litter colors and characteristics.
