OFA/PENNHIP testing

I am proud members of the Golden Retriever Club of America and Golden Retriever Club of Illinois. I believe in the GRCA Code of Ethics. All my Golden Retrievers will have the following clearances prior to being added to my breeding program and I require the same from any stud that I use:

The Four OFA Clearances:

  1. OFA Hips at 24 months. (or Pennhip)

  2. OFA Elbows at 24 months.

  3. OFA Eye Examination by boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist at 12 months or older. Eyes are renewed annually.

 4. OFA Heart by a Veterinary Cardiologist at 12 months or older. The current requirement is only an auscultation by Cardiologist but I go          the next step and ALL my Goldens have an Echocardiogram clearance prior to breeding.

 ABOVE AND BEYOND CLEARENCES

 5. OFA Patella which I get done the same time hips and elbows are done at 2 years.

 6. OFA Dentition showing my dogs have a full set of correct teeth.

 7. My dogs also donate a blood sample to the OFA genetic data base for future health studies on Golden Retriever so we can stop this            beautiful breed from dying of cancer at 5.

 

Golden Retriever Genetic Testing & what each dog is tested for

 

All my Goldens are tested for the following Golden Retriever genetic diseases so I can avoid breeding two carriers together, resulting in genetically affected or at risk progeny. I generally use Embark for Breeders, Animal Genetics or UC Davies for the majority of my genetic testing:

1. Ichthyosis (ICH-1 or PNPLA1) is a skin disease that can cause varying degrees of skin flaking for those that are genetically "at risk".

2. Progressive Retinal Atrophy-(prcd) is a late onset eye disease that affects both rod and cone resulting in eventual blindness in affected Goldens.

3. Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA1) is characterized by bilateral degeneration of the retina resulting in progressive vision loss leading to total blindness. Clinical signs of PRA1 appear around 6 years of age.

4. Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA2) is characterized by bilateral degeneration of the retina resulting in progressive vision loss leading to total blindness. Clinical symptoms of PRA2 appear around 4 years of age.

5. Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (NCL) (CLN5 GR Variant) is a progressive degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Signs of disease in affected dogs begin between one and two years of age and often result in euthanasia by 3 years of age.

6. Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) is an inherited neurological disorder of dogs characterized by gradual muscle wasting and loss of coordination typically beginning in the hind limbs. Affected dogs usually present clinical signs of disease in adulthood (at least 8 years of age) with gradual muscle wasting and loss of coordination typically beginning in the hind limbs.

7. Muscular Dystrophy (MD) is an inherited disease affecting Golden Retrievers. Affected dogs are unable to produce adequate amounts of a protein important for muscle contraction and relaxation.

8.. Ichthyosis 2 (ICH-2) is characterized by severe flaking with large amounts of whitish to brown scales. Weight loss and lethargy are associated with ICH-2. These are often not manageable with medications or baths. There are cases where puppies are requiring euthanasia due to how painful this disease can be. There are multiple places that can test for this and all my dogs are clear.