Health Testing 101-Resources for Puppy Buyers
When people enquire about our dogs/puppies and our breeding program, one of the first things we share is our commitment to health testing our breeding dogs. From the initial email exchange and throughout our screening process, health testing comes up in the conversation a number of times, usually in progressive detail. It's such an important foundation to any responsible breeder's program and equally important information for those looking for their next companion, dog sport teammate or hunting partner.
Why Health Test?
Health testing has weighed heavily on our decisions about breeding since we started planning our breeding program many years ago. This has been especially top of mind over the past 18 months when for the first time, a radiograph we submitted to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) failed. There are so many diseases we have no tests for, but there are quite a few tests we can, and do, take advantage of for our breeding dogs. It was so disappointing to have to remove that dog from our program, but we are so grateful to have access to testing so we don't perpetuate that problem moving forward.
There are a number of reasons why responsible breeders health test their dogs prior to breeding, the most obvious being the prevention of passing genetic disease to future generations, as mentioned in my own example above. By health testing breeding parents, breeders can make informed decisions on what specific dogs to pair for a breeding and what dogs they wish to remove from their breeding programs. Beyond this individual focus, there is another, equally important reason to health test breeding stock. It is a mechanism to help shape the future health of a breeding program by aligning health strategies to actual data.
Phenotypic vs Genotypic Testing
There are two categories of tests that we use to evaluate the physical and mental health of a dog. Phenotype is defined as an individual's observable characteristics and "…their physical status at the time of examination" (Hovan, 2003). Phenotypic traits can be both inherited and caused by environmental factors. Examples of phenotypic tests that breeders use are radiographs of hips and elbows to determine if dysplasia or other abnormalities are present, examinations of eyes and hearts for inherited or other disease, blood draws for thyroid disease screening, as well as temperament testing to evaluate temperament traits across litters and in individual puppies (see my blog on Temperament Testing).
DNA tests have been developed by researchers giving us the ability to pinpoint specific genetic information about our dogs and make informed decisions about breeding. "DNA tests are an example of genotypic tests, and are the gold standard as tests for disease causing genes. Breeders can be confident that DNA tests will provide them with very accurate information, leaving little room for an unexpected appearance of the gene in offspring" (Hovan, 2003). Unfortunately, there are still many diseases for which DNA testing does not exist, thus for these diseases, it is not possible to know whether a dog is affected until the dog exhibits clinical manifestation of the disease.
Orthopedic Foundation for Animals
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) in the US is one of the leaders in canine health data and education in North America and beyond. It is a non-profit organization founded in 1966 after its founder, John M. Olin, had a health issue affect the dogs in his breeding program. OFA's "…mission is to promote the health and welfare of companion animals through a reduction in the incidence of genetic disease" (ofa.org). OFA has four main objectives:
To collate and disseminate information about orthopedic and genetic diseases of animals.
To advise, encourage and establish control programs to lower the incidence of orthopedic and genetic diseases.
To encourage and finance research in orthopedic and genetic disease in animals.
To receive fund and make grants to carry out these objectives.
Commitment to canine health in general and testing specifically, extends beyond any geographical border and many breeders work together across borders to maintain the health of not only their individual dogs and breeding programs, but importantly their breeds more broadly.While OFA is a foundational organization with a mission to promote canine health in North America and beyond, there are similar systems in Europe and other countries globally. Some kennel clubs in Europe, such as The Kennel Club (UK), Finish Kennel Club and others, track data on registered dogs and make it available to the public. The International Partnership for Dogs based in Sweden is an organization committed to collaboration, information sharing and other initiatives to enhance dog health worldwide. These are just a few examples of health testing systems and resources globally.
“DNA tests are an example of genotypic tests, and are the gold standard as tests for disease causing genes”
How do Breeders and OFA Work Together?
Our breed parent clubs, the German Shorthaired Pointer Club of Canada (GSPCC), the German Shorthaired Pointer Club of America (GSPCA), the Welsh Springer Spaniel Club of Canada (WSSCC), and the Welsh Springer Spaniel Club of America (WSSCA) are the experts on our breeds. The US clubs, in particular, work closely with OFA to establish specific tests for their respective breeds and encourage, and sometimes mandate their member-breeders to test their dogs accordingly. Certain of these screening tests, such as hip and elbow radiographs, are submitted to OFA for evaluation by orthopedic specialists. For hips and elbows, three OFA orthopedic specialists determine the grade or results. Other screenings such as DNA, eye and cardiac test results can be submitted by the breeder or owner directly. If the breeder agrees, OFA will publish all results for a dog on the public OFA database and if the dog was tested for all CHIC-required tests, the dog will be granted a CHIC Registration Number (see What's a CHIC#? for more information on the CHIC program).
OFA Data
When someone is searching for a breed or the breeder of their next dog, OFA offers a wealth of data on health-tested dogs via OFA's public database. Using a dog's registered name, one can search for specific dogs and view their health test records. Each record not only has information on that dog's individual test profile, but also access to the records of related dogs as well as pedigree details. It's important to note that breeders have the option of having their dogs' health data listed on OFA's public database. There is a small charge to breeders for this service and for this and other reasons, breeders sometimes opt out of a public listing. When conducting a search for responsible breeders who health test, OFA's database is a great place to start but if a dog's tests are not fully listed, we recommend that prospective buyers ask breeders for copies of test results that aren't listed.
Another OFA data access point of equal significance to both breeders and owners, are the publicly available breed testing statistics. This article is not meant to be a full health analysis profile of our breeds based on health data, thus that level of detail is not provided. However, I'll provide some tips and ideas on how one might use OFA's data to inform decisions.
OFA CHIC navigation and Testing Statistics/Report access
Testing Statistics
Start by accessing OFA's testing statistics through the CHIC menu on OFA's home page. Click on "Browse by Breed" and use the search tool, access the breed's CHIC requirements page and click on "Testing Statistics" from the options at the top of the page. The Testing Statistics table gives an overview of testing result trends over time, numbers of dogs tested for various diseases and a comparison of dogs who were normal versus affected. It's important to keep in mind that while the data is a powerful tool to inform decisions, when looking at the health of a breed at a macro level, the data is limited to the specific dogs tested as not all puppies from every litter produced are tested. Having said this, it does give an excellent snapshot as to the health of our breeds, especially when working with responsible breeders committed to health-testing.
Specific Reports
Drilling down further, OFA offers us the ability to download more detailed reports on dogs tested for specific diseases year over year. There are four different types of reports available:
Breed: Gives detailed results on specific dogs tested during a specified time period for each disease.
CHIC: Provides a list of all new and renewed CHIC Number Registrations over a specified time period.
Eye: Breaks down the results of eye testing between 1993 and 2024 by specific eye disorder.
Summary: Shows a summary of statistics for which there were 100+ individuals tested.
Access the specific reports at the top of the Testing Statistics table page by clicking on "Download Reports". Chose desired criteria and download, it's as simple as that!
It's possible to get quite granular in analyzing OFA's specific breed reports and as a breeder and a steward of my breeds, this information is useful and extremely interesting to me. For the average puppy buyer, accessing individual dog files and looking at disease summary statistics provide enough added value, in combination with the rest of their research from other sources, to increase their chances of an improved outcome when choosing a breed or specific breeder.
In conclusion, health testing is one of the important tools we use to inform our responsible breeding decisions. There are data resources available to those searching for their next breed or the breeder of their next puppy and I hope this blog arms prospective puppy buyers with this powerful information. Regardless of whether a breeder posts their testing results on OFA or not, make sure to understand the required testing for the breed you're interested in, and ask the breeder about their health testing protocol and for testing results on their dogs.
References
Hovan, R., Orthopedic Foundation for Animals/OFA. (n.d.). Collecting and utilizing phenotypic data to minimize disease: A breeder’s practical guide. In Orthopedic Foundation for Animals Website. https://www.offa.org
Keller, G. G., Dziuk, E., & Bell, J. S. (2011). How the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is tackling inherited disorders in the USA: Using hip and elbow dysplasia as examples. The Veterinary Journal, 189(2), 197–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2011.06.019