LABRADOR hEALTH

Like all other dog breeds, Labradors can be affected by a variety of genetic disorders, some of which we have DNA tests for.   Unfortunately, there are still some conditions outside of this that we cannot test for that are not unique to Labradors. These include, but are not limited to, auto-immune disorders, cancers, as well as some neurological conditions. 

Before breeding, we screen (via genetic DNA testing) for all of the known conditions below, as well as a number of additional health issues. The aim of these tests is to ensure that any of the puppies we breed are not affected by one of these genetic conditions. 

This disease causes  exercise intolerance and  collapse. Whilst not life  threatening in most dogs  it can prove to be fatal in  some individual dogs. It can  show itself at any age. 

The disease described as autosomal-recessive. This means that a dog must inherit two copies of an abnormal gene (one from its mother and one from its father) before its health is affected.

Dogs affected by this  disease show scales and  crusts on the nose, and  can on occasions develop  painful fissures too. Dogs  with this cannot be cured,  only managed. 

The disease described as autosomal-recessive. This means that a dog must inherit two copies of an abnormal gene (one from its mother and one from its father) before its health is affected.

The disease causes  blindness in Labradors.  Generally it is first seen in  middle age but it can  develop at various ages. 

The disease described as autosomal-recessive. This means that a dog must inherit two copies of an abnormal gene (one from its mother and one from its father) before its health is affected.

Hip Dysplasia (HD) is an abnormal  development of the hip  joint. Osteoarthritis then develops which can be  painful and disabling for  the dog.

The Australian Veterinary Association runs a scheme (AVA / ANKC Canine Hip & Elbow Dysplasia Scheme (CHEDS) under which breeders will have their dog's x-rayed and send off to an expert to be scored. Since in some HD prone breeds such as the Labrador Retriever it is virtually impossible to find an animal that is hip dysplasia free, the objective is to ensure that you breed from a dog whose score is better (lower) than the breed average score. In this way the chances of reducing the incidence of the disease are greatly increased.

It is important to note that genetics are NOT the only contributing factor for this condition however and the type of exercise and movement a pup experiences while they are young can be a big contributing factor. In the very young pup and older dog, discourage jumping from heights (eg on and off the furniture or the back of the car) – lift your dog up and down instead. Provide a balanced diet and avoid obesity.

Interpretation of hip scores:

While it is impossible to correlate a hip score exactly with grades of hip dysplasia given under other schemes, an approximate interpretation for total hip scores is as follows (assuming that the two hips are similar):  

0 to 4 total score: perfect or near-perfect hips 

5 to 10 total score: borderline changes that are unlikely to worsen with age 

11 to 20 total score: mild changes that may worsen with age, sometimes developing into osteoarthritis 

21 to 50 total score: moderate to marked hip dysplasia in which osteoarthritis is already a prominent feature, or severe hip dysplasia before an arthritic change 

Above 50: severe to very severe osteoarthritis secondary to hip dysplasia.  

If the scores of the two hips are markedly different, the worse of the two hips should be considered to be more representative of the dog’s hip status, and doubling that single hip score will give a more realistic overall score for the purposes of selection for breeding. For example, a dog with a score of 12:3 should be considered to have a hip status similar to other dogs with a total score in the mid-20s.  

Use of the hip score:

When selecting a dog for breeding, the traditional advice has been that only dogs with hip scores well below the BMS should be chosen in order to apply meaningful selection pressure. Ideally, only dogs with total scores of 10 or less should be used for breeding and, more specifically, when these scores arise only from parameters 1 to 3, with a 0 score for parameters 4 to 9 (ie, no detectable osteoarthritis). This is because total hip score, Norberg angle and subluxation have the highest heritability, whereas secondary change is more likely to be influenced by age and environmental factors. 

*Shared from Vetscoring 

Please click on the link below for further information relating to Hip Dysplasia.