Information

AKC Breed Standard:    www.akc.org/breeds/golden_retriever/index.cfm  

Golden Retriever Club of America:   www.grca.org

Breed Information:     http://puppydogweb.com/caninebreeds/goldenretriever.htm

Disclaimer:  This page is a work in progress and will likely continue to be for as long as we're in business.  As the golden retriever breed changes so do health concerns, I will be updating is as often as I can but can't always be up to date.  Also sometimes in the middle of updating it puppies are born or our child throws up and I have to leave in mid thought and Google conveniently publishes my half thought.

There are a lot of opinions both professional and not so professional regarding proper health care for your dog, certifications, food, diseases, shots, and even brands of shampoo.  This page is to help you sort through some of the "breeder jargon" and to help you ask good questions when searching for a puppy because even if you don't get a pup from us we want you to get the best pup possible that will be healthy for a long time.  First I'll give you a short list of things you MUST know when looking for a pup then I'll explain them in more detail below

• • Things to ask a breeder

    • When talking to a breeder ask, "are both parents' hips OFA certified and what is each of their rating?"  

    • Ask, "Are the parents' elbows OFA certified as normal?" 

    • Ask, "Are both parents' eyes OFA certified as normal within the last 12 months?"  If not ask for specific diseases that detract from the normal rating.  Some eye diseases are minor and won't affect the dogs quality of life whatsoever, others are pretty serious.  The next two are not quite as important but I wouldn't consider a pup for myself without these two certifications.  

    • Ask, "Are the parents clear of prcd-PRA by parentage or have they been tested as negative?"  

    • Ask, "Are both parents OFA cardiac certified as normal?"  

    • You should also ask if there is a health guarantee and if the seller will give a receipt and a bill of sale.  If a breeder replies no to these questions or gets upset for you asking I would advise you to thank the breeder for their time and hang up.  This is a long term commitment you're making to this puppy, if the breeder won't answer your questions its a good sign he/she hasn't put in much work to prepare that puppy for you.  

    • Another thing to ask is how the breeder is socializing the puppies.  How much time do they spend each day with the puppies?  Do they do personality testing?

  • Genetic Clearances

    • OFA Hips-Hip displaysia has become extremely prevalent in the golden retriever breed and causes lameness.  For this radiographs of the dog's hips are taken and canine orthopedic specialists to evaluate the hips and give the hips a rating of excellent, good, fair, borderline, mild, moderate or severe.  We only breed dogs that have a good or excellent rating.  We have included a couple pictures below from OFA, for more info go to their website http://www.offa.org/hd_grades.html

• • • OFA elbows-Elbows are much less complicated than hips.  They are either rated as normal or grade I, II, or III displaysia.  Only normal is acceptable to a good breeder.  You can find lots more information on their website by clicking this link http://www.offa.org/ed_grades.html

    • OFA cardiac-A cardiologist will listen to the heart, heart valves, chambers, major vessels.  Honestly this one gets out of my league as it requires a lot of knowledge of the cardiac system by a trained professional.  I know murmurs are not good and you can find lots more info by clicking on this link http://www.offa.org/cardiac_grades.html .

    • OFA eyes (former CERF eyes)-Goldens can have a whole slew of issues with their eyes.  Having a yearly check up with a canine opthalmologist is required to keep the OFA certification current.  Some eye issues such as cataracts are very serious and will lead to blindness while others such as a spare blood vessel cause no issues.  Both Molly and Mae have a "spare blood vessel".  The opthalmologist at Iowa State University Vet College said that it is something that is left over from when they were developing in the womb.  It does not affect sight at all and is not considered a defect but will be noted on the OFA exam sheet.  A good breeder will know all this information, give it to you and know what is safe and what is not.  Here is a link to the overwhelming list of eye diseases http://www.offa.org/eye_definitions.html .  Take on look and you'll know why we screen our breeding dogs, its a huge list.

    • pcrd-PRA-This is a blood test.  Blood is drawn and sent to OptiGen labs in Ithaca, NY where they assess the DNA for certain markers indicating the dog would be positive for prcd-PRA.  If the dog would test positive as an expressed trait the dog would exhibit night blindness (can't see in the dark) and eventually would go completely blind in all environments.  There is a lot more information on OptiGen's website, just click here http://www.optigen.com/opt9_test_prcd_pra.html

    • Icthyosis-a skin disease where the dog's skin turns scaly white and gradually turns black and will likely be infected.  Dogs will display this disease phenotypically by the time they're 2-3 years old.  http://www.optigen.com/opt9_ichthyosis_gr.html