What to Know About Health Disorder Testing

All dogs have a risk for hereditary health disorders. Testing helps to reduce or eliminate the chances of our Doodles developing those disorders that can be identified through physical exam, veterinary imaging, and DNA. 

We certify all recommended structural areas through OFA, use multiple DNA laboratories for maximum accuracy, and add additional testing when emerging science shows it may benefit the welfare, healthspan, and lifespan of our dogs.

Our parent dogs are tested for both structural disorders and DNA disorders before we breed them.

Our litters are DNA tested or cleared by parentage and results are available by the time they are five weeks old.

We test and OFA certify our parent dogs for structural disorders that are not detectable through DNA.

Eyes are examined by a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist to confirm the dog is free from ten different hereditary eye disorders. Additional disorders if identified are also recorded. The results are sent to OFA for certification. We retest eyes every year.

Hips are radiographed for signs of hip dysplasia. These radiographs are sent to OFA and evaluated by three board certified veterinary radiologists. OFA passing hip grades are: Excellent, Good, and Fair.

Elbows are radiographed for signs of elbow dysplasia, and sent to OFA for evaluation and certification. 

Patellar are examined by our veterinarian and the findings are sent to OFA for certification. Patellar do not require a radiograph, a veterinarian can determine by manual examination whether there is any degree of luxation (abnormal movement).

Hearts are tested by a board certified veterinary cardiologist. We retest hearts every year using echocardiogram and auscultation on alternating years.

Other Structural Testing is added when advisable for a particular Doodle variety.

Embark Full Panel Parentage & Disorder Testing - 250+ disorders are included in testing at this time. We use this testing to identify and to reduce or prevent occurrence of those disorders that are known to affect the breeds in our Doodles' backgrounds.

Embark also provides a genetic COI (Coefficient of Inbreeding) for all our dogs. Our goal is a COI under 5%, which is generally considered safest for any animal population. We will not breed two dogs where the litter COI is expected to be over 10%, which is where conservation biologists start to see a marked increase in negative health effects.

UC Davis VGL CDDY & CDPA Testing - CDDY is a genetic marker that indicates an increased risk for Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD). 

CDDY is very common in small dogs, and at this time it is not feasible to completely avoid it in breeding without dangerously shrinking the available gene pool.

When making our breeding decisions we verify through DNA testing that puppies in our litters will have no CDDY or only one copy of CDDY. Recent research indicates the risk of a dog developing IVDD is decreased by avoiding inheritance of two copies of CDDY.

CDPA is a separate marker that identifies a dwarfism mutation in many small dogs. We do not consider CDPA a desirable trait in our Petite Doodles, and we breed away from it.

GenSol NEBL3 Testing - A test identifying a genetic mutation that increases risk of Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease (MMVD).

Animal Genetics Curl & Furnishings Testing - Not a health disorder issue, but we find these tests very helpful in identifying exact coat type in our Doodles.

We believe in full transparency. Our dogs' health disorder testing results are always publicly available regardless of the outcome.

Each of our dogs has a dedicated page (available by clicking or tapping their photo) that provides direct links to their test results on sites like OFA and Embark, and copies of their certifications where the testing company does not provide for a direct link.

We welcome questions about any of our breeding decisions, and we are happy to help if you would like referrals to specific studies or other educational resources about canine health and disorder testing.

Health disorder testing is a cornerstone of any responsible breeder's program, but testing alone isn't enough.

At this time, only a small percentage of known health disorders in dogs are identifiable through testing. As in all mammals, many disorders that are known or suspected to be hereditary, or have a partially hereditary component, remain beyond the ability of today's science to accurately predict before a puppy is born.

This Land Delightful Doodles, with the help of our Doodle families, tracks the lifetime health of our dogs.

Health disorder and pedigree information is added to Functional Dog Data for each of our Petite Doodles starting with their early DNA testing results at four weeks of age. 

Functional Dog Data (FDD) is a platform for dog registries, breeding co-operatives, and other organizations to store health and pedigree information. We use their data to identify areas of needed improvement, including health disorders that appear more frequently than the statistical average of the entire population of dogs. This helps us with health disorder screening procedures, and with determining how and if to breed any given dog.

After our puppies go to their permanent homes, we send a yearly survey asking our Doodle families to voluntarily provide their dog's veterinary visit results for the prior year - we enter this information into the Functional Dog Database where it can help us and other breeders to improve the lifespan, healthspan, and welfare of the dogs we all love and care for.

Our best and most potent weapon against non-testable health disorders is outcrossing (the breeding of unrelated dogs). Because we are not operating under the restrictions of a closed studbook registry, we are free to seek the best possible matches in both temperament and health for every litter.