Health Issues   

We take every possible measure to ensure that our dogs are healthy prior to breeding, including screening for OFA, CERF, SA, Von Willebrands Disease, Thyroid, and Addisons Disease.

We test to determine if they have any of these conditions, or when possible, if they carry the gene. When the parents are tested and the results come up clean, the odds are good that the offspring will live out their lives without ever having any of these genetic problems.

Definitions:

Hip Dysplasia - In this condition the hip sockets are irregular in shape and it becomes painful for the dog to walk, often starting at under 2 yrs of age, requiring medication for the life of the dog, and often surgery.

OFA can screen any dog over the age of 2 for Hip Dysplasia. Have your vet x-ray the hips according to OFA regulations and mail the x-rays in to OFA. EVERY BREEDING ANIMAL MUST HAVE THIS! You will get a rating of Excellent, Good, Fair, Borderline, Mild, Moderate, Severe. Next info pulled from the OFA website: The hip grades of excellent, good and fair are within normal limits and are given OFA numbers. This information is accepted by AKC on dogs with permanent identification (tattoo, microchip) and is in the public domain. Radiographs of borderline, mild, moderate and severely dysplastic hip grades are reviewed by the OFA radiologist and a radiographic report is generated documenting the abnormal radiographic findings. Unless the owner has chosen the open database, dysplastic hip grades are closed to public information. Although OFA will not issue a number prior to age 2, you can get your dog preliminary x-rayed at 1 to determine what the hips are likely to look like. This is not set in stone, and should only be used as a guide. If your dog is fair to borderline, watch it closely over the next year and DO NOT use it for breeding unless it passes OFA at age 2. If it shows signs of HD at 1 year, it probably won't get a lot better with age, so Mild, Moderate, and Severe should probably be spayed in my opinion. Again, Taken from the OFA website: Preliminary evaluations can be performed after 4 to 5 months of age. OFA evaluations are about 90% accurate when compared to follow-ups of the same animal at 24 months of age. The reason to obtain preliminary status is to minimize the emotional and financial burden if the animal is found to have hip dysplasia.

Sebaceous Adenitis (SA) - It is estimated that 50% of all Standard Poodles are carriers or affected. It is hard to ID and can be misdiagnosed as hypothyroidism, allergies, etc. All breeding animals should have a skin biopsy performed by a veterinarian YEARLY and sent to the Institute for Genetic Disease Control in Animals (GDC) for evaluation by a GDC approved veterinary pathologist.

In this condition the dog loses its hair, permanently. It can develop when young, or older. Currently, there is no cure.

PRA- progressive retinal atrophy (and other eye disorders). Genetically inherited eye diseases, with or without accompanying cataracts and blindness. You can and should have your poodle's eyes CERF'd by a Veterinary Ophthalmologist. The Canine Eye Registration Foundation (CERF) checks to see if any signs of eye problems are present at the time of testing. Because eye problems can develop over a short period of time, testing must be done YEARLY on all breeding animals.

Addison's Disease - With this condition, because of adrenal gland malfunctioning, the dog's own immune system attacks and destroys its own body's normal tissues. Oftentime outward symptoms will not show for several years.

Addison's disease is defined as a substantial decrease in the production of cortisone and aldosterone by the adrenal glands. A dog affected by this disease will become ill and then often better for a time. The illness is not easy to ID. It looks like a flu and the dog will often get better before the owner takes them to the vet. Some breeders do not feel this is genetic. Some feel it is. It is always better to fall to the side of caution and not breed a dog who has Addison's or a dog with close relatives with it as well.

Von Willebrand's disease (vWD)-  This, similar to hemophilia in humans, is a condition where the blood does not clot well. Anything that would normally cause a small amount of bleeding, either externally (like the puppy steps on something and cuts its' paw), or under the skin (like a bruise from a bump or tumble during normal puppy play) will bleed more and be much more serious. Depending on the severity of the condition this can be life threatening.

This is a serious disease that can be tested for by VETGEN and completely prevented. A simple cheek swab can be sent to be DNA tested. You can clearly know whether your poodle is clear, carrier, or affected with this one simple test.

Thyroid - This is similar to the human variety. It is difficult to diagnose from outward signs, and if not caught and treated early, can cause much pain and early death. Generally we see Hypothyroidism as our main problem. This is an Autoimmune disease resulting in low production of the thyroid hormones L-thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). These two hormones control the rate of metabolism in mammals. Symptoms my include obesity, poor coat, hair loss, lethargy, heat seeking, skin problems, and infertility. This disease is treated with hormone therapy.

Bloat- There are those who feel this is a genetic issue. There are those who feel this is an environmental issue. There are those who feel this is a chest structure issue. Standard Poodles are known for having deep/narrow chest. This might indeed allow a Bloat episode to occur. Deep/Narrow chest run in lines, so you could consider that to be the genetic 'link'. Of course, feeding your dog a large meal and then exercising the dog has been proven to cause bloat. Some people feel it is commercial foods that are so zipped of moisture that cause this problem.