Golden retriever health testing explained

Hip scoring

Hip dysplasia is the condition the scheme exists for. Under the British Veterinary Association and Kennel Club Hip Dysplasia Scheme, a vet x-rays the dog and BVA scrutineers score nine features on each hip.

Each hip scores from 0 to 53, and the two are added together for a total from 0 to 106. Lower is better. A score of 0 is a perfect hip; 106 is as bad as the scheme records.

A single number means little without the breed context. For golden retrievers the breed median was 11 across 2019 to 2024. The BVA and Kennel Club advise breeding only from dogs with hip scores below or close to the published breed median, so a golden retriever scoring around 10 or under is a reasonable dog to breed from on hips.

What to ask: "What did the mother and father score, and can I see the certificates?" Two numbers and two pieces of paper. A breeder who has done it will have them to hand.

Elbow grading

The BVA and Kennel Club Elbow Dysplasia Scheme works differently. Each elbow is graded, and the dog's overall grade is the higher of the two — so one good elbow does not rescue one bad one.

• 0 — radiographically normal
• 1 — mild osteoarthritis
• 2 — moderate osteoarthritis, or a primary lesion with no osteoarthritis
• 3 — severe osteoarthritis, or a primary lesion with osteoarthritis

The scheme's own recommendation is to breed only from dogs graded 0. That is a simpler test to apply than hips: ask what the grade was, and anything other than zero deserves a conversation.

Eyes

Eye testing is done by an examining vet under the BVA, Kennel Club and ISDS Eye Scheme. Unlike hips and elbows, which are scored once, eye conditions can appear later in life — so an eye certificate is a snapshot with a date on it, and a current one matters more than an old one.

What to ask: "When were the parents last eye tested?" A certificate from five years ago is not the same as one from this year.

DNA tests

DNA tests are different again: they are done once, they never expire, and they give a clear answer. The Kennel Club's DNA testing services for the golden retriever cover:

• GR-PRA1 — a form of progressive retinal atrophy
• GR-PRA2 — a second, genetically different form of the same condition
• Ichthyosis (ICT-A) — a skin condition causing scaling, usually showing between one and eighteen months

Progressive retinal atrophy causes loss of night vision, then loss of vision, and eventually blindness. It is autosomal recessive, which means a dog has to inherit two copies of the faulty gene — one from each parent — before it is affected. A dog with one copy is a carrier: healthy itself, but able to pass it on.

The trap worth knowing about. PRA in this breed can be caused by more than one mutation, including prcd as well as GR-PRA1 and GR-PRA2. A clear result on one test does not guarantee the dog is clear of the others. "DNA tested" without saying which tests is not an answer.

Putting it together

You are not trying to catch anyone out. You are asking for four things a breeder who has done the work already has:

1. Both parents' hip scores, with certificates
2. Both parents' elbow grades
3. The date of the most recent eye test
4. Which DNA tests were run, and the result for each

A good breeder will go through these with you rather than tell you they passed. A breeder who is reluctant, vague, or who answers "they are all fully health tested" and moves on, is telling you something worth hearing.

Where Catrigg fits

Catrigg Retrievers health tests the parent dogs on hips, elbows, eyes and DNA, and the results are there to see — ask us and we will go through them with you. The kennel holds a five star licence, number 10573, and the puppies are Kennel Club registered.