Dog Testing

There are in general two types of testing the dogs undergo requiring equipment/expertise outside of their local vet’s office. 1. OFA’s- A bone, joint, and tissue health assessment utilizing a massive database of breed specific records (primarily x-rays and bone scans) to assess a dog’s confirmation to allowable “healthy” range of variation in their physical build. There are also specialists that provide further assessment (cardiologist, opthamologists, etc…) in their areas of expertise that are also tracked by the OFA databases. 2. Genetic Testing- multiple companies offer genetic testing. These companies market very aggressively, and while Fetching Puppies Co. has utilized their services, we believe they have over-sold their benefits and that some of the information they claim to provide is not the “sure thing” they claim.

OFA’s

Healthy dogs is a huge part of the OFA process, and while we do appreciate their efforts and the science that backs them up, we trust our local vets for assessing our dogs’ health. Fetching Puppies Co. may at some point send a dog for testing, however, be aware that testing on joints happens once your puppy is already home (2 years old for certification), and Fetching Puppies Co. considers a vet’s opinion completely valid for assessing joint normalcy and health prior to your puppy going home.

Genetic Testing

This is a tricky topic, know that while we are neither the experts or clueless, that our desire is for the canine genetic testing industry to continue to sell its abilities and also to be honest about its shortcomings. The companies that sell genetic testing all function roughly the same way, the more tests they run, in theory, the more accurate they become. Each company compiles a database of DNA samples, and as their database grows, so does the information that they can gather related to trends between dogs and their DNA patterns. We appreciate the service of coloration markers, for guaranteeing no double merle breeding (in aussies), however, their margin for error in breed identification still leaves something to be desired. Approach these tests with healthy skepticism, they, unlike OFA’s, are for-profit enterprises doing what is real science but in a very competitive market, which means they are motivated to make aggressive claims about their testing.