Health Testing
Before any dog joins our breeding program, it is independently screened for the orthopedic, cardiac, eye, and genetic conditions that matter most in Labradors and Golden Retrievers. We publish the original certificates for each dog — not summaries — so you can verify every result yourself.
There are two independent ways to test a dog’s health, and a responsible program uses both. OFA screening looks at the dog’s own body — the actual joints, heart, and eyes — through X-rays and specialist exams. Embark DNA testing looks at the dog’s genes, revealing conditions it could silently pass to puppies even while appearing perfectly healthy. One tells you what the dog has; the other tells you what it could pass on.
OFA screening — the dog’s own body
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals is an independent nonprofit registry. X-rays and exams are read by board-certified specialists who never meet the dog and don’t know whose dog it is — the evaluation is blind and impartial, and every result is permanently searchable in OFA’s public database.
🦴 Hips
Screens for hip dysplasia — a malformed hip joint where the ball doesn’t sit cleanly in the socket, leading to arthritis, pain, and reduced mobility as the dog ages. One of the most common heritable problems in large breeds.
How it’s done: A positioned hip X-ray, read independently by three veterinary radiologists who reach a consensus grade.
Why it matters: It’s inherited — screening the parents is the single best way to lower the risk in puppies.
🦴 Elbows
Screens for elbow dysplasia — a group of developmental joint abnormalities that cause front-leg lameness and early arthritis. Also heritable and common in retrievers.
How it’s done: Flexed elbow X-rays, read by the same independent radiologist panel as the hips.
Why it matters: Catches joint disease that may not show outward symptoms until the dog is older.
❤️ Heart
Screens for congenital heart disease — structural heart defects a dog can be born with, some inherited and potentially serious.
How it’s done: A cardiac exam by a veterinarian (or, at the advanced level, a cardiologist) listening for murmurs and abnormal rhythms.
Why it matters: Confirms the parent’s heart is structurally sound before breeding.
👁️ Eyes (CAER)
Screens for inherited eye disease — cataracts, retinal problems, eyelid abnormalities and more, some of which can lead to vision loss.
How it’s done: A dilated-eye exam by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist (CAER = Companion Animal Eye Registry).
Why it matters: Catches physically-visible eye disease that DNA testing alone can miss.
Embark DNA testing — the dog’s genes
A dog can look completely healthy and still carry a hidden genetic disease that appears in its puppies. DNA testing is how we see that risk before it happens.
🧬 The Embark breed health panel
A simple cheek swab is analyzed for 200+ genetic health conditions, including the ones most relevant to Labs and Goldens — exercise-induced collapse (EIC), degenerative myelopathy (DM), progressive retinal atrophy (PRA/prcd), centronuclear myopathy (CNM) and more. It also confirms breed and genetic diversity.
Clear — the dog carries no copies of the variant; it can’t develop the disease or pass it on.
Carrier — one copy. The dog is completely healthy and will never develop the disease. Standard practice is simply never to pair two carriers of the same condition, so no affected puppies are produced. We disclose carrier status openly.
At-risk — two copies. We manage these carefully in pairing (for example, breeding only to a genetically clear mate so no puppy is affected) and state it plainly on the dog’s page.
Results for every parent dog
Every result below links to the certificate’s own page, where you can view the original document. Dog names link to their full profiles.
Every result links to the original OFA or Embark document — the actual certificates, hosted here and verifiable with the issuer.
Why it matters: OFA shows a dog’s physical health today; Embark shows what’s written in its genes. Using both is what lets us plan pairings that protect the puppies — the whole point of testing.
These are the actual OFA and Embark documents — hosted here and independently verifiable with the issuer — not summaries we typed up. If you’d like to see any certificate before reserving a puppy, just ask.
Wondering what this means when you’re comparing programs? Here’s what to demand from any English Labrador breeder — and how we measure against the same checklist.
Health records are published here; training records live in your family’s portal — weekly letters, films, and skill-by-skill scores for every dog we place.