Cataracts - Common in many breeds, this eye condition develops by the age of three and will usually lead to blindness.  The lens becomes cloudy, it would be like trying to look through  an opaque window.  

THE BVA run a clinic every 2/3 months in various locations around the UK - a simple eye examination can be carried out  - this is a sample certificate which is hand writen by the examiner and is on a white A4 sheet of paper.

​Hip & Elbow Dysplascia - A common condition where the thigh bone doesn't fit correctly into the elbow or hip joint socket.

Almost 1/5 of dogs that are not health tested develop this condition.  A reputable breeder will test for this, it involves an x-ray (which can be done from 12 months of age) that is sent off to the British Veterinary Association for scoring.  The image is a Hip score certificate which is always green in colour and on an A4 sized thin card, the elbow certificate is on an A4 sized yellow card.  This is what you want to be able to view when you visit breeders and puppies.  

This link will show you what scores you should be looking for each breed​.  Please note that there are scores for the Golden Retriever, Standard Poodle & Goldendoodle

When considering the health problems a 'Doodle' may be prone to you will need to consider each of the breed's possible individual problems.

Even though a 'Doodle' can suffer from any kind of health issue that affects either of the parents, they will most probably be genetically healthier than either of the pure bred parents.

GOLDEN RETRIEVER, BERNESE MOUNTAIN DOG & STANDARD POODLE

We strive to breed the healthiest of puppies but there are always health issues to consider:

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) - This disease can appear at 3-5 years old, it causes degeneration of the retina, the retina is the part of the eye that senses visual information and sends it to the brain.  This disease will eventually cause blindness in any affected dogs.

A simple DNA test is available to determine whether the parents have inherited PRA.  It is absolutely necessary to breed with at least one parent with a 'clear' eye test in order to breed a puppy that will not suffer from this disease - this is the certificate to show that the test has been done.  You want to see 'Clear' and not 'carrier' or 'affected' in the results section.

Further information is available online, you may also like click the links below to continue reading or to find how to organise to have these tests carried out on your dogs should you wish to breed.  

Health

Skenasdoodles