The problems that most frequently affect Labradors are Hip Dysplasia, Elbow Dysplasia and GPRA, an eye defect that causes blindness, often by the time the dog is three or four years of age.
The health of your dog should be as important a consideration when buying a puppy, as its temperament. Careful consideration at this stage can prevent costly veterinary bills later but more importantly it supports the breeders who are genuinely trying to eradicate such problems and helps ensure that your beloved pet has as healthy a life as possible.
The eye problem is purely genetic i.e. passed through genes from parents to puppies. The Hip and Elbow problems have a very strong genetic influence, but can be aggravated by over exercising a young puppy, falls, injuries and general roughness while the dog’s joints are still developing.
It is very important therefore that only dogs free from these problems are bred from. This gives the puppies the very best chance of being free themselves of these painful and traumatic problems.
ALL reputable breeders health test! Puppies bought as pets ‘only’ are equally as important as show or working dogs. Careful choice of your puppy can help prevent watching your pet suffer later.
• Hip Scoring
At around a year of age, when the dog’s skeleton has fully grown, an x-ray is taken of the dog’s pelvic area. This x-ray is sent by the veterinary surgeon to the British Veterinary Association (BVA). An expert will score the x-ray with each hip scoring between 0 (lowest) and 53 (highest). Both hips are scored and the total that dog achieves will be between a total of 0 and 106 (2 x 53).
The score can also be shown sometimes as two numbers, left hip:right hip – e.g. 3:3 (giving a total of 6 - very good) or maybe 33:21 (total of 54 – indicating dysplasia). Currently the mean average for the total of both hips is around 16.
It is the parents of the litter who are scored and not the puppies. Hip scoring can not be undertaken until one year of age as a minimum, but can be done at any age after this. Usually, only dogs to be bred from are scored, there is no need to score pet puppies which will not be used for breeding. The information is used by breeders to decide if the dog is suitable to be bred from. Hip scoring is done once only in a dog’s life and the score remains with him for the rest of his life. When buying a puppy, you should insist on seeing the official BVA/KC certificate showing the score. Never rely on verbal assurances that the parents are scored.
Hip scoring has been undertaken now for around 35 years and the scheme is well known and well used.
• Elbow Scoring
Elbows are scored 0 to 3, 0 being the best. This is a relatively new scheme and will become more widely used as new dogs are scored.
• Eye Test Certificate
It is equally essential for puppy buyers to ensure they buy only from litters where both parents have been eye tested. GPRA is 100% genetic and the status of the parents’ eyes affects the puppy’s eyes for the future. This test is undertaken by an eye specialist. Following the eye test, a certificate is given indicating if the dog was affected or unaffected by the problems being examined for. Ideally this eye certificate should be renewed every year and when puppies are produced, the certificate should be valid.
Ensure the 'unaffected' box of the certificate is ticked and check the date of the certificate. If it is not dated within the past 12 (or maximum 18) months, chances are the dog was retested and failed or the owner hasn’t tested again.
Optigen testing is done in addition to, and not replacement of annual eye tests, as the Optigen testing covers only one of the problems affecting Labrador's eyes. Optigen is a relatively new eye testing scheme, which indicates dogs carrying or being clear of GPRA and is presently carried out in America.
• Shape and Size
The Labrador is the most widely bred dog in the UK. Its not surprising therefore that they come in various shapes and sizes. Last year there were over 45,000 Labrador puppies registered with the Kennel Club.
• Show or Field/Working Labradors
These are not necessarily dogs that are shown or worked themselves, but have a pedigree of dogs that come from either show or working lines. The show Labrador tends to be a little shorter in the leg, but broader in body and head than the field/working type dogs.
Commonly on a show line pedigree you will see dogs with SH CH (Show Champion) before their name. On a working or field trial pedigree you may see several dogs with FTW (Field Trial Winner) or FT CH (Field Trial Champion). CH indicates a dog is both a SH and FT CH.
Some years ago 'Labradors' were all very similar. They were middleweight hunting dog brought from Newfoundland to be shooting companions for UK gentry. The popularity of the biddable breed rose quickly and with the advent of more dogs being kept as domestic pets, slowly split into several types, with the working dogs being bred increasingly with a lighter frame to enable maximum speed, style and endurance, and the show and pet dog often being bred heavier, with more thought given to looks and 'show ring presence'.
No one line or type is more prone to health problems than another. The logic that a lighter frame of Labrador must be healthier does not stand up in practice.
Temperament is both inherited from its parents and developed by the way the dog is socialised and raised. It is important to see at least the mother of the litter to check her temperament is friendly and confident and that you would be pleased to end up with a dog similar to her in looks and personality. If you would not, walk away. Puppies from show lines, pet lines and working lines can all be bold and outgoing, can all be timid and nervous and can all be smart and quick to learn or a little less clever! Generally the nature of field trial and working lines means that they have been bred for many generations to work hard all day and have the capacity to learn. These may, therefore, be a more active dog on the whole than your average show line bred dog.
In the end it is the type that pleases your eye that you must 'go for'.
• Pets Only!
Breeders who show or work their dogs still expect the majority of their puppies to go into pet homes. Just because they are experienced, regular competitors, doesn't mean they won't sell to pet homes.
• Further Help and Advice
Ask the breeder that you have bought your puppy from.
There are many good dog magazines available - including 'Your Dog' and 'Dogs Monthly'
Email us. We will help with any questions you may have, or try to point you in the right direction, even if you do not own a Shallowford puppy!
A good internet forum is www.labradorforums.co.uk where a mine of information is already posted or where you can post a new question and benefit from the experience of many Labrador owners.
Further Information
Hip Dysplasia information from Pet Education
Eye Defects information from Labbies.com