Excellent health standards are one of the cornerstones of our breeding program. We stand behind every puppy we produce, and all of our pups go home with a two year health guarantee for any  genetic disorder that may develop, this includes hip and elbows. There is also a lifetime guarantee on any of the diseases or disorders that we currently test for. All new owners will have an agreement that outlines all of this in detail.

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HEALTH TESTING

DNA - we test through Orivet which is our local testing facility here in Australia. A full breed profile looks at all of the genetic diseases/disorders that have been identified as possible in the Australian Labradoodle from its parent breeds of Labrador, Poodle and Spaniel. These tests include but are not limited to:

·     Exercise Induced Collapse (EIC)

·       Neonatal Encephalopathy (NEEN)

·       Degenerative Myopathy (DM)

·       Progressive Retinal Atrophy/Progressive Rod Cone Disease (PRA/PRCD)

Currently we also test for another 10 diseases or disorders identified in the parent breeds, but that we have not yet seen in the Australian Labradoodle. As much as we can, we try to stay at the forefront of genetic testing.

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HIPS and ELBOWS 

All of our parent dogs must have their hips and elbows X-rayed and assessed by at least two of the three registered assessment schemes 9sometimes all three).

We commonly use PENNHIP which looks at the laxity of the hip joint, so how tight or loose the hip is in the joint. The tighter the better as far as hip health is concerned and the results of this test will give an estimate of the risk of Osteoarthritis or Canine Hip Dysplasia developing later in life.

We also send radiographs in to the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) or the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) which give a score assessing the conformation of the hip, so how well the hip joint has formed.

With all of this information we are trying to breed with the best possible hips that we can and pass on those great hip genes to their babies. Unfortunately hips are not just effected by genetics. Hip dysplasia is a condition that is impacted by genetics, ENVIRONMENT, growth rate, weight, nutrition, hormones and exercise, but by testing as we do, we hope to limit the propensity to this awful condition as much as possible.