Health Testing is important.

Vista Goldens does not believe in the “Cleared by Parentage” philosophy.

All of our breeding dogs regardless of their genetics will have all the requisite and possible health testing done.

If one of our dogs happens to fail a health test, we vow that it will be immediately, and permanently removed* from the breeding program.

 

  • We certify all of our breeding dogs for the following tests through The Orthopedic Foundation of America:

    Hips, Elbows, Shoulders, Patellas, LCP, Eyes (every year), Hearts (every other year), and Dentition.

    The Orthopedic Foundation is preferring (not requiring) an Advanced Cardiac over a regular heart certification by a cardiologist, so we are in the process of doing Echocardiograms on as many of our dogs as we can.

  • Starting in 2020 we decided that we were going to start doing PennHip tests on as many of our breeding dogs as possible. To have a scientific number associated with the laxity of a dogs’ hips instead of an opinion of a vet is proving to be vital. In the future we may decide to do only PennHip and not OFA. This is still an ongoing goal.

  • We test for over 200 possible genetic defects/conditions (some of which don’t even run in Golden Retrievers) to ensure we produce genetically, the healthiest possible animals we can. This is done through Embark DNA.

  • We like to show in UKC (United Kennel Club), CKC (Canadian Kennel Club), and IABCA (International All-Breed Canine Association) for conformation titles as well as various AKC Sports such as Dock Jumping, Fastcat Trials, Barn Hunt Trials, CGC Titles, and Therapy Dog Work.

    Our dogs are not just impressive in looks, but also in brains, and their ability to work.

*In the event that we believe a health test has been failed due to an orthopedic injury we will seek out the opinion of at least two orthopedic vets before making a final decision in regards to the removal of the dog from our breeding program.

If a health test is failed due to genetics, we will remove that dog from our program immediately.

For certain genetic conditions, we will not remove a dog if it is only a carrier, but vow to only breed that dog to a dog who is clear of the same condition to be sure that no affected puppies are ever born. We will never breed an affected dog of any genetic condition.