Hips/Elbows – Canine Hip Displasia (CHD) merits concern by all Golden Irish breeders and its prevalence may be reduced with selective breeding.  CHD is caused by a poorly formed ball-and-socket joint in the hip.  The quality of this joint may be screened by x-ray and certified by either the OFA or PennHip organizations.

Our new parents at Golden Ridge Hi-Breds are either OFA certified or screened by PennHip.  We carefully select the parents for each litter of puppies to ensure their offspring will have healthy hips.

Heart – A second health issue affecting the Golden Irish are heart murmurs.  Heart murmurs come in two different forms.  Many puppies, like human babies, can have heart murmurs that go away around 16 weeks of age.  A severe heart murmur may not go away and develop into an adult dog health issue.  If adult parents have heart murmurs, there is a good chance that some of their puppies may also have heart murmurs.  

Eyes – PRA is an inheritable eye disease of which both the Irish Setter and Golden Retriever are susceptible. All of my new mothers have had their eyes examined by a licensed veterinarian to ensure they are free from observable inherited eye disease. 

We also test for various other variants for genetic health conditions. Visit our parents page to see the test result of our dogs’ health screenings.