Lhasa Apso — questions to ask before paying a deposit
A responsible breeder will have these readily available. Deflection is a red flag.
Juvenile renal dysplasiacan shorten life or cause chronic pain
The breed's own club describes this as the most serious hereditary disease in the Lhasa Apso: kidneys that fail to develop properly, leading to chronic kidney disease and often death at a young age. There is no cure, though supportive treatment can extend quality and length of life.
Ask to see: No fully validated commercial DNA test exists for this breed. Ask for a renal ultrasound and urinalysis (urine specific gravity and protein:creatinine ratio) on both parents, and ask about early kidney failure in close relatives, since routine bloodwork can miss early-stage disease.
American Lhasa Apso Club - Frequently Asked Questions (https://lhasaapso.org/faqs/)
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA4)can shorten life or cause chronic pain
An inherited, recessive degeneration of the retina causing night blindness from around seven years old on average, progressing to full blindness. The causative mutation (a LINE-1 insertion near the IMPG2 gene) has been identified and a DNA test exists.
Ask to see: DNA test for the IMPG2 (PRA4) mutation on both parents.
A LINE-1 insertion situated in the promoter of IMPG2 is associated with autosomal recessive PRA in Lhasa Apso dogs (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7487703/)
Patellar luxation
The kneecap slips out of its groove because the groove itself is often shallow. A large English primary-care veterinary study found Lhasa Apso among the breeds significantly over-represented for the condition.
Ask to see: OFA (or equivalent vet) patellar luxation exam (graded 0-4) on both parents.
The epidemiology of patellar luxation in dogs attending primary-care veterinary practices in England (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4898461/)