Brittany Spaniel — questions to ask before paying a deposit
A responsible breeder will have these readily available. Deflection is a red flag.
Hip dysplasiacan shorten life or cause chronic pain
Malformation of the hip joint leading to wear, arthritis and pain over time. A required (not elective) test in this breed's CHIC protocol.
Ask to see: An OFA (or PennHIP) hip evaluation on both parents
OFA / CHIC Program, Brittany (https://ofa.org/chic-programs/browse-by-breed/?breed=BS) · American Brittany Club health tests, via AKC / Brittany (https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/brittany/)
Hereditary canine spinal muscular atrophycan shorten life or cause chronic pain
A progressive, inherited degeneration of the spinal cord's motor neurons causing muscle wasting and weakness. This is genuinely breed-specific and has been studied since the late 1970s, but no causal gene has been identified even now, so there is no DNA test.
Ask to see: No DNA test exists. Ask the breeder directly whether progressive hind-limb weakness, muscle wasting or a diagnosis of motor neuron disease has occurred in the sire, dam, or their close relatives; inheritance is autosomal dominant, so an affected close relative is meaningful
OMIA / Spinal muscular atrophy in Canis lupus familiaris (Brittany Spaniel) (https://www.omia.org/OMIA000939/9615/) · PubMed / Hereditary spinal muscular atrophy in Brittany Spaniels: clinical manifestations (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/528327/) · PubMed / Autosomal dominant inheritance of hereditary canine spinal muscular atrophy (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6742782/)