German Shepherd Dog — 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 causing joint laxity that progresses to arthritis; UFAW rates the welfare impact as major for many affected dogs, ranging up to euthanasia in severe cases. Prevalence estimates for the breed range from about 18% to 49% depending on the population and scoring method.
Ask to see: A hip evaluation via a recognised scheme — OFA, BVA/KC or FCI — on both parents, required for the parent club's CHIC certificate.
UFAW — Genetic Welfare Problems of Companion Animals: German Shepherd Dog, Hip Dysplasia (https://www.ufaw.org.uk/dogs/german-shepherd-hip-dysplasia) · German Shepherd Dog Club of America — CHIC Program & Certificate (https://www.gsdca.org/chic-program-certificate/)
Elbow dysplasiacan shorten life or cause chronic pain
A group of developmental abnormalities of the elbow joint that cause pain, lameness and secondary arthritis, usually appearing before two years of age.
Ask to see: An elbow evaluation via OFA (or the FCI/BVA-KC equivalent), on both parents, required for the parent club's CHIC certificate.
German Shepherd Dog Club of America — CHIC Program & Certificate (https://www.gsdca.org/chic-program-certificate/) · OFA — Elbow Dysplasia (https://ofa.org/diseases/elbow-dysplasia/)
Degenerative myelopathy (SOD1 risk variant)can shorten life or cause chronic pain
A slow, progressive breakdown of the spinal cord's nerve fibres that starts in the hind legs and typically appears from around 8 years old, eventually reaching the front legs. The SOD1 variant most associated with it in this breed is a risk factor with incomplete penetrance, not a diagnosis: some dogs that test homozygous for the risk allele never develop signs, and the test cannot be used to confirm the disease in a dog that already has symptoms.
Ask to see: A DNA test for the SOD1:c.118G>A variant, on both parents, from a laboratory such as the University of Missouri (via OFA), Embark or Genomia.
A retrospective study of the prevalence of the canine degenerative myelopathy associated SOD1 mutation in German Shepherd dogs from the UK (PMC) (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4579386/) · Degenerative Myelopathy — UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/degenerative-myelopathy)
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI / pancreatic acinar atrophy)can shorten life or cause chronic pain
Destruction of the pancreas's enzyme-producing cells, usually starting before 4 years old, leaves the dog unable to digest food properly, causing progressive weight loss and a ravenous appetite despite eating; it needs daily enzyme replacement for life once diagnosed. It is dramatically more common in this breed than in the general dog population and is thought to have a polygenic, partly immune-mediated basis.
Ask to see: No validated pre-breeding DNA test exists. A risk allele in the dog leukocyte antigen (DLA) region has been identified in research but is not offered as a commercial breeding screen. A symptomatic dog is diagnosed on a serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity (TLI) blood test, not a breeding screen; ask the breeder whether the condition has occurred in the line.
Heritability of Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency in German Shepherd Dogs (Westermarck et al., J Vet Intern Med, Wiley) (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2009.0461.x) · UFAW — Genetic Welfare Problems of Companion Animals: German Shepherd Dog, Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (https://www.ufaw.org.uk/dogs/german-shepherd-exocrine-pancreatic-insufficiency)