Golden Retriever — 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 instability and, over time, osteoarthritis. It is one of the conditions the breed's US parent club requires breeding stock to be screened for.
Ask to see: Hip evaluation from OFA (24 months) or PennHIP, or a BVA/KC hip score, on both parents
Golden Retriever Club of America — Health Statement (March 2020) (https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Golden-Retriever-Health-Statement-March-2020.pdf)
Elbow dysplasiacan shorten life or cause chronic pain
Developmental abnormalities of the elbow joint causing pain, lameness and a predisposition to arthritis.
Ask to see: Elbow evaluation from OFA (24 months or older) on both parents
Golden Retriever Club of America — Health Statement (March 2020) (https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Golden-Retriever-Health-Statement-March-2020.pdf)
Subvalvular aortic stenosis (SAS)can shorten life or cause chronic pain
A narrowing below the aortic valve that makes the heart work harder to pump blood, ranging from mild with no effect on lifespan to severe enough to cause sudden death. Clinically normal-looking parents can still produce severely affected puppies.
Ask to see: Echocardiogram from a board-certified veterinary cardiologist (ACVIM) on both parents, at 12 months or older
Golden Retriever Club of America — Health Statement (March 2020) (https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Golden-Retriever-Health-Statement-March-2020.pdf)
Progressive retinal atrophy (GR-PRA1, GR-PRA2 and prcd-PRA)can shorten life or cause chronic pain
Progressive, incurable degeneration of the retina leading to blindness. Golden Retrievers carry three distinct known causative mutations, so a clear result for one does not rule out the others.
Ask to see: DNA test covering GR-PRA1 (SLC4A3), GR-PRA2 (TTC8) and prcd-PRA on both parents
Allele frequency of SLC4A3, TTC8 and prcd-PRA mutations in Golden Retrievers, PMC (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9619134/) · Laboklin — Golden Retriever DNA bundle (GR-PRA1 + GR-PRA2 + prcd) (https://www.laboklin.co.uk/laboklin/showGeneticTest.jsp?testID=8622)
Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL)can shorten life or cause chronic pain
A fatal, inherited neurodegenerative disease. Affected puppies develop progressively worsening neurological signs and do not survive it, though the causative mutation is rare in the breed as a whole.
Ask to see: DNA test for NCL; at least one parent should be tested
Golden Retriever Club of America — Health Statement (March 2020) (https://www.akc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Golden-Retriever-Health-Statement-March-2020.pdf)
Ichthyosis
A skin condition causing greyish, flaky scaling over the body from puppyhood. It is lifelong and visible but not painful or life-shortening.
Ask to see: DNA test for the PNPLA1 gene mutation (ICT-A) on both parents
Genomia — Ichthyosis 1 (ICT-A) test (https://www.genomia.cz/en/test/ict-a/) · Laboklin — Golden Retriever DNA bundle (https://www.laboklin.co.uk/laboklin/showGeneticTest.jsp?testID=8622)
Hemangiosarcomacan shorten life or cause chronic pain
An aggressive cancer of blood-vessel-lining cells, most often arising in the spleen or heart. The breed's own parent club material describes it as affecting roughly one in five Golden Retrievers over a lifetime, making it one of the breed's leading causes of death, but no validated screening or DNA test exists.
Ask to see: No validated screening or DNA test exists. Ask for documented cause of death and age at death for the sire's and dam's own parents and littermates, since risk is known to cluster in some lines
Golden Retriever Club of America — Hemangiosarcoma FAQ (https://grca.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/hemangio.pdf) · Golden Retriever Club of America — Health & Research (https://grca.org/about-the-breed/health-research/)