Health Testing... Doesn't Mean Just a Yearly Vet Check

Health testing is done to check for genetic diseases such as heart murmurs, luxating patellas, hip dysplasia, thyroid problems etc. are just some of the genetic issues that run in the APBT and can be passed to their offspring.

These types of testing are tools often used by breeders to screen dogs when making important decisions about breeding.

It is also used by some working dog owners to check for problems before beginning strenuous working events.

Pet owners to do it to for peace of mind and also to better care for their pets.

Here are some great sites were you can find tons of info on health testing and genetic diseases .

OFA website
http://www.offa.org/

Penn Hip website:
http://www.pennhip.org/

CERF:
http://www.vmdb.org/cerf.html

BAER
http://www.lsu.edu/deafness/baerexpl.htm

 

here are some more health testing that should be done as well:

Required health tests and certifications include: hips, elbows, thyroid, and heart (evaluated and certified by organizations such as Orthopedic Foundation for Animals [OFA] for hips, elbows, thyroid, and heart, or PennHip for hips). Dogs should test negative for Brucellosis and von Willebrand's Disease. Additional testing may be conducted for the following health abnormalties: Spinocerebellar/Hereditary Ataxia (specifically on American Staffordshire Terriers), and Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) with subsequent registration with Canine Eye Registry Foundation (CERF) encouraged for dogs free of PRA. Results and certifications of any and all tests will be made readily available to potential buyers if tested and certified dogs will be bred. In addition, immediately prior to each breeding, all breeding stock should pass a basic veterinary health examination and be determined to be in good health.

Item 3: No dog with unsatisfactory health tests and/or certification results shall ever be bred. Unsatisfactory results would be (among others):

a) OFA hip ratings below fair
b) OFA elbow ratings that indicated elbow dysplasia
c) PennHip ratings that show abnormal joint laxity
d) thyroids that do not test normal; thyroids that test TgAA positive
e) hearts that are not found to be clear of murmurs or other abnormalities upon examination with a Doppler (ultrasound) exam by a Board Certified Cardiologist
f) positive tests for Spincerebellar/Hereditary Ataxia
g) positive tests for PRA
h) positive tests for any other hereditary/congenital/genetic disease

 

And if you think the cost is too high, check out those health clinics! The OFA has a calendar of health clinics right on their website. You can frequently get off much cheaper than you would by having your veterinarian do the screenings.

 

Health testing is verry important indeed. I think any breeder should do health testing to his dogs and only dogs who have no health issues should be bred. Bully breeds are healthy animals in most cases. They only have allergic issues here and there. But compared to other breeds they have no mayor health issues.

 

^ If you are talking about APBTs and Am Staffs, they have several genetic health defects that breeders should be concerned about.

Examples - High numbers are bad here because they mean more dogs are affected:
Hip dysplasia (OFA results - APBTs rank #25 and of Am. Staffs rank #21 among 160 breeds)
Elbow dysplasia (OFA results -Am. Staffs rank #13 and APBTs #16 104 breeds)
Heart disease (Am. Staffs rank #14 among 105 breeds)

 

was this befor or after they bully craze. iam no vet or expert. and iam only ? it because i have owend and bin around the apbt for most my like. just owning a few and hogg hunting. i dont hunt any more but i still run my dog and keep them in good shape"hoping the hogs move close" and have never had one of mine or a friends apbt or amstaff get hip or elbow dysplasia. again iam only asking becouse i would like to find out more about these issues. i have owend an apbt sense i was around 8 or 9 well it was really my mom but i claimed her. iam 30 now and have 3 of my own right now

 

My apologies for not seeing this sooner. The numbers are from the beginning of the organization (1966) until Dec 2014. The current data is:

American Pit Bull Terrier
Elbows - 15.6% Dysplastic - Ranked #18
Hips - 24.1% Dysplastic - Ranked #27
Thyroid - 7.1% Abnormal - Rank #25
Cardiac - .5% Abnormal - Rank #38

American Staffordshire Terrier
Elbows - 16.3% Dysplastic - #17
Hips - 25.9% Dysplastic - Rank #23
Thyroid - 6.6% Abnormal - Rank #29
Cardiac - 1.2% abnormal - Rank #17


American Bully does not have enough tests to be listed.

Of course these numbers only reflect individuals/lines that are actually being tested. If there's improvement, it's because people are using test results wisely. It is highly unlikely that you would see improvement in a closed population without evaluating dogs for issues prior to breeding.

And for comparison:
German Shepherds have 19% Hip Dysplasia rate (Rank #40).