Many dog breeds carry high burdens of inherited disease. Health testing programs aim to reduce prevalence through informed breeding decisions, dramatically improving welfare outcomes for future generations.
The burden of inherited disease in pedigree dogs causes enormous preventable suffering. Dogs with hip dysplasia live with chronic pain from an early age. Dogs with BOAS struggle to breathe throughout their lives. Conditions like progressive retinal atrophy lead to blindness; syringomyelia causes chronic neuropathic pain. This suffering is preventable - health-tested breeding dramatically reduces the risk that puppies will inherit these conditions. Every dog born with a preventable inherited disease represents a failure of the breeding system. Consumers who choose health-tested dogs from responsible breeders directly support the welfare of future generations.