"Health tested" is one of the most over-used phrases in the doodle world, and one of the least understood. Here's what a genuinely complete health panel covers, so you can tell the difference between a breeder who tests and one who just says they do.
Responsible breeding starts long before a litter is planned. Every parent dog should complete a battery of clearances, and a good breeder will happily show you the actual results, not just tell you their dogs are “vet checked.” A vet check is a wellness visit. Health testing is something else entirely.
1. Orthopedic clearances (OFA or PennHIP)
Hip and elbow dysplasia are heritable orthopedic conditions that cause pain and arthritis. Both Bernese Mountain Dogs and Poodles can carry risk, so parent dogs should be screened, most commonly through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) or PennHIP. These evaluations are done at or after two years of age, which is one reason responsible programs can’t rush a young dog into breeding.
2. Cardiac evaluation
An advanced cardiac exam, ideally by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist, screens for congenital heart conditions. It’s a quick, non-invasive step that catches problems you’d never see in a healthy-looking adult dog.
3. Eye exam (CAER)
A Companion Animal Eye Registry (CAER) exam, performed by a veterinary ophthalmologist, checks for inherited eye disease. Poodles in particular have a few heritable eye conditions worth screening out before breeding.
4. Genetic disease panel
Modern DNA panels, such as Embark, screen each parent for 200+ genetic markers. The goal isn’t to find perfect dogs; it’s to pair dogs intelligently so that two carriers of the same recessive condition are never bred together. A breeder who DNA-tests can show you exactly why a given pairing is genetically sound.
A vet check is a wellness visit. Health testing is a documented set of clearances you can hold in your hand.
What to ask a breeder
- "Can I see the OFA / Embark results for both parents?"
- "Which specific conditions did you test for, and what were the results?"
- "How do this dam and sire complement each other genetically?"
- "What does your health guarantee cover, and for how long?"
A breeder worth buying from will welcome every one of these questions. If results are vague, unavailable, or replaced with “our dogs are very healthy,” consider it a red flag.
This is the exact standard we’re holding our own foundation dogs to before a single litter is ever planned. Read more about our standards →