Yarraman Australian Cattle Dogs

The Health Tests We Carry Out

BAER HEARING TEST

Deafness is a known problem in Australian Cattle Dogs. The BAER hearing test is done on puppies at around 6 weeks of age to determine whether they can hear. Most puppies have full hearing (hearing in both ears), occasionally pups can be unilaterally deaf (deaf in one ear but fine in the other), or bilaterally deaf (totally deaf).

PRA DNA TEST

PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy) is a hereditary defect of the eye which is present in the Australian Cattle Dog. The DNA test identifies whether a dog is a clear (Pattern A) of the condition, a carrier (Pattern B) of the condition, or affected (Pattern C) by the condition. Puppies' patterns can sometimes be worked out by what their parents are, these are described as being obligates.

HIP SCORING

Hip scoring is done by the KC/BVA scheme. The hips are x-rayed and each hip is given a score between 0 and 53 (the lower the number the better the hip).

ELBOW SCORING

Elbow scoring is also done by a KC/BVA scheme. The elbows are x-rayed and each elbow is given a score between 0 and 3 (again the lower the better).


Below are the test results for our dogs: