It’s what sets us apart from other breeders. We do prelim OFA’s on our breeding dogs and DNA health tests for a number of diseases. You may pay more for a health tested puppy, but it will pay off in the long run with a healthy dog! Here at Tall Pine Labradors we want your puppy to have the best start in life, after all he or she is going to be your best friend for the next 12 to 15 years! Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) is a process we have started doing that introduces mild stressors to very young puppies in a controlled way. These stressors help stimulate the neurological system which improves the growth and development of the puppy’s immune system, cardiovascular system, and stress tolerance. It helps to prevent diseases (such as lymphoma), and they sexually mature faster. ENS is done with the puppies from day 3-16. This interval of time is when there is rapid neurological growth and development, therefore it is of great importance to your puppy. Raising the best dogs possible starts with choosing the right parents, health testing, socialization, and taking the best possible care of our puppies from birth until they go home to you. We are committed breeding excellence and we strive to produce the most amazing puppies! Below you will find a list of the most common diseases that plague Labrador Retrievers.
PRA stands for Progressive Retinal Atrophy. It is a general term for the group of diseases causing degeneration of the retina, leading to loss of vision. The form of this disorder in Labradors is prcd (Progressive Rod-Cone Degeneration). This leads first to the loss of night vision and then to complete blindness of the dog. The typical onset for this is between age 3 and 5 years of age.
RD/OSD stands for Retinal Dysplasia-retinal folds (RD). Retinal folds can cause blindness in a dog if not corrected by surgery. OSD (OculoSkeletal Dysplasia) is a serious inherited syndrome that causes severe condition in which the dogs show a variety of skeletal malformations, including shortened limbs (dwarfism), and blindness at an early age; the blindness results from a generalized malformation of the retina that causes a partial or full retinal detachment and cataracts. Because carriers can be affected, we have made a commitment to that we will never breed a RD carrier.
EIC stands for Exercise-Induced Collapse. It is a devastating genetic disorder causing the affected dog to suffer from loss of muscle control following extreme exercise. This disorder is caused by a mutation in the Dyamin 1 gene. Because EIC is a recessive disorder, a dog must have two copies of the mutation in order for the disease to manifest itself. Typically an affected dog begins to show symptoms between 5 months and 3 years of age.
DM stands for Degenerative myelopathy is a progressive disease, meaning that dogs get slowly weaker and weaker over a four to six month period of time following diagnosis. Degenerative myelopathy usually affects the hind legs first, but muscle weakness can spread to the front legs as well. Dogs with degenerative myelopathy may begin to stumble frequently as they become progressively weaker due to nerve damage. Eventually, dogs with degenerative myelopathy will lose control of their bladder and bowels. As the disease moves into its final stages, symptoms of weakness, trembling and stumbling will begin to affect the front legs as well.
CNM stands for Centronuclear Myopathy. Puppies are born apparently normal, however, it quickly becomes evident that there is a problem. The puppy will often not gain weight due to decreased muscle tone in the esophagus. By age 2 to 5 months the disease has usually progressed to display the full range of symptoms, including a loss of muscle tone and control, an awkward gait and extreme exercise in tolerance. This condition gets worse in cold conditions. There is not cure for CNM, although the dog can live a normal life span, their lives are greatly affected by this disease.
HPNK stands for Hereditary Nasal Parakeratosis. HPNK in dogs is a hereditary disease in which a genetic mutation is passed from parent to pup. Signs of the disease generally become apparent in young dogs that are 6 months to 1 year old. Affected dogs have dry, rough, brown or grey crusts that develop on the surface of and along the edges of the nose. You may also notice bumps. The dog will suffer from chronic bacterial infections. There is no cure for this disease.
SD2 stands for Skeletal Dysplasia 2. It is an inherited musculoskeletal disease affecting Labrador Retrievers. Affected dogs develop a mild form of “disproportionate dwarfism” consisting of short legs with normal body length and width. The leg bones are shorter, thicker, and slightly curved and the front legs are frequently more affected than rear legs. Joints and eyes are not typically affected with this disease. The height of affected dogs is variable, making diagnosis based on physical characteristics alone challenging in some individuals.