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There are few genetic health issues with the breed. And luckily, most
of the problems can be dealt with through genetic testing and correct
breeding. Below are the well documented problems in the ACD.
 | PRA -
Progressive Retinal Atrophy -
 | A form of gradual blindness where an ACD from 4 years old on up to
old age, could develop total blindness. This has a known
inheritance and dogs can be DNA tested for this disease.
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| A complete ACD website with worldwide pedigrees,
health updates, rescues, and more, located in the U.S.A. at
www.cattledog.com and we
appreciate all the hard work Kathy Buetow has done to compile this
database. |
| Also tests have been published at OFA's website
www.offa.org |
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| Deafness
| Cattle Dogs can be born either deaf or deaf in only one ear.
Read about the reasons and tests breeders can do prior to the
puppies going to their new homes. This is called a BAER test. |
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| Hip Dysplasia
| There are two forms of testing for hip joint configurations, one
is the OFA hip score the either is PennHip. Currently OFA is
the generally accepted form of testing. PennHip is also
acceptable, just not as yet widely used in the ACD. |
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| Eye Exams
| With the adoption of the dna PRA testing, it should be
remembered that all the dogs should still be eye checked for other
eye problems that are not always hereditary. Such as
cataracts, glaucoma, and more. This is called a CERF test and
should be tested every 2 years. |
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