Heart Clearance

A few of my key lab breed people have said heart clearance should be done in labs.

But I am finding tons of breeders who compete and do hips-elbows-eyes-eic-cmn but don’t do heart. It gets awkward to email to find out (one in awhile it just wasn’t listed on OFA or K9data). sometimes it is done on a stud. or a stud they happen to be using on a litter

Is this a newer one many breeders are just slower to integrate? It’s really complicated my search (that and then prelims/using studs under 18mts)


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It's not a CHIC-required test, so some breeders don't do it. I don't know why they wouldn't though.

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Originally Posted by Tanya

A few of my key lab breed people have said heart clearance should be done in labs.

But I am finding tons of breeders who compete and do hips-elbows-eyes-eic-cmn but don’t do heart. It gets awkward to email to find out (one in awhile it just wasn’t listed on OFA or K9data). sometimes it is done on a stud. or a stud they happen to be using on a litter

Is this a newer one many breeders are just slower to integrate? It’s really complicated my search (that and then prelims/using studs under 18mts)


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Any breeder worth their salt should be doing Cardiac echos on their dams and the sires they choose need to have a cardiac echo also. I will not use a male without an echo, in fact I offered to pay for a cardiac echo on a sire I wanted to breed to a few years ago, and they declined, so I didn't breed to him. it is our (breeder's) responsibility to do due diligence to ensure our puppies and dogs are as heathy as possible, both for pets and our breeding programs.

The reason color doppler echos are not required for a CHIC number, is that the test is still somewhat subjective. The new cardiac forms require more measurements and information from the echo exam, so that they can (try to) standardize the amount of regurgitation of the tricuspid valve is acceptable, and what demonstrates TVD. We all have a little regurgitation in our heart's valves, and so do dogs. As far as I am concerned, until they have a genetic DNA test for TVD, color doppler echocardiograms are the best we can do, to ensure that we are at least not breeding affected dogs. The way TVD is inherited is very complex, and not very well understood yet although there is a lot of research happening. Anyways when the board certified veterinary cardiologists agree, and they have standardized the parameters (my favorite cardio who performs all my echos is working towards that, and helped develop the newer echo forms) CHIC will agree to add it to the requirements for the CHIC number.

I think you are looking at more performance type dogs, right? The hunting lab folks are very slow to incorporate this test into their core of health clearances. You'll be hard-pressed to find alot of them doing the test at all.

My Bruce did not have TVD, but it was a heart issue that led to his early death. Personally I would not get a puppy unless the sire and dam had heart clearances conformed by echo.

Tanya - I feel your pain and empathize with you in you search. I spent months and months searching for a breeder in my area that did ALL clearances, and was breeding Labs that looked like Labs, and Labs that worked like Labs. I'd probably still be looking if Anne hadn't had that littler with the yellow boys and was kind enough to let me have one of her dogs.

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Originally Posted by JenC

I think you are looking at more performance type dogs, right? The hunting lab folks are very slow to incorporate this test into their core of health clearances. You'll be hard-pressed to find alot of them doing the test at all.

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it’s definately more rare in hunt/field kennels absolutely. but mannnny of the conformation breeders i am looking at in my province do not either. but more conformation breeders are doing them overall

if i remove breeders who don’t do heart on at least stud it removed 80% of breeders (who also do titles and all other tests). which is why i ask.

for the record i have my top two choices but have not heard back from either :( trying to be patient ( not expecting a puppy soon but hopeful to hear from one of the two at least...).

working on back-up plans. i see a yellow females available mid JAN but not seeing heart listed, parents are not specificed and don’t want to email to find out (i got into issues just emailing too many).




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Originally Posted by Tanya

it’s definately more rare in hunt/field kennels absolutely. but mannnny of the conformation breeders i am looking at in my province do not either. but more conformation breeders are doing them overall

if i remove breeders who don’t do heart on at least stud it removed 80% of breeders (who also do titles and all other tests). which is why i ask.

for the record i have my top two choices but have not heard back from either :( trying to be patient ( not expecting a puppy soon but hopeful to hear from one of the two at least...).

working on back-up plans. i see a yellow females available mid JAN but not seeing heart listed, parents are not specificed and don’t want to email to find out (i got into issues just emailing too many).


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You know which breeder does do them, right? :)

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Originally Posted by Labradorks

You know which breeder does do them, right? :)

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well one for sure and they are my #1. the second has heart listed on some of their dogs so its a start. would need to confirm if they ever do get back to me.

looked promising for heart on back-up plans 3 and 4 :p


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If you are looking in Canada, the % of breeders doing echo will be even less due to the fact cardiologists and clinics are even fewer and farther between. I've seen some crazy high prices listed on the Labrador TVD page on FB from Canadians. Even certain areas of the upper midwest (Chicago area, surprisingly) have fewer options for echoes. I live 150 miles from Seattle where our nearest cardiology specialist is, so my solution to that several yrs ago was to add a heart clinic to our existing annual eye clinic. Initially we were offering it every 3rd yr but went to every other yr in 2017. We get people as far away as MT coming to see this particular cardiologist. He is good, and is as reasonable as I can see (~$200 for echo) and is not even charging us travel which helps us keep prices down. Bottom line, as a result of this, we HAVE gotten several of the field breeders coming to the clinic now. Just this week, I had 2 more field breeders ask me to send info as soon as everything is set in stone.

So it's coming but it all takes time. I think many field breeders have woke up now after seeing that TVD is indeed in the field trial lines as well as conformation lines. Anne

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Originally Posted by Tanya

it’s definately more rare in hunt/field kennels absolutely. but mannnny of the conformation breeders i am looking at in my province do not either. but more conformation breeders are doing them overall

if i remove breeders who don’t do heart on at least stud it removed 80% of breeders (who also do titles and all other tests). which is why i ask.

for the record i have my top two choices but have not heard back from either :( trying to be patient ( not expecting a puppy soon but hopeful to hear from one of the two at least...).

working on back-up plans. i see a yellow females available mid JAN but not seeing heart listed, parents are not specificed and don’t want to email to find out (i got into issues just emailing too many).




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Originally Posted by windycanyon

If you are looking in Canada, the % of breeders doing echo will be even less due to the fact cardiologists and clinics are even fewer and farther between. I've seen some crazy high prices listed on the Labrador TVD page on FB from Canadians. Even certain areas of the upper midwest (Chicago area, surprisingly) have fewer options for echoes. I live 150 miles from Seattle where our nearest cardiology specialist is, so my solution to that several yrs ago was to add a heart clinic to our existing annual eye clinic. Initially we were offering it every 3rd yr but went to every other yr in 2017. We get people as far away as MT coming to see this particular cardiologist. He is good, and is as reasonable as I can see (~$200 for echo) and is not even charging us travel which helps us keep prices down. Bottom line, as a result of this, we HAVE gotten several of the field breeders coming to the clinic now. Just this week, I had 2 more field breeders ask me to send info as soon as everything is set in stone.

So it's coming but it all takes time. I think many field breeders have woke up now after seeing that TVD is indeed in the field trial lines as well as conformation lines. Anne

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thanks. i think this may indeed be the issue and maybe the breeders do who it are closer to US and/or travel there more. it’s sad to write off any breeder that’s closer, and significantly cheaper without exchange rate/duties. but price is not a deciding factor.

read of a similar issue with one test for another breed in a specific province. that it was an 8hr drive one way to get to closest vet/clinic who does that specific test. so there was maybe one breeder in the province who did it.


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