Training for Health Testing
By Vicki Ronchette
I met with a friend today who is also a student to discuss her future plans for breeding her first litter and ended up in a discussion about a topic I hadn’t given much thought to and definitely haven’t discussed enough on Show Dog Prep School. My friend was mildly traumatized from the health testing process for her girl. That might be dramatic, but she wasn’t prepared and was upset that she didn’t know what to expect and didn’t prepare her dog for the tests.
As you know, there are various health tests that dogs may be put through in order to determine if they should or shouldn’t be used for breeding. Which tests are done depend on your breed and the health issues that are a problem within that breed. Examples of health tests are:
- Hip x-rays
- Elbow x-rays
- Patellas
- Eyes
- Heart
How these tests are performed vary from easy to more invasive. My friend wasn’t prepared for hip x-rays and her dog having to be restrained on her back and held still. While the x-rays were done at the show and she was allowed to hold her dog’s head, her dog was terrified having never been trained for that and not liking being on her back. Had she known what the test entailed she would have trained the dog to lie on her back herself and worked on that position and the restraint.
My Dachshunds get an eye exam which requires their eyes to be dilated. They receive eye drops and then wait 15 minutes for the eyes to dilate. Once dilated they go into a room where they turn off the lights and look into each eye with a large machine. Even my very stable and confident dogs are a little suspicious about this. The more sensitive dogs clearly don’t enjoy it. I am lucky to have a very good eye clinic that I take them to and they allow me to hold my dog and talk them through it.
The Holter test for Doberman’s requires the dog to have a 24-hour electrocardiogram with a portable machine held in place with a vest.
Some breeds such as Cavalier King Charles Spaniels get an echocardiogram which requires them to lie down while a probe is run over the dog’s chest.
Patella testing requires the veterinarian to manipulate the dog’s patellas (knees) to check whether or not they can be popped out of position and if so, how easy it is to do it.
Even the most well-adjusted of dogs can be put off or worried by some of these tests. We can help them be preparing them for the exams as best we can. For example, for x-rays, teaching your dog to be comfortable lying dog on their side and then being rolled onto their backs. Dogs who are sensitive about their face could be conditioned to having eye drops put in their eyes by using saline drops. Dobermans needing a Holter test could be prepared for that by using a Thundershirt prior to the actual test.
While the preparation for the dogs is definitely important, it is also good if the owners know what to expect as well. If I am being honest, I felt horrible that my friend didn’t know what to expect and that it wasn’t a positive experience for her. I didn’t know she was having the testing done and it just didn’t even occur to me but now it well. I want to make sure that this becomes a priority for me in coaching new breeders and owners of dogs who may be used for breeding so everyone can be prepared and know what to expect.
