At Penny Lane Labradors, we believe responsible breeding starts with health.
Our puppies are the result of generations of careful breeding, extensive health testing, thoughtful genetic selection, and a commitment to preserving the English Labrador Retriever we love.
We don't believe that one test can tell you everything about a dog's health. That's why our breeding dogs undergo multiple types of health screening, including orthopedic evaluations, cardiac examinations, professional eye examinations, patella evaluations, and comprehensive genetic testing.
Our goal is simple: to give every puppy the healthiest possible start and to make responsible breeding decisions based on as much information as possible. While we can never promise you a puppy that will never have an issue, we can promise you we've don everything we can to give our puppies the best start to life and best chance for living a long healthy life.
We have recently begun incorporating CHIC certification more extensively into our breeding program, and we are actively working toward having every eligible Penny Lane breeding dog complete the appropriate breed-specific health testing and receive a CHIC number.
CHIC stands for Canine Health Information Center. It is a program created by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) in partnership with participating breed parent clubs.
CHIC was created to establish breed-specific health-screening protocols and provide a centralized database where health-testing results can be made available to breeders, owners, and puppy buyers.
We believe this is an important step forward for our breeding program because it encourages breeders to complete the health testing recommended specifically for their breed and promotes transparency by making qualifying results publicly available.
Many of our dogs are already CHIC certified, and we are continuing to work toward having every eligible dog in our breeding program complete the appropriate testing.
A CHIC number is issued after a dog has completed the health screenings required for its breed and those results have been made publicly available through the OFA database.
CHIC is not a statement that a dog is guaranteed to be free from every possible health condition.
Instead, it confirms that the dog has completed the established breed-specific health screening protocol.
For the Labrador Retriever, the CHIC health-testing requirements include:
• OFA Hip Evaluation
• OFA Elbow Evaluation
• OFA Eye Examination
• Exercise-Induced Collapse (EIC) DNA Testing
• Dilute Gene (D-Locus) DNA Testing
The Labrador Retriever Club also recommends additional health screening, including cardiac evaluation, patella evaluation, PRA-prcd, CNM, and thyroid testing.
We believe responsible breeding means going beyond the minimum whenever possible.
Our breeding dogs undergo hip and elbow radiographs (X-rays) that are submitted to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) for evaluation.
These are not simply X-rays that our veterinarian looks at and declares “good.”
For dogs old enough for permanent certification, OFA radiographs are evaluated by three independently selected, board-certified veterinary radiologists. Each radiologist evaluates the dog's hips while considering the dog's breed, sex, and age.
Labradors are active, athletic dogs. Their joints need to support them through everything from running and swimming to playing, working, and simply enjoying life.
Hip and elbow dysplasia are orthopedic conditions that can affect a dog's comfort, mobility, and quality of life.
Radiographic screening allows breeders to identify structural abnormalities and make better breeding decisions.
We use these results when evaluating potential breeding combinations and selecting the next generation of Penny Lane Labradors.
Healthy joints matter, especially in a breed built to move.
Our breeding dogs receive a cardiac examination by our veterinarian before being considered for breeding.
The purpose of cardiac screening is to evaluate the heart for abnormalities that could affect the dog's health or longevity.
OFA maintains both congenital and advanced cardiac databases. Advanced cardiac examinations are performed by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist, while congenital cardiac examinations may be completed by a veterinarian, specialist, or cardiologist depending on the examiner's qualifications. Right now we do basic cardiac but our starting to do more advanced echo as well
We believe cardiac health is an important part of evaluating the overall health of our breeding dogs.
Our breeding dogs receive professional eye examinations by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist.
The examination allows a specialist to evaluate the eyes for inherited and other ocular abnormalities that may be important to the breed.
Some inherited eye conditions cannot be identified through a DNA test alone so a professional ophthalmic examination allows a specialist to physically evaluate the eyes for abnormalities that may not have a currently available genetic test.
Our breeding dogs also receive a patella, or kneecap, examination through our veterinarian.
The patella is the kneecap, and patellar luxation occurs when the kneecap moves outside of its normal position.
A proper patella evaluation helps us identify dogs with abnormal kneecap movement and gives us another piece of information when making responsible breeding decisions.
OFA maintains a Patellar Luxation database and accepts examinations for certification.
All of our breeding dogs are DNA tested through Embark, providing comprehensive genetic screening for 270+ known genetic health risks, along with breed identification, ancestry, genetic diversity, physical traits, and other genetic information.
Embark's health panel screens for inherited conditions affecting numerous body systems, including the eyes, heart, brain and spinal cord, muscles, blood, immune system, kidneys, liver, skin, skeletal system, and more.
Genetic testing allows us to identify whether a dog is:
Clear: no copy of the tested variant was detected.
Carrier: one copy of a recessive variant was detected. A carrier is generally healthy but can pass the variant to its offspring.
At Risk / Affected: two copies of a recessive variant, or another risk-associated genetic result, were detected.
A carrier result does not automatically mean a dog should be removed from a breeding program. Instead, DNA testing allows responsible breeders to make informed pairings so that carriers are not bred in a way that produces affected puppies.
We use this information as one important part of our overall breeding program.
At Penny Lane Labradors, our breeding dogs are tested through Embark's comprehensive Breed + Health DNA test.
Embark currently screens for 270+ genetic health conditions across more than 16 areas of canine health. Embark tests every dog for all health conditions available on its panel, not simply the conditions associated with that dog's breed. This gives breeders a much broader picture of their dogs' genetic health and allows us to make informed decisions when planning future generations.
Below is the complete list of genetic health conditions included in Embark's current testing panel.
• MDR1 Drug Sensitivity
• Alanine Aminotransferase Activity
• Copper Toxicosis (Attenuating), Labrador Retriever
• Copper Toxicosis (Attenuating), Labrador Retriever
• P2Y12 Receptor Platelet Disorder
• Factor IX Deficiency, Hemophilia B, Terrier Variant
• Factor IX Deficiency, Hemophilia B, Rhodesian Ridgeback Variant
• Factor VII Deficiency
• Factor VIII Deficiency, Hemophilia A, Boxer Variant
• Factor VIII Deficiency, Hemophilia A, German Shepherd Variant 1
• Factor VIII Deficiency, Hemophilia A, German Shepherd Variant 2
• Thrombopathia, Basset Hound Variant
• Thrombopathia, Landseer Variant
• Thrombopathia, American Eskimo Dog Variant
• Von Willebrand Disease Type III, Terrier Variant
• Von Willebrand Disease Type III, Shetland Sheepdog Variant
• Von Willebrand Disease Type I
• Von Willebrand Disease Type III, Nederlandse Kooikerhondje Variant
• Methemoglobinemia, Pit Bull Terrier Variant
• Factor XI Deficiency
• Canine Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency Type I
• Canine Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency Type III
• Congenital Macrothrombocytopenia
• Platelet Factor X Receptor Deficiency / Scott Syndrome
• Prekallikrein Deficiency
• Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency, Basenji Variant
• Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency, Labrador Retriever Variant
• Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency, Pug Variant
• Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency, Beagle Variant
• Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency, Terrier Variant
• Trapped Neutrophil Syndrome
• Ligneous Membranitis
• Bernard-Soulier Syndrome
• Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia Type I
• May-Hegglin Anomaly
• Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency
• Hereditary Spherocytosis
• Canine Cyclic Neutropenia
• Congenital Hypothyroidism, Tenterfield Terrier Variant
• Congenital Hypothyroidism with Goiter, French Bulldog Variant
• Congenital Hypothyroidism, Rat, Toy and Hairless Terrier Variant
• Congenital Dyshormonogenic Hypothyroidism with Goiter
• Pituitary Dwarfism
• Proportionate Dwarfism
• Complement 3 Deficiency
• Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, Terrier Variant
• Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, Wetterhoun Variant
• X-linked Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, Basset Hound Variant
• X-linked Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, Corgi Variant
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy, rcd1
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy, rcd3
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy, CNGA
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy, prcd
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy, PRA1
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy
• Golden Retriever Progressive Retinal Atrophy 1, GR-PRA1
• Golden Retriever Progressive Retinal Atrophy 2, GR-PRA2
• Congenital Stationary Night Blindness
• Macular Corneal Dystrophy
• Goniodysgenesis and Glaucoma / Pectinate Ligament Dysplasia
• Day Blindness / Cone Degeneration / Achromatopsia, Alaskan Malamute Variant
• Retina Dysplasia and/or Optic Nerve Hypoplasia
• Microphthalmia
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy, IFT122
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy / Bardet-Biedl Syndrome
• Stargardt Disease, Labrador Retriever Variant
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy 5
• Hereditary Cataracts / Early-Onset Cataracts / Juvenile Cataracts
• Collie Eye Anomaly / Choroidal Hypoplasia
• Achromatopsia
• Primary Open Angle Glaucoma
• Primary Lens Luxation
• X-linked Progressive Retinal Atrophy
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy, PRA3
• Canine Multifocal Retinopathy 1
• Canine Multifocal Retinopathy 2
• Canine Multifocal Retinopathy 3
• Congenital Stationary Night Blindness, Briard Variant
• Retina Dysplasia
• Primary Retinal Dysplasia
• Hereditary Cataracts
• 2,8-Dihydroxyadenine Urolithiasis
• Cystinuria Type I-A, Newfoundland Variant
• Cystinuria Type II-A, Australian Cattle Dog Variant
• Cystinuria Type II-B, Miniature Pinscher Variant
• Hyperuricosuria and Hyperuricemia / Urolithiasis
• Polycystic Kidney Disease
• Primary Hyperoxaluria
• Protein Losing Nephropathy
• X-linked Hereditary Nephropathy
• Autosomal Recessive Hereditary Nephropathy / Familial Nephropathy, Cocker Spaniel Variant
• Autosomal Recessive Hereditary Nephropathy / Familial Nephropathy, English Springer Spaniel Variant
• Fanconi Syndrome
• Diffuse Cystic Renal Dysplasia and Hepatic Fibrosis
• Hereditary Xanthinuria / Xanthinuria Type I
• Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia, CCDC39
• Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia, NME5
• Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia, STK36
• Congenital Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca and Ichthyosiform Dermatosis
• X-linked Ectodermal Dysplasia / Anhidrotic Ectodermal Dysplasia
• Renal Cystadenocarcinoma and Nodular Dermatofibrosis
• Canine Fucosidosis
• Glycogen Storage Disease Type II / Pompe's Disease
• Glycogen Storage Disease Type IA / Von Gierke Disease
• Glycogen Storage Disease Type IA, German Pinscher Variant
• Glycogen Storage Disease Type IIIA
• Glycogen Storage Disease Type VII / Phosphofructokinase Deficiency
• Mucopolysaccharidosis Type IIIA / Sanfilippo Syndrome Type A
• Mucopolysaccharidosis Type VII / Sly Syndrome
• Lagotto Storage Disease
• Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis 1
• Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis 2
• Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis / Cerebellar Ataxia
• Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis 5, Border Collie Variant
• Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis 5, Golden Retriever Variant
• Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis 6
• Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis 7
• Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis 8, English Setter Variant
• Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis 8, Australian Shepherd Variant
• Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis 8, Saluki Variant
• Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis 10
• Late-Onset Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis 12
• GM1 Gangliosidosis, Shiba Inu Variant
• GM1 Gangliosidosis, Alaskan Husky Variant
• GM1 Gangliosidosis, Portuguese Water Dog Variant
• GM2 Gangliosidosis, Poodle Variant
• GM2 Gangliosidosis, Japanese Chin Variant
• Globoid Cell Leukodystrophy / Krabbe Disease
• Mucopolysaccharidosis Type IIIB / Sanfilippo Syndrome Type B
• Congenital Dyserythropoietic Anemia and Polymyopathy
• Autosomal Recessive Amelogenesis Imperfecta / Familial Enamel Hypoplasia, Italian Greyhound Variant
• Autosomal Recessive Amelogenesis Imperfecta / Familial Enamel Hypoplasia, Parson Russell Terrier Variant
• Persistent Mullerian Duct Syndrome
• Deafness and Vestibular Syndrome of Dobermans
• Unilateral Deafness and Vestibular Syndrome
• Shar-Pei Autoinflammatory Disease / Shar-Pei Fever
• Neonatal Interstitial Lung Disease
• Recurrent Inflammatory Pulmonary Disease
• Early-Onset Adult Deafness
• Early Bilateral Deafness
• Progressive Neuronal Abiotrophy / Canine Multiple System Degeneration
• Benign Familial Juvenile Epilepsy / Remitting Focal Epilepsy
• Cerebellar Ataxia / Progressive Early-Onset Cerebellar Ataxia
• Cerebellar Abiotrophy / Neonatal Cerebellar Cortical Degeneration
• Narcolepsy
• Spinocerebellar Ataxia / Late-Onset Ataxia
• Alaskan Husky Encephalopathy / Subacute Necrotizing Encephalomyelopathy
• Alexander Disease
• Cerebellar Hypoplasia
• Spinocerebellar Ataxia with Myokymia and/or Seizures
• Degenerative Myelopathy
• Fetal-Onset Neonatal Neuroaxonal Dystrophy
• Hypomyelination and Tremors
• Shaking Puppy Syndrome / X-linked Generalized Tremor Syndrome
• L-2-Hydroxyglutaricaciduria
• Neonatal Encephalopathy with Seizures
• Alaskan Malamute Polyneuropathy
• Progressive Neuronal Abiotrophy
• Juvenile Laryngeal Paralysis and Polyneuropathy
• Hereditary Sensory Autonomic Neuropathy / Acral Mutilation Syndrome
• Sensory Neuropathy
• Juvenile-Onset Polyneuropathy / Leonberger Polyneuropathy 1
• Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy
• Juvenile-Onset Polyneuropathy / Leonberger Polyneuropathy 2
• Spongy Degeneration with Cerebellar Ataxia 1
• Spongy Degeneration with Cerebellar Ataxia 2
• Neuroaxonal Dystrophy
• Neuroaxonal Dystrophy, VPS11
• Exercise-Induced Collapse
• Leukodystrophy
• Spinocerebellar Ataxia, SCN8A
• Hereditary Ataxia, PNPLA8
• Hereditary Cerebellar Ataxia, SELENOP
• Dilated Cardiomyopathy, DCM1
• Dilated Cardiomyopathy, DCM2
• Long QT Syndrome
• Cardiomyopathy and Juvenile Mortality
• Dilated Cardiomyopathy, DCM
• Muscular Dystrophy, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Variant
• Muscular Dystrophy, Golden Retriever Variant
• Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy
• Ullrich-like Congenital Muscular Dystrophy, Labrador Retriever Variant
• Centronuclear Myopathy
• Inherited Myopathy of Great Danes
• Myostatin Deficiency / Bully Whippet Syndrome
• Myotonia Congenita, Miniature Schnauzer Variant
• Myotonia Congenita, Australian Cattle Dog Variant
• Myotubular Myopathy 1 / X-linked Myotubular Myopathy, Labrador Retriever Variant
• Inflammatory Myopathy
• Nemaline Myopathy
• Ullrich-like Congenital Muscular Dystrophy
• Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy 2D
• Myotonia Congenita, Labrador Retriever Variant
• Muscular Dystrophy-Dystroglycanopathy, Labrador Retriever Variant
• Congenital Muscular Dystrophy
• Hypocatalasia / Acatalasemia
• Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Deficiency
• Malignant Hyperthermia
• Mucopolysaccharidosis Type VI / Maroteaux-Lamy Syndrome
• Succinic Semialdehyde Dehydrogenase Deficiency
• β-Mannosidosis
• Medium-Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency
• Imerslund-Grasbeck Syndrome / Selective Cobalamin Malabsorption, Border Collie Variant
• Imerslund-Grasbeck Syndrome / Selective Cobalamin Malabsorption, Beagle Variant
• Inherited Selective Cobalamin Malabsorption with Proteinuria
• Lundehund Syndrome
• Intestinal Lipid Malabsorption
• Copper Toxicosis, Accumulating
• Congenital Myasthenic Syndrome, CHAT
• Congenital Myasthenic Syndrome, COLQ, Labrador Retriever Variant
• Congenital Myasthenic Syndrome, CHRNE, Jack Russell Terrier Variant
• Congenital Myasthenic Syndrome, COLQ, Golden Retriever Variant
• Myasthenia Gravis-Like Syndrome
• Episodic Falling Syndrome
• Paroxysmal Dyskinesia
• Demyelinating Polyneuropathy
• Laryngeal Paralysis
• Laryngeal Paralysis and Polyneuropathy
• Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa, Golden Retriever Variant
• Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa, Central Asian Shepherd Variant
• Ectodermal Dysplasia / Skin Fragility Syndrome
• Ichthyosis / Epidermolytic Hyperkeratosis
• Ichthyosis, Golden Retriever Variant
• Ichthyosis, Great Dane Variant
• Ichthyosis, American Bulldog Variant
• Ichthyosis, German Shepherd Variant
• Focal Non-Epidermolytic Palmoplantar Keratoderma / Pachyonychia Congenita
• Hereditary Footpad Hyperkeratosis, FAM83G
• Hereditary Footpad Hyperkeratosis, DSG1
• Hereditary Nasal Parakeratosis
• Musladin-Lueke Syndrome
• Oculocutaneous Albinism
• Bald Thigh Syndrome
• Lethal Acrodermatitis
• Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
• Oculocutaneous Albinism, Bullmastiff Variant
• Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa
• Hereditary Nasal Parakeratosis, Greyhound Variant
• Congenital Cornification Disorder
• Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Labrador Retriever Variant
• Ichthyosis, ICH2
• Darier Disease
• Cleft Lip and/or Cleft Palate
• Hereditary Vitamin D-Resistant Rickets
• Oculoskeletal Dysplasia 2 / Dwarfism-Retinal Dysplasia 2
• Osteogenesis Imperfecta / Brittle Bone Disease
• Osteogenesis Imperfecta / Brittle Bone Disease, SERPINH1
• Osteogenesis Imperfecta / Brittle Bone Disease, COL1A1
• Osteochondrodysplasia / Skeletal Dwarfism
• Skeletal Dysplasia 2, Labrador Retriever Variant
• Craniomandibular Osteopathy
• Raine Syndrome / Canine Dental Hypomineralization Syndrome
• Chondrodystrophy and Intervertebral Disc Disease / CDDY-IVDD / Type I IVDD
• Chondrodysplasia
• Hypophosphatasia
• Disproportionate Dwarfism
• Craniomandibular Osteopathy, SLC37A2 Intron 16
• Cleft Palate
• Dental-Skeletal-Retinal Anomaly
Responsible breeding is about looking at the whole dog.
A DNA test cannot tell us everything about a dog's orthopedic health.
An X-ray cannot tell us everything about a dog's genetics.
An eye examination cannot tell us everything about the heart.
A cardiac examination cannot tell us everything about the joints.
That's why we use multiple forms of health testing together.
Every test gives us another piece of information that can help us make better breeding decisions.
When you bring home a Penny Lane puppy, you are bringing home a puppy whose parents have been carefully evaluated from multiple health perspectives.
We don't test because we want to say that our dogs are “perfect.”
We test because we know they aren't. No dog is.
Responsible breeders have a responsibility to learn as much as possible about the dogs they are breeding and to use that information to make the best decisions possible for future generations.
Every test gives us another piece of information.
Every generation gives us another opportunity to make better decisions.
And every puppy deserves the benefit of those decisions.
Healthy puppies don't happen by accident.
They are the result of generations of thoughtful breeding, extensive health testing, careful genetic planning, excellent veterinary care, and a breeder who is committed to continually learning and improving.
That is the standard we strive for at Penny Lane Labradors.