A red merle Toy Australian Shepherd puppy with blue eyes and a tail in a play bow.

Tater Tails Toy Aussies

Health Testing

Health testing isn’t something we do to check a box. It’s how we make decisions. Before any dog joins our breeding program, they go through a full panel of genetic and physical testing — because the only way to know what you’re passing on is to actually look.

Here’s exactly what we test for, and why each one matters for Toy Aussies specifically.

What We Test For

DNA / Genetic Testing

We use Embark, UC Davis, Purdue, and Gensol for all genetic testing. Every breeding dog is tested for the full Australian Shepherd panel, which includes:

  • Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA-PRCD) — a hereditary eye disease that causes progressive vision loss. Dogs carrying two copies go blind. We test all dogs and only breed carriers to clears, so no puppy from us can be affected.
  • Multidrug Resistance 1 (MDR1 / ABCB1) — common in herding breeds. Affected dogs can have severe reactions to certain medications, including some dewormers and anesthetics. Knowing your dog’s status before a veterinary procedure can be genuinely life-saving.
  • Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) — a progressive neurological disease. We test all breeding dogs and share results with puppy buyers.
  • Neuroaxonal Dystrophy (NAD) — a degenerative neurological condition specific to miniature/toy Australian Shepherds and Miniature American Shepherds. Relatively newly discovered, and not every breeder tests for it yet. We do.
  • Chondrodystrophy / IVDD (CDDY) — linked to intervertebral disc disease. Especially relevant for smaller dogs.
  • Hereditary Cataracts (HSF4 and non-HSF4) — we test for both forms.
  • Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA), Hyperuricosuria, Cobalamin Malabsorption, and the full remainder of the Embark Aussie panel.

All DNA results are linked publicly on each dog’s profile page so you can verify them yourself — we don’t ask you to take our word for it.

OFA Eye Exams

Every breeding dog receives an annual eye exam by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist, certified through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA). These are hands-on exams — not just genetic tests — that check for conditions that can develop over time, including early signs of cataracts, retinal changes, and other abnormalities.

Hip and Elbow Evaluations

We x-ray hips and elbows on all breeding dogs and submit those films to OFA for independent evaluation. Hip dysplasia is believed to be heritable, and while genetics aren’t the whole story, breeding from structurally sound dogs meaningfully reduces risk in offspring. For a small, active breed like the Toy Aussie, sound joints matter — these dogs are built to move.

Patellar Luxation Screening

Toy and small breeds are prone to patellar luxation — essentially a kneecap that slips out of place. Left undetected in breeding dogs, it can be passed on. We have all breeding dogs physically examined and OFA-certified for patellas before they’re bred.

Our Dogs’ Results

Rather than list what we test for in the abstract, here’s what our actual dogs’ results look like. You can click through to verify any result directly on OFA’s database or Embark.

Russet

  • Hips: OFA Excellent · Verify on OFA
  • Elbows: OFA Normal
  • Patellas: OFA Normal
  • Eyes: OFA Normal (with distichiasis — extra eyelashes — a common, minor finding in the breed that rarely causes problems and is not a disqualifying condition)
  • DNA: Carries one copy of PRA (not affected); clear for NAD, CDDY/IVDD, and full Aussie panel · Embark results

Peach

  • Hips/Elbows/Patellas/Eyes: OFA radiographs scheduled May 17, 2026 — results will be posted here once received
  • DNA: Full panel clear, including CDDY/IVDD, NAD, and non-HSF4 cataracts · Embark results
  • Merle genotype: Cryptic merle (m/Mc222). Cryptic merle dogs express so little merle pigment that they are genetically safe to breed to another merle — unlike standard merle dogs, where merle-to-merle pairings risk producing double merle offspring. Peach’s cryptic status has been confirmed through DNA testing. For the research behind this, see Mary Langevin’s work on defining cryptic merle.

Zola

  • Hips: OFA Good · Verify on OFA
  • Elbows: OFA Normal
  • Patellas: OFA Normal
  • Eyes: OFA Normal (with distichiasis)
  • DNA: Carries one copy of MDR1 and DM (not affected), NAD (not affected); clear for CDDY/IVDD and full Aussie panel · Embark results

What This Means for Your Puppy

When Russet and Zola are paired, for example, any puppy they produce cannot be affected by PRA or DM — even though both carry one copy of different conditions — because affected status requires two copies. That’s what responsible pairing looks like in practice. A Russet/Zola puppy might have one copy of the MDR1 mutation, which is good to know about, because it could affect how they react to certain medications.

CLOSING

If you have questions about any of our test results or want to understand what a specific condition means for your puppy’s health and care, just ask. We’d rather talk through the details than have you wonder.