21/08/2026
🐾 Why Health Testing Matters And Why We Never Skip It
At Goedehoop Rough Collies, every dog in our breeding program is DNA health tested before they ever become part of a litter.
Not because anyone makes us, but because it's the right thing to do.
This month we want to show you exactly what that looks like in practice.
Here's what a lot of people don't realise: CEA has historically been estimated to affect or be carried by 80–95% of Rough Collies worldwide in every bloodline, in every country. An "affected" or "carrier" result on its own is not a scandal, it's simply the reality of this breed's gene pool. What actually matters is what a breeder does with that information.
Because every one of our dogs is tested, we know exactly what each one carries, and every pairing is chosen deliberately with that knowledge, never left to chance.
CEA, MDR1, and PRA are all single-gene, autosomal recessive traits, meaning each dog carries two copies of the gene, and a puppy gets one copy from each parent.
That's the entire point of testing: it doesn't promise "perfect" dogs, it gives us the facts to breed responsibly and make informed decisions for every litter.
And that's exactly why "HEALTHY LOOKING" or "COMES FROM A HEALTHY FAMILY" or "WE'VE NEVER HAD HEALTH ISSUES" means nothing on its own.
You cannot see a carrier gene. You cannot see a genetic mutation in a photo or a wagging tail. The only way to know what a dog carries and what it could pass on to your puppy, is to test.
Here's what's actually at stake when a breeder skips testing:
Collie Eye Anomaly (CEA)
An eye disease affecting the retina, choroid and sclera. It's usually picked up in puppies at birth or by 6–8 weeks old, but severity varies widely from a small blind spot no one ever notices, right through to retinal detachment and complete blindness. Without testing, a breeder has no way of knowing which outcome a puppy is heading for.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)
A slow deterioration of the retina that starts with night blindness and progresses to daytime vision loss. Most affected dogs show noticeable visual impairment by around 4 years old, by which point it's typically progressing toward complete blindness. An untested puppy could be living with this from day one and no one would know until the damage is already visible.
Multidrug Sensitivity (MDR1)
This one isn't about age of onset, it's about the first time an affected dog is given a common medication like Ivermectin, acepromazine, loperamide or digoxin. That could be at 8 weeks old with a routine deworming or flea treatment. An affected dog can't clear these drugs from its brain properly, and the result can be tremors, seizures, slow heart rate, or respiratory arrest, a medical emergency that's entirely preventable with a simple DNA test and a vet who knows to avoid those drugs.
None of these show up in a puppy photo. None of them show up at a first vet check. They show up weeks, months, or years later, often once a family has already fallen in love.
If a breeder can't show you DNA health test results for their breeding dogs, ask why. A puppy's price tag doesn't reflect health. A certificate does.
We're proud to be transparent about every result, straightforward or complicated, because our puppy families deserve the full picture, not just the parts that are easy to post.
Goedehoop Rough Collies - Health Tested, Honestly Disclosed, Responsibly Bred. 🐕
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