The Vizsla breed is a relatively healthy breed, especially compared to many other popular breeds. Those of us who love this breed work very hard to maintain it's overall good health. Doing so isn't easy. It requires us to spend resources (time and money) doing various health tests throughout the life of our Vizslas and dedicating untold hours to researching pedigrees to understand health issues within specific lines. There is no such thing as a perfectly healthy pedigree. EVERY pedigree has it's health issues--the key as a responsible breeder is to understand what the risks are and where. In understanding Vizsla pedigrees, a responsible breeder can compare these pedigrees for the best matches (least health risks) and plan breedings that will, in turn, strengthen the breed overall.

Health tests help responsible breeders determine whether they will breed certain dogs. The ABSOLUTE MINIMUM test that should be done is OFA to check for hip dysplasia (a genetic disease). OFAs should NOT be done on dogs until they are 2 years of age. Go to http://www.offa.org to learn about the importance of OFA tests and to search the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals database for the sire and dam of the pup you're considering bringing home. MAJOR RED FLAG if the sire and dam aren't listed in the database. Make sure you take time to click on the results for any relatives listed. Another MAJOR red flag is a breeder who does not do OFA tests and tells you "they've never had a problem". Comparable to OFA tests are PennHIP tests, http://www.pennhip.org/.

Here's a quick list of the minimum health test we believe should be done:

• Hip dysplasia -- OFA certification
• Von Willebrand's Disease -- health certificate
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), learn about CERF'ing at http://www.animaleyecare.net/diseases/cerf.htm -- health certificate
• OFA thyroid certification (if they do full thyroid panels even better!) -- health certificate

Go to, http://www.caninehealthinfo.org/brdreqs.html?breed=VZ for more information about these health tests.

Please consider adopting a rescue Vizsla from one of the following groups:

Colorado/Wyoming Vizsla Rescue Group
Utah/Idaho Vizsla Rescue
Show Me Vizsla Rescue
Vizsla Club of America rescue (list of regional coordinators)

Go to http://www.puppymillrescue.com/ and http://www.stoppuppymills.org/ to learn more about the horrors of puppy mills.