HLshelf

Health & soundness

Hips, elbows, eyes, exercise-induced collapse, weight and the tests worth asking about before a puppy comes home.

Every entry on this shelf

3 entries

A pair of weathered hands pressing along the ribcage of a yellow Labrador standing on a gravel yard in late October morning light, a paper weight log and pencil on a nearby wooden bench, medium close shot. — Plate HL-003

Keeping a Labrador Lean: Body Condition by Hand

Score a Labrador's body condition by hand, log weight monthly, and adjust for the hunting season. Rib and waist checks for a longer, sounder life.

12/08/2026

A yellow Labrador stands in short CRP grass at first light, rear legs still, a hunter's hand on its shoulder, a DNA swab kit on the tailgate of a truck behind them. — Plate HL-002

HL-002Health & soundness

EIC in Labradors: Reading the DNM1 Test

Exercise-induced collapse in Labradors runs on one gene. How the DNM1 test is read, what a carrier means, and what an episode looks like in the field.

08/08/2026

A wooden kitchen table in a farmhouse, morning light through a north window, two printed OFA hip clearance certificates and a pen laid flat beside a coffee mug, shot from above at a slight angle. — Plate HL-001

HL-001Health & soundness

Hip and Elbow Scores Before a Labrador Puppy

What OFA grades and PennHIP distraction indexes say about a Labrador sire and dam, what they cannot promise, and what to ask before a deposit.

05/08/2026