Weimaraner health tests explained for puppy buyers

Weimaraner health tests show whether a puppy's parents were screened, not that the puppy is healthy: ask for each result and check it yourself.

Written by

James

Updated

11 October 2026

A health test result tells you that a puppy's parents were screened for particular inherited conditions, and how they scored. It does not promise that the puppy will be healthy, and a certificate number on its own does not mean the result was good. Ask for the actual result for both parents, with the registered name or number, and check it yourself on the registry. This guide explains what Weimaraner clubs and registries in the US, Australia and the UK ask for, so you know what to request, and sits in the Find a Weim hub. For your own dog's health, talk to your vet and see the health hub.

What is a screening test, and what is it not?

Breed clubs and registries ask breeders to screen breeding dogs for conditions known to affect the breed, so that breeders can make better choices about which dogs to mate. There are two broad kinds:

• Scored or graded examinations, such as hip and elbow X-rays or an eye examination, read by a specialist and given a score, grade or certificate.
• DNA tests, which report whether a dog carries a known gene variant for a specific inherited condition.

Neither is a guarantee. The BVA, which runs the UK schemes, says that breeding from dogs with hip scores below the breed mean reduces the incidence of hip dysplasia "but does not eliminate it completely", because it is affected by more than genes (Source: BVA, Hip Dysplasia Scheme). The WCA makes the same point about its health database: for conditions that are assessed by examination, "there are no guarantees", but the chance of a dog developing an inherited disease is reduced when its ancestry has been tested normal (Source: WCA, CHIC).

The single most important thing to know is the WCA's own warning: "The CHIC number itself does not imply normal test results, only that all the required breed specific tests were performed and the results made publicly available" (Source: WCA, CHIC). A breeder who says "both parents have CHIC numbers" has told you the tests were done. Ask what the results were.

What does the Weimaraner Club of America ask for in the US?

The WCA and the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) agreed the 2021 Weimaraner CHIC Breed Health Testing Profile. To receive a CHIC number, a Weimaraner needs results on the OFA database for (Source: WCA 2021 CHIC profile):

• DNA tests for hyperuricosuria (HUU), hypomyelination (HYM) and spinal dysraphism (SD), from a laboratory with a Weimaraner-specific validated test
• hips, by OFA evaluation at a minimum of 24 months, or PennHIP from 16 weeks (Source: WCA 2021 CHIC profile)
• autoimmune thyroiditis, tested at a minimum of 24 months by an OFA-approved laboratory (Source: WCA 2021 CHIC profile)
• eyes, examined by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist and registered with the OFA Companion Animal Eye Registry

The profile also lists recommended, optional tests: an advanced cardiac examination, elbows, and a DNA sample for the CHIC research repository (Source: WCA 2021 CHIC profile). The AKC's list of the breed club's recommended tests includes a cardiac exam alongside hips, eyes, thyroid and the three DNA tests (Source: AKC).

Two dates matter. The WCA notes that OFA eye certification is valid for 1 year, and recommends repeating the eye exam and thyroid test before breeding if the last one is more than 24 months old (Source: WCA 2021 CHIC profile). So for a planned litter, ask when each test was done, not only whether.

For a CHIC number to be issued, the dog must be permanently identified by microchip or tattoo, and the owner must choose to make the results public (Source: WCA, CHIC).

What do Australian clubs and Dogs Australia ask for?

Australia has no single national breed health profile for the Weimaraner, so look to the breed clubs and the Dogs Australia scheme.

Hips and elbows: CHEDS. Dogs Australia runs the Canine Hip and Elbow Dysplasia Scheme (CHEDS). Dogs must be at least 12 months old; X-rays are read by members of the radiology chapter of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists, or equivalently qualified radiologists; and results are recorded directly on Dogs Australia's ORCHID database, from which breed averages are produced (Source: Dogs Australia, CHEDS). The dog's identity, by microchip or tattoo, is placed on the images (Source: Dogs Australia, CHEDS).

DNA tests. The Weimaraner Club of Victoria "fully supports and recommends" a Weimaraner genetic test of the bitch before mating, covering HUU, HYM and SD (Source: WCV, Breeders). The Weimaraner Club of NSW advises buyers to expect hip and elbow clearances for both parents, and says breeders DNA test so that no puppies are produced that are affected by HUU, HYM or SD; it adds that carriers make normal pets (Source: WCNSW, Weimaraner health).

What to ask for: the hip and elbow scores for both parents, with the scheme and date, and the laboratory DNA report for HUU, HYM and SD for both parents (or documented evidence of clear parentage).

What do the UK schemes ask for?

The Royal Kennel Club lists three Best Practice tests for the Weimaraner and says responsible breeders should complete all of them (Source: Royal Kennel Club):

• Hips, under the BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme
• Elbows, under the BVA/KC Elbow Dysplasia Scheme
• Eyes, under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme

The BVA explains how the hip score works: each hip is scored on nine features, from 0 to 53 per hip, giving a total from 0 to 106, and "the lower the score the better" (Source: BVA, Hip Dysplasia Scheme). Each elbow is graded and the overall grade is the higher of the two (Source: BVA, Elbow Dysplasia Scheme). An eye examination certificate records each condition as "Clinically Unaffected" or "Clinically Affected" (Source: BVA, Eye Scheme).

Hip scores are most useful when compared with the breed's published mean or median: the BVA says breeding from dogs scoring below them reduces the incidence of hip dysplasia (Source: BVA, Hip Dysplasia Scheme). Ask the breeder how both parents compare.

How do I read an OFA number?

OFA certificate numbers pack a lot into a short code. The OFA's own worked example for hips is LR-100E24M-C-PI, which reads as (Source: OFA, How to interpret OFA numbers):

• LR: the breed code (in that example a Labrador; Weimaraners have their own code)
• 100: the dog's sequence number among dogs of that breed given a number
• E: the grade; Excellent, Good and Fair are the normal hip grades
• 24M: age at testing, in months (Source: OFA)
• C: the restraint used for the X-ray
• PI: permanently identified by microchip or tattoo; VPI means the ID was verified by the vet, and NOPI means no permanent identification

Elbow, cardiac, thyroid and DNA numbers follow similar patterns with their own prefixes (Source: OFA). A number ending in PI or VPI is stronger evidence than NOPI, because the result is tied to an identified dog.

How can I verify results myself?

If a breeder will not give you the numbers, or the results do not match what you were told, treat that as a red flag. Our responsible breeder guide lists others, and how WeimLife will list breeders explains why we will publish actual results, with dates, rather than "health tested".

Common questions

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