Health
What we test, and why
Whippets are one of the healthier breeds, and the American Whippet Club asks for three things before a dog is bred: a heart exam by echocardiogram, an eye exam, and a hearing test. A dog with all three results public at the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (ofa.org) gets a CHIC number. A CHIC number means the results are public, not that they are perfect — so we publish the results themselves, for every dog, on its own page.
Our rules: an echo by a board-certified cardiologist within two years before a mating (the AWC asks for this; we aim for within one), a CAER eye exam within twelve months, BAER once, and a myostatin (MSTN) DNA test. We add thyroid every two years, hips on males, and the D-locus test for color. Every puppy is BAER-tested and has an ACVO puppy eye exam before it leaves.
The tests in plain words
Heart: echocardiogram
An ultrasound of the heart by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist (DACVIM), recorded with OFA as “advanced cardiac”. It looks for valve disease and the outflow narrowing (pulmonic or aortic stenosis) seen in the breed. Listening alone misses some of it.
Eyes: CAER
A yearly exam by an ACVO ophthalmologist for inherited eye disease: cataracts, PRA, corneal dystrophy. Whippets rarely have problems, which is why we keep checking.
Hearing: BAER
Electrodes measure the brain’s response to clicks in each ear. It is the only way to find a puppy deaf in one ear, which looks completely normal. Done at 7–8 weeks.
MSTN (“bully” whippet)
A DNA test for the myostatin mutation. A dog with two copies is heavily muscled and prone to cramping; a carrier is faster but should never be bred to another carrier. All our dogs are clear (N/N).
Thyroid
An autoimmune thyroiditis panel. Sighthounds have naturally low thyroid values, so we use a lab that knows their reference ranges; a general vet can misread them.
D-locus (blue)
Blue whippets carry two copies of the dilute gene (d/d). Some blues develop color dilution alopecia — thinning coat and skin trouble. We don’t breed for blue, and we publish which dogs carry it.
Our breeding dogs’ current results
GCH CH Ashgrove Paper Lantern SC DCAT “Juno”
Dam of the Orchard litter- Heart (advanced cardiac)
- Normal — no murmur, normal valves and outflowFebruary 10, 2026OFA, advanced cardiac (echo by a board-certified cardiologist)WP-ACA2214/55F/C-VPI
- Eyes (CAER)
- Normal — no inherited eye diseaseApril 18, 2026OFA eye registry (CAER), ACVO ophthalmologistWP-EYE4471/58F-VPI
- Hearing (BAER)
- Normal, both earsJuly 31, 2021OFA congenital deafness registry (BAER)WP-BR1186/1F-VPI
- Thyroid (autoimmune thyroiditis panel)
- NormalJune 6, 2025OFA thyroid registry (MSU lab)WP-TH512/47F-VPI
- Myostatin (MSTN)
- Clear (N/N)September 14, 2021Paw Print Genetics
- D-locus (blue dilute)
- D/d — carrier, not blueSeptember 14, 2021Embark VeterinaryEmbark swab 31200418827702
GCH DC Fallowfield Rook’s Gambit SC LCM BCAT “Rook”
Our stud dog- Heart (advanced cardiac)
- NormalMarch 2, 2026OFA, advanced cardiac (echo by a board-certified cardiologist)WP-ACA2231/65M/C-VPI
- Eyes (CAER)
- NormalApril 18, 2026OFA eye registry (CAER), ACVO ophthalmologistWP-EYE4472/67M-VPI
- Hearing (BAER)
- Normal, both earsOctober 28, 2020OFA congenital deafness registry (BAER)WP-BR1121/1M-VPI
- Hips
- ExcellentNovember 15, 2022OFA hip registryWP-1203E26M-C-VPI
- Thyroid
- NormalJanuary 20, 2025OFA thyroid registry (MSU lab)WP-TH498/52M-VPI
- Myostatin (MSTN)
- Clear (N/N)March 3, 2021Embark VeterinaryEmbark swab 31200319155408
- D-locus (blue dilute)
- D/d — carrier, not blueMarch 3, 2021Embark VeterinaryEmbark swab 31200319155408
GCH CH Ashgrove Small Hours SC BCAT “Clover”
Dam of the planned 2027 litter- Heart (advanced cardiac)
- NormalAugust 11, 2026OFA, advanced cardiac (echo by a board-certified cardiologist)WP-ACA2290/53F/C-VPI
- Eyes (CAER)
- NormalSeptember 19, 2026OFA eye registry (CAER), ACVO ophthalmologistWP-EYE4530/54F-VPI
- Hearing (BAER)
- Normal, both earsApril 20, 2022OFA congenital deafness registry (BAER)WP-BR1201/1F-VPI
- Thyroid
- NormalAugust 11, 2026OFA thyroid registry (MSU lab)WP-TH530/53F-VPI
- Myostatin (MSTN)
- Clear (N/N)June 2, 2022Embark VeterinaryEmbark swab 31200522461130
Wren, Tansy and Hazel
DC Ashgrove Wren on the Wing SC LCM BCAT ROM “Wren”
Dam · bred her last litter in 2024- Heart (advanced cardiac)
- NormalJanuary 14, 2026OFA, advanced cardiac (echo by a board-certified cardiologist)WP-ACA2208/80F/C-VPI
- Heart, before her 2024 litter
- NormalJanuary 9, 2024OFA, advanced cardiac (echo by a board-certified cardiologist)WP-ACA1984/56F/C-VPI
- Eyes (CAER)
- NormalMarch 7, 2026OFA eye registry (CAER), ACVO ophthalmologistWP-EYE4416/82F-VPI
- Hearing (BAER)
- Normal, both earsJune 12, 2019OFA congenital deafness registry (BAER)WP-BR1012/1F-VPI
- Myostatin (MSTN)
- Clear (N/N)August 2, 2019Paw Print Genetics
CH Ashgrove Wild Tansy SC ROM “Tansy”
Retired- Heart (advanced cardiac, age 11)
- Mild myxomatous mitral valve disease, ACVIM stage B1; grade II/VI murmur; no treatment, yearly recheckSeptember 23, 2025Board-certified cardiologist (DACVIM), echocardiogram
- Heart, before her last litter
- NormalJanuary 12, 2021OFA, advanced cardiac (echo by a board-certified cardiologist)WP-ACA1702/79F/C-VPI
- Eyes (CAER)
- NormalJanuary 12, 2021OFA eye registry (CAER), ACVO ophthalmologistWP-EYE3655/79F-VPI
- Hearing (BAER)
- Normal, both earsJuly 8, 2014OFA congenital deafness registry (BAER)
- Myostatin (MSTN)
- Clear (N/N)October 2014Paw Print Genetics
CH Brightwater Hazel of Ashgrove SC ROM “Hazel”
In memoriam · February 3, 2008 – November 21, 2022- Heart (cardiologist auscultation)
- Normal, no murmurMarch 2010Board-certified cardiologist, AWC heart clinic
- Heart (advanced cardiac, echo)
- NormalApril 6, 2013OFA, advanced cardiac (echo by a board-certified cardiologist)WP-ACA602/62F/C-VPI
- Eyes (CAER)
- NormalApril 6, 2013OFA eye registry (CAER), ACVO ophthalmologist
- Hearing (BAER)
- Normal, both earsMarch 2008OFA congenital deafness registry (BAER)
- Myostatin (MSTN)
- Clear (N/N)2009Cornell University (research-panel test)
40 puppies before this year: how they turned out
Hearing
39 of 40 bilaterally normal on BAER. 1 unilaterally deaf (Night litter, 2022).
Heart
28 echoed as adults: 26 normal, 2 with mild mitral valve disease found at nine and eleven (Tansy and a 2016 son), neither on medication.
Eyes
No inherited eye disease reported in any Ashgrove dog. 31 have had at least one adult CAER exam.
Other
1 unilateral cryptorchid (2024), 1 umbilical hernia (2019), 1 death from hemangiosarcoma at 8 (2014 litter). We ask every owner for a yearly update, and 34 of 40 sent one this year.
Lifespan
Of the 7 Ashgrove-bred dogs who have died, the median age was 14 years 1 month; the youngest was 8, the oldest 15½.
Where to check
Search any registered name at ofa.org for its OFA and CHIC records, and at akc.org for titles. If a number here doesn’t match, tell us.
What every whippet owner should know
Heart: mitral valve disease is the commonest heart problem in older whippets, and a murmur in a whippet over eight is not rare. An echo before breeding doesn’t prevent it, but it keeps affected young dogs out of breeding. We cover half the cost of an echo for every Ashgrove dog after its second birthday.
Anesthesia: sighthounds have little body fat and process some drugs slowly. Make sure your vet knows they are treating a sighthound before any surgery.
Skin and injuries: whippet skin is thin and tears on barbed wire and sticks; toes break at full speed. Budget for it — this is what most whippet vet bills are for.
Blood work: whippets have higher red-cell counts and lower thyroid and platelet values than other breeds. Normal for them can look abnormal on a general reference range.