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The recommended tests for Cairn Terrier breeding dogs, what each test screens for, when it is done, and the questions and red flags that separate careful breeders from the rest. Full profile: the Cairn Terrier breed profile.
This page is general information drawn from the published guidance of the organizations listed under Sources below. It is not veterinary advice, and it does not replace your own veterinarian, who knows your dog. If your dog is unwell, contact your veterinarian, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661 for urgent concerns. A consultation fee may apply on the helplines.
The Cairn Terrier parent club list, as the AKC publishes it, is one of the most distinctive in the Terrier Group: a patella evaluation, a cardiac examination, a kidney ultrasound looking for a missing or malformed kidney, a specialist eye examination for ocular melanosis, screening connected with liver shunt problems, and a DNA test for globoid cell leukodystrophy. Small dog, serious program.
Two items are pure Cairn. Ocular melanosis is an eye condition largely associated with this breed, in which pigment producing cells multiply inside the eye and can eventually block its drainage, leading to glaucoma; it develops slowly in middle aged dogs, which is why the examination targets it specifically and repeats. The kidney ultrasound checks a quieter fault: puppies can be born with one kidney absent or malformed, invisible from outside, and a breeding dog should be known to have two working kidneys. The DNA test covers globoid cell leukodystrophy, a fatal nervous system disease of puppies, called Krabbe disease in human medicine.
The liver item works differently from the others. Portosystemic vascular anomaly and microvascular dysplasia are liver blood vessel faults, the shunt family of conditions in small terriers, screened with blood tests such as bile acids and followed up with imaging where results demand it. Ask a Cairn breeder how they screen for it by name. A breeder who knows this list in detail is telling you something good about the whole kennel.
These are the tests the sources listed at the foot of this page set out for this breed. Tests are done on the parents before breeding, not on the puppy you take home, and the point of every one of them is the same: to lower the chance of puppies inheriting a condition that testing could have flagged.
| Test | What it screens | When it is done |
|---|---|---|
| Globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD) DNA test | A fatal inherited disease of the nervous system, also called Krabbe disease, in which puppies develop progressive weakness and tremors and do not survive. | Once in a lifetime, at any age. Reports clear, carrier or affected; two carriers are never paired. |
| Eye examination for ocular melanosis (by a veterinary ophthalmologist) | An overgrowth of pigment cells inside the eye, largely specific to this breed, which can block fluid drainage and lead to glaucoma in middle aged dogs. | In the adult dog before breeding, and repeated through life, as the condition develops slowly with age. |
| Kidney ultrasound | A missing kidney (aplasia) or a malformed kidney (dysplasia), checked by imaging so breeding dogs are known to have two formed kidneys. | Once, in the young adult dog before breeding. |
| Liver shunt screening (PSVA and microvascular dysplasia) | Abnormal liver blood vessels that let blood bypass the liver's filtering, screened with blood work such as bile acids and followed up as results require. | In the adult dog before breeding, per the parent club program. |
| Patellar luxation evaluation (OFA) | Kneecaps that slip from their groove, graded by severity on a hands-on veterinary examination. | In the adult dog before breeding, from 12 months or older. |
| Cardiac examination | Heart murmurs and other cardiac disease, checked by a veterinarian in the adult dog. | In the adult dog before breeding, and repeated as the dog ages. |
The breeder pays for testing, not the buyer, but the bill explains why a missing test is a choice rather than an oversight. The ranges below are estimates, not quotes: typical US ranges modeled from published clinic and breeder health clinic price lists and OFA registry fees, checked in November 2026. Prices vary by region, and breeder health clinics at shows often sit at the low end.
The six part program costs an estimated $535 to $1,175 per parent to set up. The kidney ultrasound is the expensive line, and it is one time; a breeder skipping it is saving once and risking a fault no other test on the list would catch.
Patella grades, cardiac and eye records sit in the free OFA database under each parent's registered name. The kidney ultrasound and liver screening arrive as veterinary reports rather than registry grades, so ask to see them directly, with dates and the imaging practice named. The GLD result is a laboratory report. Judge the file as a set of six; this breed's program is distinctive enough that a breeder either knows it whole or is not following it.
Two habits protect you in every breed. First, match names: the dog on the certificate must be the registered parent of the litter, permanently identified, not a relative with a similar name. Second, respect dates: joint grades have minimum ages, eye certificates expire, and heart results in at risk breeds age quickly. A result that was true three years ago may say little about the dog being bred today.
None of this replaces meeting the dogs. Watch the parents move, breathe and settle, ask how long their parents and grandparents lived, and take the paperwork home to check before money changes hands. A careful breeder expects exactly that. Back to the full Cairn Terrier profile for size, temperament, costs and care.
The parent club list published by the AKC is a patella evaluation, a cardiac examination, a kidney ultrasound, an eye examination targeting ocular melanosis, liver shunt screening, and a DNA test for globoid cell leukodystrophy.
It is an eye condition largely associated with Cairn Terriers, in which pigment cells multiply inside the eye over years and can block fluid drainage, causing glaucoma. Regular specialist eye examinations are how breeding dogs are monitored for it.
Cairn puppies can be born with a kidney missing or malformed, which cannot be seen from outside. The parent club program images breeding dogs once so their kidney status is known before they produce puppies.
Also called Krabbe disease, GLD is a fatal inherited disease of the nervous system affecting puppies. A DNA test reports clear, carrier or affected status, and carrier to clear pairings cannot produce an affected puppy.
Check the free OFA database by both parents' registered names for patella, cardiac and eye records, ask for the GLD laboratory report, and ask to see the kidney ultrasound and liver screening reports with dates.
Last updated: November 2026. Every test listed on this page comes from the sources above. How we work: our methodology.