Home / Breeds / Clumber Spaniel / Health testing
The recommended tests for Clumber Spaniel 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 Clumber Spaniel 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 Clumber Spaniel is the heaviest of the spaniels, a slow, deliberate gundog whose build puts joints at the center of its health testing. The Clumber Spaniel Club of America's list, as the AKC publishes it, is a hip evaluation, an elbow evaluation, an ophthalmologist evaluation and a DNA test with a long name: pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase 1 deficiency, shortened to PDP1. That DNA test covers an inherited enzyme problem that affects how the body produces energy, and it is the item on this breed's list that buyers are least likely to have heard of, which is exactly why it belongs at the front of the conversation.
The second DNA test matters just as much in practice. Exercise induced collapse, EIC, is recorded by the AKC among the DNA tests identified in this breed, and the Kennel Club Health Standard goes further, listing an EIC DNA test among the breed's screens alongside hip and elbow grading and the eye scheme, with a note that the condition is prevalent enough in Clumbers that breeders are working to reduce it gradually without shrinking the gene pool. A working spaniel that collapses under exertion is a serious matter, and this is one breed where the British and American guidance together make the buyer's checklist longer than either does alone.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Hip evaluation (OFA or PennHIP) | Hip dysplasia in the heaviest spaniel breed, where joint fit carries a lot of weight for a long working life. | Final OFA grading at 24 months or older. The Kennel Club Health Standard lists hip grading for the breed as well. |
| Elbow evaluation (OFA) | Elbow dysplasia and the front leg arthritis that follows poor elbow development. | Graded from X-rays in the adult dog. Also listed in the Kennel Club Health Standard. |
| Ophthalmologist evaluation | Inherited eye disease, checked by a specialist, in a breed with deep set eyes under heavy brows. | Repeated through the breeding years. The Kennel Club lists the BVA eye scheme for the breed. |
| Pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase 1 deficiency (PDP1) DNA test | An inherited enzyme deficiency that interferes with energy production in the body. | Once in a lifetime, at any age. On the AKC parent club list for the breed. |
| Exercise induced collapse (EIC) DNA test | An inherited condition in which a dog loses coordination and can collapse during intense exercise, recovering after rest. | Once in a lifetime, at any age. Listed in the Kennel Club Health Standard for the breed and recorded by the AKC among the DNA tests identified in it. |
Hip, elbow and eye results should be findable in the OFA database under each parent's registered name. For the two DNA tests, ask for the laboratory reports and read the wording for each parent separately. EIC needs care in interpretation: the Kennel Club's own guidance accepts tested carriers in breeding, bred to clear dogs, as the breed works the variant down gradually, so a carrier result with a clear partner is a managed plan, while two carriers paired together is not.
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 Clumber Spaniel profile for size, temperament, costs and care.
The parent club list published by the AKC is a hip evaluation, an elbow evaluation, an ophthalmologist evaluation and a PDP1 DNA test. The Kennel Club Health Standard adds an exercise induced collapse DNA test, which the AKC also records among the DNA tests identified in the breed.
Pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase 1 deficiency is an inherited enzyme problem affecting energy production. The parent club puts its DNA test on the breed's recommended list, so both parents' results are a standard thing to ask for.
EIC is an inherited condition in which an otherwise healthy dog becomes uncoordinated and may collapse during hard exercise, then recovers with rest. A DNA test identifies clear dogs, carriers and affected dogs, so breeders can plan pairings that do not produce affected puppies.
Yes, carefully. The Kennel Club's guidance for this breed accepts carriers bred to clear dogs, reducing the variant gradually while protecting genetic diversity. What testing exists to prevent is a carrier to carrier pairing, which can produce affected puppies.
Search the OFA database by registered name for hips, elbows and eyes, and ask for the PDP1 and EIC laboratory reports for each parent, reading the result words rather than accepting a summary.
Last updated: November 2026. Every test listed on this page comes from the sources above. How we work: our methodology.