Health Screening in Dog Breeding: Essential Tests Before, During and After Reproduction

Running a responsible dog breeding operation is not just about selecting good bloodlines. It is, perhaps above all, a matter of rigorous health management, one that begins well before mating and continues through weaning. A single infectious disease that goes undetected in time can compromise an entire litter, damage a breeding program's reputation for years, and represent a considerable financial and emotional loss.

This article outlines a structured, step by step protocol, drawing on the recommendations of recognized veterinary sources: the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), the European Scientific Counsel on Companion Animal Parasites (ESCCAP), and peer reviewed scientific publications.

1. Before Breeding: Pre-Mating Screening

Canine Brucellosis, the Top Priority

Canine brucellosis, caused by Brucella canis, is a bacterial disease transmitted primarily through venereal contact. It is responsible for late term abortions, infertility, and stillbirths, often without any visible clinical signs in the carrier animal, which is exactly why systematic screening is essential regardless of a dog's apparent health.

The consistent recommendation in the veterinary literature is straightforward: every breeding dog, male and female, should be tested with a rapid canine brucellosis test before each mating, even if it previously tested negative, since exposure can occur between cycles.

Canine Leishmaniasis, a Geographic Risk Not to Overlook

In Mediterranean regions, and in an expanding range further north according to European veterinary surveillance data, Leishmania infantum poses a real risk for any breeding operation located in an at-risk area or receiving breeding dogs that have travelled to these regions. Mother to puppy transmission has been documented in the scientific literature, justifying screening for leishmaniasis in affected females before any mating.

An Important Practical Constraint

One point often overlooked but essential: a study published in the scientific journal Reproduction in Domestic Animals notes that in most countries, dog breeders are not permitted to draw blood samples themselves, a task reserved for animal health professionals. In practice, for tests requiring blood, serum, or plasma (brucellosis, leishmaniasis), sample collection must be performed by a veterinarian or veterinary technician, even though the rapid test itself can then be run directly at the kennel without sending anything to a laboratory. This distinction, supervised sample collection paired with on site testing, makes it possible to plan a grouped veterinary visit ahead of each breeding season rather than repeated, costly laboratory submissions.

2. Confirming Pregnancy Without Waiting for an Ultrasound

Once mating has occurred, relaxin, a hormone produced exclusively by the developing placenta, becomes detectable in the bitch's blood from around 21 to 22 days post mating, with optimal concentrations for a reliable pregnancy confirmation test between day 25 and day 35. Unlike progesterone, relaxin can only be positive in the presence of an actual pregnancy, making it a reliable confirmation marker, useful for planning appropriate nutrition, late pregnancy veterinary follow up, and preparation for whelping.

3. The Most Critical Phase: The First 48 Hours of Life

This is probably the most underestimated step by breeders, and yet one of the most decisive for litter survival: colostral immunity transfer.

A scientific review published in the journal Animals (Satyaraj et al., 2013) notes that puppies are born with near zero immunoglobulin levels and depend entirely on colostrum intake to acquire protective passive immunity during their first weeks of life.

A landmark study led by Chastant-Maillard and colleagues, published in Reproduction in Domestic Animals (Wiley, 2012), precisely documented this absorption window in puppies: the neonatal gut remains permeable to immunoglobulins mainly during the first 12 hours after birth, with absorption capacity dropping very rapidly afterwards. Data from the Royal Canin Academy confirm this: a puppy absorbs about 40% of ingested colostral immunoglobulins at birth, but only 20% after 4 hours, and 9% after 12 hours, with absorption reaching zero after 24 hours.

The practical takeaway for breeders is clear. Making sure every puppy nurses effectively within the very first hours after birth is a preventive measure as important as, if not more important than, any later screening test. A puppy that received insufficient colostrum starts life with a significantly higher immune vulnerability to the infectious diseases that follow, notably parvovirus, rotavirus, and coronavirus.

4. Monitoring Infectious Disease Through Weaning

Once the litter is born, vigilance should extend to several infectious agents whose initial clinical presentation can look similar, but whose severity and management differ radically:

• Parvovirus and distemper (CDV/CPV): the most feared disease in breeding operations, highly contagious and potentially fatal, particularly during the vulnerability window between the decline of maternal antibodies and completion of the vaccination protocol. Distemper is also a core vaccine preventable disease that can progress to a delayed neurological phase, sometimes weeks after an apparently resolved initial phase. A combined parvovirus and distemper test allows for quick differentiation between the two
• Canine adenovirus (CAV): responsible for infectious canine hepatitis, with a risk of prolonged urinary shedding in an animal that is otherwise clinically recovered. A combined distemper and adenovirus test covers both agents from secretions
• Canine coronavirus (CCV) and rotavirus (CRV): frequent causes of diarrhea in puppies, generally milder in isolation, but with severity increasing significantly in case of co-infection with parvovirus. A combined parvovirus and coronavirus test or a standalone rotavirus test help guide the diagnosis
• Giardiasis: a very common intestinal parasite in canine group settings, with carriage often asymptomatic, which makes clinical observation alone unreliable for detection. A rapid canine giardia test or the combined parvovirus, coronavirus, and giardia test covers the three most common causes of puppy diarrhea from a single sample

For each of these diseases, the logic is the same: the faster the screening, the wider the window for effective intervention. Rapid antigen tests, performed directly at the kennel from feces or secretions depending on the agent, deliver a result in 5 to 15 minutes, without waiting on a laboratory turnaround that is often incompatible with the urgency of these situations.

5. Building a Coherent Kennel Health Protocol

In summary, a structured health protocol for a responsible dog breeding operation rests on four stages:

1. Before mating: brucellosis screening (and leishmaniasis in at risk areas) for both breeding dogs, carried out with your veterinarian for the blood draw
2. 21 to 35 days post mating: pregnancy confirmation through relaxin testing
3. The first 12 hours of life: careful monitoring of each puppy's colostrum intake
4. From weaning to placement: reactive screening at the first sign of digestive or respiratory illness (parvovirus, distemper, coronavirus, rotavirus, giardiasis)

This protocol never replaces the guidance of your treating veterinarian, but it structures a constant vigilance, the kind a serious breeding operation owes to its breeding dogs, its puppies, and their future owners.

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Our Tests Related to This Protocol

All our tests can be run directly at the kennel, with no laboratory equipment required, and results in 5 to 15 minutes.

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Sources and References

• World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), vaccination guidelines: wsava.org
• European Scientific Counsel on Companion Animal Parasites (ESCCAP): esccap.org
• Satyaraj, E. et al. (2013). Nutritional and Functional Properties of Colostrum in Puppies and Kittens. Animals. Accessed via NCBI PMC.
• Chastant-Maillard, S. et al. (2012). Timing of the Intestinal Barrier Closure in Puppies. Reproduction in Domestic Animals, Wiley Online Library.
• Mugnier, A. et al. Passive immune transfer in puppies. ScienceDirect.
• Royal Canin Academy, The importance of colostrum in dogs: academy.royalcanin.com
• American College of Theriogenologists, resources on canine reproductive health

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This article is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace veterinary consultation. Any test result, positive or negative, should be interpreted together with your treating veterinarian.