Advice, take it or leave it
by Monica Colvin

The following are helpful and critical bits of information that you should know about before buying an Akita from anyone. It does not matter to me if you purchase one of our Akitas, as we usually breed one litter per year. What matters is that you know your breeder is a reputable one, and has done the critical health clearances on his or her breeding stock. Puppy mills and disreputable backyard breeders rarely do any health certifications so please do your homework. We have many friends and acquaintances that are conscientious breeders -- we can put you in touch with many and hopefully in your area. Don't purchase any dog from a pet store, or from someone that does not do health screenings.

Why a member of the Akita Club of America?
The AKITA CLUB OF AMERICA is the National Club which represents, protects, and furthers the interests of the Akita dog breed and its owners throughout the United States. It is a member of the American Kennel Club. http://www.akitaclub.org/ As a member of the Akita Club of America (ACA), you are a voting member in issues that affect the breed such as – revisions to the AKC breed standard, judges for National Specialties, and other important matters. The ACA website is packed full of information regarding Akitas, from health and temperament, to legislation that threatens our rights as Akita owners, and so much more.

What is OFA?
Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) – When you hear or read OFA Excellent, OFA Good, OFA Elbows Normal, OFA Eyes (CAER), amongst others – what does it mean? Why is it important that both the sire and dam have OFA certified Hips, Elbows and Patellae? Learn more here http://www.offa.org/hipgrade.html  http://www.offa.org/elbowinfo.html  http://www.offa.org/patluxinfo.html

All breeds are predisposed to various health problems. In Akitas, hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia and luxating patellae are all known to exist. However, due to more conscientious breeders using OFA health health screening to rule out these orthopedic problems in their breeding stock, we have a lower incidence of these problems than in decades past. That is not to say these problems are not in existence today, they most certainly are. Before you begin to entertain the idea of purchasing an Akita, ask the breeder for hip, elbow and patellae information on the sire and dam. If they breeder claims that their vet did x-rays and he or she said they look good, discontinue your conversation and move on. Or worse, if the breeder says they don’t do those things, their dogs are great, just look at the photos, etc., go away and move toward a reputable breeder. At the most basic level, these are health screenings that must be done by all breeders on all breeding dogs and bitches prior to mating. Do your research, go to the OFA website and learn more.  http://www.offa.org/  This is critical health screening.

What is OFA CAER?
The purpose of the OFA Eye Certification Registry (CAER) is to provide breeders with information regarding canine eye diseases so that they may make informed breeding decisions in an effort to produce healthier dogs. CAER certifications will be performed by board certified (ACVO) veterinary ophthalmologists. Regardless of whether owners submit their CAER exam forms to the OFA for “certification,” all CAER exam data is collected for aggregate statistical purposes to provide information on trends in eye disease and breed susceptibility. Clinicians and students of ophthalmology as well as interested breed clubs and individual breeders and owners of specific breeds will find this useful. http://www.offa.org/eye_overview.html

All Akitas used for breeding should also have "OFA Eyes" attached to their credentials. An annual eye exam, performed by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist will make a dog eligible for a CAER number. At the time of the eye exam, the ophthalmologist signs paperwork that the dog is clear of inherited eye diseases. The owner then must send that paperwork to OFA with a small payment to keep the dog's registration current. Do not fall for a breeder telling you that the dog was examined, but they just didn’t send in the paperwork. A reputable breeder will take the time and the few dollars to keep his/her dogs current with OFA. This is critical health screening, and must be performed annually.

Lastly, if you have come this far reading you are obviously interested enough and have a thirst to know more, so here goes. You can easily check any dog for OFA by simply going to the OFA site, key in the registration number, and up will come the results for that individual. Many do not publish their dogs’ registration numbers on their sites, so ask the breeder for the registration number of the sire and dam. You may also do a search using the full name. This is public information, so you can’t be lied to if a breeder tells you that “King of Japan” who is the sire of his great litter is OFA Excellent and eyes are clear, and in fact is not. Get an AKC registration number and look it up! Get the facts. You are in charge and you can choose well.