By Ron Durant  |  Apexx Akitas, Sussex County, New Jersey  |  20-plus years breeding champion American Akitas  |  March 2026

OFA hip radiograph: Durant Apexx The Whole Constellation (“Ash”), male, DOB 2019-02-21. Evaluated January 15, 2026 at Steinbach Veterinary Hospital. This is what verified OFA documentation looks like.

If you are researching American Akita breeders, you have almost certainly seen the phrase “OFA health tested” in a breeder’s marketing. But what does it actually mean? How do you verify it? And what should you do if a breeder cannot or will not show you the documentation?

This guide answers every one of those questions in plain language. After more than 20 years breeding American Akitas, completing OFA clearances on every breeding dog in my program, and watching the long-term health outcomes of over 150 placed dogs, I can tell you that OFA testing is not a formality. It is the single most reliable predictor of whether your future Akita will live a long, comfortable, mobile life.

Read this before you talk to any breeder.

What Is OFA and Why Does It Matter for American Akitas

The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1966 with a specific mission: to reduce the prevalence of inherited disease in companion animals through research, education, and open health databases. Their registry is the gold standard for canine health evaluation in the United States.

For American Akitas specifically, OFA testing matters more than it does for many other breeds. Here is why.

American Akitas are a large, heavy-boned working breed that grows rapidly and carries significant weight on their joints throughout their lives. According to OFA data, nearly one in four Akitas evaluated for hip dysplasia show evidence of the condition. That is a 24-plus percent rate in a breed where hip replacement surgery runs between $5,000 and $7,000 per hip. Elbow dysplasia affects roughly 15 percent of evaluated dogs. Autoimmune thyroid disease is common. Inherited eye conditions occur with enough frequency that annual ophthalmology screening is considered essential by responsible breeders.

None of these conditions are visible to the naked eye in a healthy-looking puppy. A dog can look and move perfectly normally at 8 weeks old and develop debilitating hip dysplasia by age two. The only way to know whether a puppy’s parents carry these risks is through documented, third-party health evaluations completed before those breeding dogs are ever paired.

The Five Core OFA Tests for American Akita Breeders

Responsible American Akita breeding programs complete the following evaluations before pairing any two dogs. Each test addresses a specific inherited vulnerability in the breed.

1. Hip Dysplasia Evaluation (OFA or PennHIP)

Hip dysplasia is the most prevalent and costly inherited condition in American Akitas. The hip joint is a ball-and-socket joint, and dysplasia occurs when the ball does not fit correctly into the socket, causing abnormal wear, progressive arthritis, pain, and reduced mobility over time.

The x-ray at the top of this page is Ash’s actual OFA hip radiograph taken January 15, 2026. The clear, well-seated ball-and-socket joint visible on both sides is what a structurally sound Akita hip looks like. This is the standard every Apexx Akitas breeding dog is evaluated against.

OFA hip evaluations work as follows. Radiographs are taken by the dog’s veterinarian and submitted to OFA, where three independently selected radiologists evaluate them. The dog must be at least 24 months old for a permanent certification. The final rating is the consensus of the three evaluators.

Important: Preliminary hip evaluations taken before 24 months do not count as OFA clearances and are not assigned a number. Some breeders reference preliminary results as though they are final clearances. They are not. Always verify the dog has a permanent OFA number, meaning the dog was at least 24 months old at evaluation.

PennHIP is an alternative hip evaluation method developed at the University of Pennsylvania. It measures hip laxity and can be performed as early as 16 weeks, though most breeders also obtain a permanent OFA evaluation at 24 months. PennHIP results are expressed as a Distraction Index score compared against the breed median. A score below the breed median is generally considered favorable.

Ash at Apexx Akitas. The same dog whose OFA hip radiograph appears above. Correct structure produces correct movement.

2. Elbow Dysplasia Evaluation

Elbow dysplasia covers several inherited conditions affecting the elbow joint including fragmented medial coronoid process, osteochondritis dissecans, and ununited anconeal process. In Akitas, elbow dysplasia is the most common cause of front limb lameness and affects approximately 15 percent of evaluated dogs.

Because hip and elbow radiographs are almost always taken at the same veterinary appointment, both results should carry the same test date. If a breeder shows you hip results but cannot explain why elbow results are absent from the same date, ask directly.

3. Thyroid Panel (Autoimmune Thyroiditis)

Autoimmune thyroiditis is one of the most common inherited conditions in American Akitas. The disease causes the immune system to attack the thyroid gland, leading to progressive destruction of thyroid tissue and eventually hypothyroidism. It tends to appear between 2 and 5 years of age, long after most puppies have been placed and long after a careless breeder would ever know it occurred.

OFA thyroid testing uses a panel submitted to an OFA-approved laboratory that evaluates T3, T4, Free T4, and thyroglobulin antibody (TgAA). Positive TgAA results indicate active autoimmune disease. Dogs with positive TgAA should not be bred.

Thyroid evaluations are time-sensitive. OFA recommends annual testing for breeding dogs. A thyroid clearance from three years ago is not current documentation.

4. CAER Eye Examination (Companion Animal Eye Registry)

OFA’s Companion Animal Eye Registry (CAER) replaced the older CERF certification system. Eye examinations are performed by board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists and screen for inherited eye diseases including progressive retinal atrophy, juvenile cataracts, iris coloboma, and other heritable conditions.

CAER certifications are valid for 12 months only. Responsible breeders obtain annual eye clearances for all active breeding dogs. A certification from two years ago is not current eye clearance.

This matters because some heritable eye conditions have delayed onset. A dog can pass an eye exam at two years old and develop an inherited condition by four. Annual screening catches these changes before the dog is bred.

5. Cardiac Evaluation

Cardiac evaluations screen breeding dogs for inherited heart conditions including aortic stenosis and other structural abnormalities. There are two levels of OFA cardiac evaluation:

• Basic cardiac exam: Performed by a general practitioner or specialist through auscultation. Available from 12 months of age.
• Advanced cardiac exam: Performed by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist using echocardiography. Provides detailed structural evaluation. Preferred in serious breeding programs.

The OFA cardiac number suffix tells you who performed the exam. P indicates a general practitioner, S indicates a specialist, and C indicates a board-certified cardiologist.

How to Read an OFA Number

Every dog that receives a normal OFA evaluation is assigned a registration number. Learning to read these numbers protects you from misrepresentation.

The age segment is the most important number to check. If you see a 16 or 18 in that position on a hip clearance, the dog was not yet two years old when evaluated. That is a preliminary result, not a certification. Permanent certifications require a minimum age of 24 months.

How to Verify OFA Results Yourself on ofa.org

This is the most important skill in this entire guide. You do not have to take a breeder’s word for their health clearances. Every normal OFA result is posted to a public database at ofa.org, and you can search it in under two minutes.

1. Go to ofa.org and click Search in the top navigation.
2. Enter the dog’s registered name or AKC registration number. Get this from the breeder before you search.
3. Review the results. You will see all evaluations on file for that dog including the test type, date, rating, and OFA number.
4. Check the dates. Thyroid and eye clearances expire. Confirm they are current for the breeding you are considering.
5. Verify both parents. Not just one. Responsible breeders test every breeding dog on both sides of every pairing.

What to Ask a Breeder About Their OFA Clearances

Once you understand OFA testing, asking the right questions becomes straightforward. Here are the questions that separate breeders who genuinely test from those who use the language of testing without doing the work.

Red Flags That Should End the Conversation

The following responses from a breeder are not minor concerns. They are disqualifying.

How Apexx Akitas Approaches OFA Testing

At Apexx Akitas, every breeding dog in our program has completed OFA hip and elbow evaluations, thyroid panels, CAER eye examinations, and cardiac evaluation before being considered for any breeding. This is not a minimum standard for us. It is a floor we have maintained without exception for over 20 years.

We verify OFA clearances on both sides of every pairing and we do not breed dogs whose results fall outside acceptable ranges, regardless of other qualities they may possess. A structurally impressive dog with Fair hips does not improve the breed. A dog with positive TgAA on thyroid testing does not improve the breed.

We also do something most breeders do not: we maintain long-term contact with our placed families and track health outcomes across our dogs’ lifetimes. That ongoing relationship is how we know whether our testing protocols are producing the results we intend. It is how we continually refine our pairing decisions. And it is how we hold ourselves accountable in a way that no database alone can capture.

If you are considering a puppy from Apexx Akitas, every parent’s OFA registration numbers are available for your verification. We expect you to check.

Summary: OFA Testing Checklist for American Akita Buyers

Before committing to any American Akita breeder, confirm the following for both the sire and dam of the litter you are considering.

If any of these evaluations are missing, outdated, or cannot be verified on ofa.org, you are not looking at a fully health-tested litter. That gap in testing is a financial and emotional risk that follows you for the full lifetime of the dog.

The Bottom Line

OFA health testing is not complicated once you understand what each evaluation covers, what the ratings mean, and how to verify them. The breeders who resist explaining their testing in detail are the ones you should walk away from. The breeders who hand you OFA numbers, encourage you to verify them, and can walk you through every evaluation are the ones worth your trust.

The American Akita is a magnificent, powerful, deeply loyal breed. When bred responsibly, they can be extraordinary lifelong companions. When bred carelessly, the health consequences fall entirely on the families who love them.

Know what you are buying. Verify what you are told. And choose a breeder who expects you to do both.

An Apexx Akitas family. Behind this moment: OFA-cleared hips, elbows, thyroid, eyes, and cardiac on both parents. Health testing is what makes moments like this possible for a lifetime.