Samoyed Health & Wellbeing

Health Testing & Screening

Health screening helps breeders assess risks before a mating and gives puppy buyers useful information about both parents. The current Royal Kennel Club (RKC) Samoyed Best Practice recommendations cover hip scoring, elbow grading, eye examinations and DNA tests for X-linked hereditary nephritis (XLHN) and X-linked progressive retinal atrophy (XL-PRA). A dog that looks healthy may still have an abnormal screening result or carry an inherited variant.

Hip scoring and elbow grading

Hip and elbow dysplasia involve abnormal joint development and can lead to pain, lameness and arthritis. Their inheritance is complex: several genes and environmental factors contribute, so a good result reduces uncertainty but cannot guarantee unaffected puppies. Under the BVA/RKC schemes, a vet takes X-rays and specialist assessors evaluate the joints; dogs must be at least one year old.

Each hip is scored from 0 to 53, giving a total from 0 to 106; lower scores indicate fewer changes. Breeding decisions should consider the current breed median, relatives’ results and estimated breeding values where available, rather than an old fixed cut-off. Elbows are graded from 0 to 3, with 0 the best result; the higher of the two elbow grades is the dog’s overall grade. The RKC advises against breeding from dogs with elbow Grades 2 or 3.

Eye examinations

A BVA/RKC/ISDS Eye Scheme examination is carried out by an eye panellist, who examines the eyes for inherited and other abnormalities and explains the certificate. It is not replaced by a DNA test: an examination looks at the dog’s eyes, whereas a DNA test checks a particular inherited variant. Some eye conditions develop later in life, so a clear examination is not a lifetime guarantee. Current RKC guidance recommends an examination within the 12 months before mating.

Gonioscopy: the grading changed in January 2026

Gonioscopy is a separate examination of the eye’s drainage angle, using a special lens. It assesses pectinate ligament abnormality (PLA), which is associated with primary angle-closure glaucoma. Not every eye panellist offers it, so ask when booking. It is worth discussing for your dog, but is not listed as a separate Samoyed Best Practice test in the current RKC Health Standard.

From 1 January 2026, new results use Grades 1–3; Grade 0 is no longer used. The current definitions are:

• Grade 1: 25% or less of the drainage area is abnormal — normal or mildly affected.
• Grade 2: 26–75% is abnormal — moderately affected.
• Grade 3: more than 75% is abnormal — severely affected and at risk of glaucoma, although not every Grade 3 dog develops it.

The grade describes drainage-angle anatomy, not a diagnosis of glaucoma. The RKC considers Grade 1 suitable for breeding and advises that Grade 3 dogs should not be bred from. Grade 2 breeding is a cautious exception where genetic diversity is a significant concern, with otherwise excellent health and screening results, and only to a new Grade 1 or an old Grade 0 or 1 partner. Discuss individual results with the panellist. Because grades can change, the RKC advises examinations at approximately 1, 4 and 7–8 years. Older certificates and the Library’s 2021 eye-testing article use the previous 0–3 scale.

DNA testing for XLHN and XL-PRA

XLHN is an inherited kidney disorder which can cause severe disease in young males; females with one copy of the variant can also develop kidney disease and should not be assumed to be unaffected carriers. XL-PRA affects the retina, gradually damaging sight, often beginning with difficulty seeing in dim light. Males with the variant are affected; females with one copy are carriers and those with two copies are affected. Both conditions are X-linked, meaning the relevant variant is on the X chromosome, but their effects in females differ.

Use a laboratory whose results the RKC accepts, and interpret each result using the condition-specific advice. The RKC’s current advice for both tests recommends clear-to-clear matings. A clear DNA result applies only to the variant tested: it does not rule out every kidney or eye disease, or replace the other recommended screening.

Check the RKC Samoyed breed guidance and Royal Kennel Club Health Standard before each litter. The current gonioscopy guidance explains the new grading and breeding advice in full.

Health Conditions & Care

Not every illness in a Samoyed is inherited. Some conditions have a known genetic cause, others involve several inherited and environmental influences, and some arise without an established hereditary link. The explanations below draw on the existing Health Library publications, with current RKC information used for the named DNA tests. Symptoms overlap: a veterinary examination is needed to establish the cause and an appropriate care plan.

Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus affects the body’s ability to regulate blood glucose because insulin is missing or is not working effectively. Watch for increased thirst and urination, weight loss despite eating, and reduced energy. Cataracts can also develop. These signs need veterinary investigation, not a diagnosis made from a factsheet. Treatment commonly involves insulin, a consistent feeding and exercise routine, and monitoring agreed with the vet. Diabetes is recognised as a concern in Samoyeds, but should not be confused with the single-variant inherited conditions covered by the XLHN and XL-PRA tests.

Kidney disease

Kidney disease is a description, not one diagnosis. XLHN is a specific inherited disorder; renal dysplasia means the kidneys have not developed normally. Other kidney problems can occur later in life. Increased drinking and urination, poor growth in a puppy, weight loss, vomiting or poor appetite merit veterinary advice. Blood and urine tests, and sometimes imaging or further investigations, help identify what is happening. A clear XLHN DNA test does not exclude renal dysplasia or other causes of kidney disease. The Library’s June 2025 renal dysplasia article and Lini Owen’s report provide useful background to this distinction.

Inherited eye conditions — and other eye problems

XL-PRA progressively damages the light-sensitive retina and can lead to blindness. Primary angle-closure glaucoma is associated with abnormal drainage and a painful rise in pressure within the eye; its inheritance is complex rather than explained by the XL-PRA test. Cataracts, corneal ulcers and dry eye are different problems, and not every cataract is hereditary — diabetes can cause cataracts too. A painful, red or cloudy eye, or sudden loss of sight, needs prompt veterinary attention. Routine screening is not a substitute for investigating symptoms.

Sebaceous adenitis (SA)

SA involves inflammation and damage to the skin’s oil-producing sebaceous glands. Changes may include scaling, hair loss, a dull or brittle coat and material clinging around the hair shafts; secondary infections can occur. Several skin disorders look similar, so diagnosis may require a skin biopsy. The 2022 factsheet says that the cause and inheritance in Samoyeds were not established; it should not be presented as a proven simple inherited disease. Management needs to be tailored by your vet. The Library’s historical treatment regime is an owner’s account, not current veterinary guidance or a treatment plan to copy.

Bloat and gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV)

Bloat involves the stomach becoming distended; in GDV it also twists, compromising blood flow and rapidly becoming life-threatening. Warning signs can include repeated attempts to vomit without bringing anything up, restlessness, drooling, a swollen or painful abdomen, weakness and breathing difficulty. Do not wait for every sign to appear.

Suspected GDV requires immediate veterinary attention. Contact your vet or emergency veterinary service and arrange to get your dog seen without delay. Do not wait for a later “phase” on the historical Bloat Chart, or try its treatment instructions at home. The chart is not current veterinary guidance. Bloat/GDV is an emergency, not a condition ruled out by a clear genetic screening panel.

The Health Library’s Conditions & Care collection holds the full original publications. Historical dates and warnings remain important when reading advice about treatment, vaccination or breeding.

Breed Health Research & Reports

These publications answer different questions. Illness and cause-of-death returns describe what owners chose to report; pedigree analysis examines breeding patterns and genetic diversity. Neither should be read as a complete survey of the health of all Samoyeds.

Samoyed Health Report 2014 — a historical snapshot

Serena E. Brownlie’s report brought together cause-of-death information for 77 dogs. Cancer was the most frequently reported cause, across several tumour types. The report also drew attention to diabetes, liver disease and kidney disease in young dogs, and encouraged continued reporting and investigation. It noted that not all juvenile kidney disease had been shown to be the same inherited nephritis.

The author suspected that deaths attributed to old age were under-reported. This was a small, voluntary collection, not a randomly selected breed-wide sample. Its counts cannot tell us the percentage of all Samoyeds affected, and its clinical recommendations should be read as historical information, not automatically adopted as current advice.

Lini Owen’s report: 2020–April 2026

The report analyses 47 Cause of Death forms and four Notification of Illness forms submitted over this period. Cancer was the largest cause-of-death category, recorded in 20 of the 47 returns; diabetes was recorded in six and kidney disease/failure in five. Two young males had developmental kidney abnormalities, underlining why a clear XLHN result cannot rule out every kidney problem. The four illness forms concerned two cancer diagnoses and two cases of glaucoma.

Uptake was low, the reports were owner-submitted and none of the causes of death had been confirmed by a full post-mortem. Some information was missing, and one return described several dogs. These are counts of submissions, not representative breed-wide statistics: they cannot establish disease prevalence or prove that a condition has become more common since 2014. The report is valuable for highlighting concerns to investigate and the need for more complete reporting.

Samoyed Population Analysis — January 2026

Dr Joanna J. Ilska’s Royal Kennel Club analysis found declining registrations over the study period, a low proportion of dogs contributing to breeding, increased use of imports and evidence of popular-sire use. It also found an association between higher pedigree inbreeding and smaller litters. For dogs born in 2021, the reported average coefficient of inbreeding (COI) was 7.7%.

The report estimated an effective population size of 1,423 from the rate of inbreeding over 1990–2021, which it considered sustainable. This is a genetic measure, not a count of living Samoyeds, and does not cancel out the warnings about breeding participation and over-use of particular sires. The practical message is to consider diversity and family relationships alongside health tests, rather than relying repeatedly on a few successful dogs.

Although published in 2026, the data were extracted in August 2022, with most birth-year analyses covering 1990–2021. Only RKC-registered dogs were included; unregistered dogs and incomplete overseas pedigrees limit how fully the results reflect the wider breed. This is population research, not a measure of current disease frequency or a health guarantee for an individual dog.

Read the originals in the Health Library’s Surveys & Reports and Research & Genetic Diversity collections. Mrs Lini Owen’s original report download is also retained below.