Choosing a puppy is one of the most emotionally charged decisions a person can make. You're not just picking a pet — you're welcoming a heartbeat into your home, a shadow that follows you down hallways, a face that greets you after your worst days. That kind of bond deserves to be built on something solid.
At Monolith of Tenderness, we believe that love for a breed shows up long before a puppy is ever born. It shows up in the health panels, the genetic profiles, the cardiology reports, and the quiet hours spent studying pedigrees. Health testing is how we honor the dogs we breed and the families who trust us with them.
If you're new to the American Bully world, the alphabet soup of certifications — OFA, CAER, DNA profiling — can feel overwhelming. This guide is here to change that. By the time you finish reading, you'll understand exactly what responsible health testing looks like, what questions to ask any breeder, and why it matters so much for the puppy you're about to bring home.
What Is Health Testing — And Why Does It Exist?
Health testing is a structured set of veterinary evaluations and genetic screenings performed on breeding dogs to identify heritable conditions before they can be passed to offspring. In the American Bully breed, several conditions occur with enough frequency that responsible breeders screen proactively rather than reactively.
Think of it this way: a puppy can look perfectly healthy at eight weeks old and still carry the genetic blueprint for hip dysplasia, a heart defect, or an inherited muscle disease. Without testing the parents, no one knows. With testing, a breeder can make informed decisions about which pairings to pursue — and buyers can make informed decisions about which puppies to trust.
For a deeper overview of which conditions matter most across the breed, visit our full resource library or read our dedicated article on Health Testing: What Responsible Breeders Check For.
OFA Certification: The Gold Standard for Structural Health
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is the most widely recognized certifying body for canine orthopedic and cardiac health in the United States. OFA evaluations are reviewed by board-certified veterinary specialists, and results are published in a public database that anyone can search.
Hip Dysplasia Screening
Hip dysplasia is a developmental condition where the hip joint doesn't form correctly, leading to looseness, grinding, pain, and eventually debilitating arthritis. It's influenced by both genetics and environment — meaning even a dog with a genetic predisposition may not develop clinical symptoms under ideal conditions, but the risk is real and heritable.
OFA hip evaluations are performed via radiograph (X-ray) under sedation, typically after a dog reaches two years of age. A panel of three board-certified radiologists independently grades each hip as Excellent, Good, Fair, Borderline, Mild, Moderate, or Severe. Only dogs graded Excellent, Good, or Fair receive an OFA passing certification.
Why it matters for your puppy: When both parents carry OFA-certified hips, the statistical likelihood of offspring developing moderate-to-severe hip dysplasia decreases significantly. You're not eliminating risk entirely, but you're stacking the odds in your puppy's favor from day one.
Elbow Dysplasia Screening
Elbow dysplasia is an umbrella term for several developmental abnormalities of the elbow joint — including fragmented coronoid process, osteochondritis dissecans (OCD), and ununited anconeal process. Like hip dysplasia, it causes chronic pain and reduced mobility if left unaddressed.
OFA elbow evaluations follow a similar process to hip evaluations: radiographs taken under sedation, graded by specialists. Elbows are scored Grade 0 (normal) through Grade 3 (severe dysplasia). Only Grade 0 dogs receive an OFA passing certification for elbows.
American Bullies are a heavily muscled, compact breed. Their conformation places meaningful demand on their joints, making elbow health a genuine priority — not an afterthought.
Cardiac Screening
American Bullies can be predisposed to certain congenital and adult-onset cardiac conditions, including subaortic stenosis (SAS) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). These conditions range from subclinical — meaning the dog never shows obvious symptoms — to life-shortening.
OFA cardiac certification requires evaluation by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist, not a general practitioner. The cardiologist performs auscultation (listening to the heart) and in many cases an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) to assess structure and function. Dogs that pass receive an OFA cardiac certification that is valid for one year, meaning responsible breeders retest annually.
Key distinction: A general vet saying "the heart sounds fine" is not the same as a board-certified cardiologist issuing OFA cardiac clearance. Always ask for the actual OFA certificate.
DNA Profiling and Genetic Testing
Orthopedic and cardiac evaluations tell us about a dog's current physical health. Genetic testing tells us what's hidden in the DNA — conditions that may not appear on an X-ray but can still be passed to offspring.
What DNA Profiling Covers
For American Bullies, the most clinically relevant genetic tests include:
- Hereditary cataracts (HSF4) — a progressive eye condition leading to vision impairment
- Hyperuricosuria (HUU) — a metabolic condition that causes uric acid stones in the urinary tract
- Degenerative myelopathy (DM) — a progressive neurological disease affecting the spinal cord
- Multidrug resistance gene (MDR1/ABCB1) — affects drug metabolism and sensitivity to certain medications
- Ichthyosis — a skin condition causing scaling and discomfort
Each dog is classified as Clear (no copies of the variant), Carrier (one copy, won't be affected but can pass it on), or Affected (two copies, will develop the condition). A responsible breeding program uses this data to ensure that Affected-to-Affected and Carrier-to-Carrier pairings for high-risk conditions are avoided.
DNA Identity and Parentage Verification
Beyond disease panels, DNA profiling also serves as identity verification. ABKC and UKC registries increasingly require DNA profiles that confirm a puppy's parentage matches the sire and dam listed on registration paperwork. This protects buyers from misrepresented pedigrees — a real concern in any popular breed.
At Monolith of Tenderness, our dogs are DNA-profiled through accredited laboratories. When you take home one of our puppies — whether that's Atlas — Lilac Tri-Color Male American Bully puppy, Bowie — Blue Tri Male American Bully puppy, or any member of our current litter — you receive documentation that reflects real science, not marketing language.
Why Health-Tested Parents Change Everything
Let's be direct: a beautiful puppy with untested parents is a gamble. The puppy may be perfectly healthy. It may also develop hip dysplasia by age three, require a cardiac surgery at five, or pass a heritable condition to its own offspring someday. Without health testing, no one can tell you which outcome is more likely.
Health-tested parents don't guarantee a perfect puppy — biology is never that simple. But they represent a breeder's commitment to doing the hard work, spending the money, and making the difficult decisions that protect the breed and the families investing in it.
Here's what that commitment looks like in practice:
- Breeding-age dogs undergo OFA hip and elbow evaluation before any pairing
- Cardiac evaluations are performed by a board-certified cardiologist, not just a general vet
- Genetic panels are run through accredited labs and results are on file
- Pairings are planned to avoid producing Affected offspring for testable conditions
- All certifications are documented and available for buyer review
When you visit our adoption guide, you'll see exactly how we present health documentation at the time of placement — because transparency isn't optional for us, it's the baseline.
Questions Every Buyer Should Ask a Breeder
Knowing what health testing exists is only half the battle. You also need to know how to verify it. Here's a practical checklist for evaluating any breeder's health program:
Checklist: Health Testing Questions to Ask
- [ ] Can you show me the OFA certificates for both parents' hips and elbows?
- [ ] Are both parents OFA cardiac certified by a board-certified cardiologist — not just cleared by a general vet?
- [ ] What genetic conditions were the parents tested for, and what were the results?
- [ ] Are the parents' OFA records searchable in the public OFA database?
- [ ] Is DNA parentage verification on file for this litter?
- [ ] How do you use genetic results in your pairing decisions?
- [ ] Will I receive copies of all health documentation at time of placement?
If a breeder becomes defensive, vague, or dismissive when you ask these questions, treat that as important information. Responsible breeders are proud of their health programs and eager to share the documentation.
How Health Testing Connects to Long-Term Quality of Life
A health-tested puppy isn't just statistically less likely to develop certain conditions — it's a puppy whose first years of life are more likely to be spent running, playing, and thriving rather than managing pain or recovering from surgery.
American Bullies are athletic, physically expressive dogs. They love to play rough, jump, and push their bodies. Joint health directly affects how fully they can live that life. Cardiac health determines how long that life lasts. Genetic clarity means their future — and any future litters they might produce — is built on honest biology.
This is especially important when you consider how deeply these dogs attach to their families. If you've read our article on Are American Bullies Good Family Dogs? Absolutely. Here's Why, you already know that this breed forms some of the most devoted bonds in the canine world. That bond deserves the longest, healthiest runway possible.
And once your puppy comes home, proper nutrition plays a critical supporting role. Our Feeding Your American Bully: A Nutrition Guide covers how diet can help protect joint health and support cardiovascular function throughout your dog's life.
Our Commitment at Monolith of Tenderness
We're an ABKC- and UKC-registered program based in Austin, Texas. Every breeding decision we make starts with health. Not aesthetics. Not color. Not hype. Health first — always.
Our sires and dams carry OFA certifications for hips, elbows, and cardiac function. Our genetic panels are on file and guide every pairing. When you inquire about one of our puppies — like Diesel — Chocolate Tri Male American Bully puppy, Ella — Lilac Tri Female American Bully puppy, or Hazel — Merle Female American Bully puppy — you're not just getting a beautiful dog. You're getting documented, verified proof that we did the work.
Learn more about our philosophy and program at about our breeding program.
Ready to Meet Your Future Best Friend?
Health testing is the foundation. What gets built on top of it — the temperament, the training, the bond you'll spend years deepening — is the life you and your dog get to live together.
If you're ready to see which puppies are currently available, visit our available American Bully puppies and take your time. Every puppy listed comes from health-tested parents, is raised with early neurological stimulation and socialization, and leaves our care with full documentation.
Have questions before you're ready to commit? We love talking to prospective families. Reach out anytime through our contact us page — no pressure, just honest conversation about whether one of our dogs is the right fit for your life.
You deserve a puppy you can trust. We're here to make sure that trust is earned.
