Breeding Healthy and Structurally Correct Corgi's is or number one priority at Hickory Hill Farm. 

We test all of our breeding dogs for multiple different health conditions.

Every one of our dogs gets a full panel Health and Trait genetic test.  

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You can see all of our Dogs testing results on "OUR CORGI'S" page or "UPCOMING LITTERS" page.

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Note: If a dog is a carrier, they are not affected by the Health Condition. A Carrier means that they carry the gene for the health condition, and if bred to another carrier, then 25% of their litter will be affected by the Health Condition. We never breed a carrier to a carrier. None of our puppies will ever be affected by any of these common corgi Health Conditions

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There are 5 specific health conditions that are most common in corgis, DM, EIC and VWD1.

Read below and see the chart at the bottom to see what the diseases are, and how they can affect the dogs.

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Degenerative Myelopathy, DM

What is DM?

The dog equivalent of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, DM is a progressive degenerative disorder of the spinal cord. Because the nerves that control the hind limbs are the first to degenerate, the most common clinical signs are back muscle wasting and gait abnormalities.

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Exercise-Induced Collapse

What is EIC?

EIC has been linked to a mutation in the DNM1 gene, which codes for the protein dynamin. In the neuron, dynamin trucks neurotransmitter-filled vesicles from the cell body, where they are generated, to the dendrites. It is hypothesized in dogs affected with EIC, the mutation in DNM1 disrupts efficient neurotransmitter release, leading to a cessation in signalling and EIC.

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Progressive Retinal Atrophy, rcd3

What is PRA-rcd3 ?

PRA-rcd3 is a retinal disease that causes progressive, non-painful vision loss. The retina contains cells, called photoreceptors, that collect information about light and send signals to the brain. There are two types of photoreceptors: rods, for night vision and movement, and cones, for day vision and color. This type of PRA leads to early loss of rod cells, leading to night blindness before day blindness.

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Von Willebrand Disease Type I

What is Type I vWD?

Von Willebrand Disease (vWD) is a type of coagulopathy, a disorder of blood clotting. vWD is characterized into three types based on clinical severity, serum levels of vWF, and vWF multimer composition. Dogs with Type I vWD have low vWF levels, normal multimer composition, and variable clinical signs.

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X-linked Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, X-SCID

What is X-SCID ?

SCID dogs cannot produce functional B-lymphocytes, the cells responsible for producing antibodies and long-term "memory" of infection, as well as T-lymphocytes, which can act to destroy infected cells as well as direct other immune cells to do their job. In the absence of a functional immune system, they are extremely susceptible to infections.