Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever: inherited diseases and health

Updated 2026-09-30 · 2 sources

Based on: OMIA (University of Sydney), Wikidata

Breed health

The inherited conditions below have been documented in this breed in published research. That does not mean your dog has them or will get them – but it helps to know the names when you talk to a breeder or a vet.

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and chocolate: how much is dangerous?

Typical adult weight: 17–23 kg. Grams of chocolate at which signs can start (20 mg/kg) and at which severe signs are reported (40 mg/kg):

Dog weight	Milk	Dark 70–85%	Baking / unsweetened
17 kg	170 g signs 340 g severe	42 g signs 85 g severe	24 g signs 49 g severe
23 kg	230 g signs 460 g severe	58 g signs 115 g severe	33 g signs 66 g severe

Based on published doses: signs from about 20 mg/kg, severe signs from 40 mg/kg (US FDA, Cortinovis & Caloni 2016, Swedish Poison Information Centre). An estimate, not a diagnosis.

Check the exact amount with the chocolate calculator →

Inherited conditions documented in the breed

Conditions documented: 13

A gene variant is known for 11 of the conditions below, so a DNA test may exist. Ask your vet or the breed club.

Condition	Body system	Inheritance	Gene variant known
Addison’s disease and multiple autoimmune syndrome, RESF1-related^[1]	Endocrine / exocrine gland (incl mammary gland)	–	Yes
Cardiomyopathy, dilated^[1]	Cardiovascular system	Multifactorial	No
Cardiomyopathy, dilated, LMNA-related^[1]	Cardiovascular system	Probably autosomal recessive	Yes
Cerebellar degeneration-myositis complex, SLC25A12-related^[1]	Nervous system	–	Yes
Choroidal hypoplasia, NHEJ1-related^[1]	Vision / eye	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Cleft lip with or without cleft palate, ADAMTS20-related^[1]	Craniofacial	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Cleft palate 1, DLX6-related^[1]	Digestive / alimentary	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Degenerative encephalopathy, RB1CC1-related^[1]	Nervous system	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Degenerative myelopathy^[1]	Nervous system	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Intervertebral disc disease, predisposition to^[1]	Skeleton (incl. short stature & teeth)	Autosomal dominant	Yes
Progressive rod-cone degeneration, PRCD-related^[1]	Vision / eye	Autosomal recessive	Yes
Skeletal dysplasia, FGF4-retrogene-related^[1]	Skeleton (incl. short stature & teeth)	Autosomal	Yes
Steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis, predisposition to^[1]	Nervous system	–	No

What this list means

“Documented in the breed” means at least one published case or study – it says nothing about how common the condition is.
Many of these conditions are rare. A responsible breeder can tell you which health tests the parents have had.
Where the gene variant is known, a DNA test may exist – ask your vet or the breed club.
If your pet shows signs of illness, contact your vet. This page cannot tell you whether your pet is ill.

About the breed

Origin: Canada
Height: 45–51 cm
Weight: 17–23 kg
FCI number: 312

^[2]

If your pet is struggling to breathe, has collapsed, is having a seizure or can't stand up: go to the nearest vet now.

Not sure how serious it is?

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Sources

How this page was made: the list is taken directly from the sources below; nothing on it was written by AI. Names of conditions may be machine-translated. It is information, not a diagnosis. How we write our pages