Hips first, with real scores
Hip dysplasia is the screening item every Pointer buyer should start with, because the Pointer is an athletic, heavily exercised breed and poor hips shape a working and running life. Both parents should have been hip scored under a recognised scheme, where the hips are examined on imaging and given a numerical score, and you should be shown the certificates with the scores, the dates, and the parents' identities matching the dogs you are told they are. Lower scores indicate tighter, healthier hips. Ask the breeder how each parent's result compares with what is typical for Pointers, and how those results influenced the decision to breed from that dog at all. A breeder who breeds only from dogs with sound, honestly assessed hips, and who can discuss a higher score elsewhere in the family line without flinching, is giving you the transparency this purchase deserves.
Eyes: current certificates, not old reassurance
Eye screening for Pointers means a formal examination by a veterinary eye specialist under a recognised eye scheme, looking for inherited conditions including progressive retinal atrophy, which causes gradual sight loss. Because some eye conditions develop over time, the date on the certificate matters as much as the result: an examination from several years ago does not describe the dog's eyes now, so look for recent, ideally annually renewed, certificates for both parents. Ask whether any related dogs have developed eye problems later in life, since a breeder who stays in touch with puppy buyers learns things no certificate shows. The same dated-document standard applies here as with hips — see the paperwork, check the names and dates yourself, and be wary of a breeder who describes extensive testing but produces only verbal assurance when asked.
The wider Pointer list a serious breeder will raise
Beyond hips and eyes, a knowledgeable Pointer breeder will be ready to discuss the breed's other recognised concerns. Thyroid problems, including autoimmune thyroid conditions, occur in the breed and some breeders test breeding dogs for thyroid health. Elbow condition matters in a dog expected to run hard for years, and questions about joint soundness in the line are always fair. Epilepsy appears in Pointer lines and has no simple screening test, which makes the breeder's honesty about family history the actual safeguard: ask directly whether seizures have occurred in related dogs and listen carefully to how the question is received. Deafness, including dogs born deaf in one or both ears, is also known in the breed, and hearing testing exists for breeding stock. A breeder who raises these topics before you do is not frightening you off; they are demonstrating the standard.
What to do with the paperwork
Collect copies of every certificate before the puppy comes home, and treat missing documents for a claimed test as the test not having been done. Ask your own vet to review the parents' results at the puppy's first visit; vets welcome family history, and the hip and eye background in particular helps them plan sensible monitoring as a young Pointer's exercise builds towards adult work. Screening never guarantees an individual puppy, and any breeder who promises that it does is overselling, but documented, dated, openly explained results are the difference between managed risk and hope. KinsLe Pet Passport helps by keeping both parents' screening documents together with your Pointer puppy's own records in one portable packet, so the evidence travels with the dog for life.