What’s a CHIC#?
There’s a bit of a dog health theme in my writing lately. The series of blogs on purebred dog health and health testing was inspired by a number of things, including the enquiries we've received and conversations I've had with people looking for a breeder to work with. This blog aims to break down what a CHIC Certification number is to hopefully inform prospective puppy buyers about not only how we approach the health of our dogs, but also the resources available to them when they conduct their research leading up to their choice of the breeder of their next puppy.
OFA
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) established the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) program “…to research and maintain information on the health issues prevalent in specific breeds” (ofa.org/chic-programs/). In partnership with breed parent clubs and leadership groups, CHIC uses the recommended health screening data to maintain a central database system to support owners, breeders and researchers. The more information in CHIC’s database system, the more we know about how health issues affect our breeds.
When an owner and/or breeder completes all required health tests for their dog and submits the results to OFA so they may become a publicly available part of the database, the dog receives a CHIC Certification number.
Why Do Different Breeds Have Different CHIC-Required Tests?
Each breed has its own unique set of health issues that have the greatest impact on the health of the breed. Breed parent clubs, such as the German Shorthaired Pointer Club of America (GSPCA) and the Welsh Springer Spaniel Club of America (WSSCA), work with OFA and CHIC to establish the list of diseases that most commonly affect their breeds. These are the diseases that owners must test for in order for their dog to receive a CHIC Certification number. Here are the requirements for our breeds:
CHIC Requirements for German Shorthaired Pointers
The German Shorthaired Pointer Club of Canada (GSPCC) recommends that its members participate in the CHIC program. The following tests are required for GSPs to receive a CHIC Certification number.
Hip Dysplasia
One of the following:
OFA Radiographic Hip Evaluation OR
PennHip Evaluation with results registered with OFA
Cardiac Evaluation (Min Age 24 Months)
One of the following:
Congenital Cardiac Exam by Cardiologist
Advanced Cardiac Exam
Basic Cardiac Exam by Cardiologist
ACVO Eye Exam
Annual Eye Examinations until (until six years old) with results registered with OFA
Cone Degeneration
DNA Based Cone Degeneration test results from an approved lab with results registered with OFA
Elbow Dysplasia
OFA Radiographic Elbow Evaluation
CHIC Requirements for Welsh Springer Spaniels
The Welsh Springer Spaniel Club of Canada (WSSCC) recommends that its members, particularly its breeder members, participate in the CHIC program. The following tests are required for WSS to receive a CHIC Certification.
Example of a radiograph sent to OFA for hip evaluations.
Hip Dysplasia
One of the following:
OFA Radiographic Hip Evaluation OR
PennHIP Evaluation with results registered with OFA
ACVO Eye Exam
Eye examination by the age of 2, then at ages 5 and 7
Autoimmune Thyroiditis
OFA evaluation from an approved laboratory. Recommended testing intervals at ages 2, 3, 5 and 7
Elbow Dysplasia
OFA Radiographic Elbow Evaluation
Benefits of Participating in the CHIC Program
The CHIC Program benefits breeders, buyers, parent clubs and researchers. Breeders are better able to use data to not only select individual dogs to use in their breeding programs, but also to make decisions about how to more effectively shape the future health of their breeding programs. Buyers have access to health information on specific dogs whose offspring they may be considering purchasing or various breeds they are considering, giving them the ability to make more informed decisions. Breed parent clubs have access to robust datasets that give them detailed information on the health concerns in their breeds and the ability to better educate their membership and the general public. Researchers not only have access to the data CHIC maintains as input for their research studies, but also to inform areas of need for future research projects. Ultimately, because of the commitment of all parties to participate in the program and of OFA/CHIC to continue their important work, our understanding of the current health of breed populations as well as the positive impact of the future health of purebred dogs is positively impacted.
Who Can Participate?
Breed parent clubs that directly participate are AKC affiliated clubs, however, where breeds are not represented by an AKC breed parent club, CHIC works with leadership groups of those breeds.
Any individual, regardless of their location, can complete the required testing on their dogs, submit to OFA and participate in the CHIC program. The data captured from our participation benefits our breeds globally.
For more information on the CHIC program, visit https://ofa.org/chic-programs/.
This article was originally written by Emily MacKinnon for the Sept 2024 issue of Canadian Welshie Tales, the Welsh Springer Spaniel Club of Canada’s official publication. The article was adapted to include information on both Welsh and Shorthairs.