What Genetic diseases and/or conditions should my breed be screened for?
The following breeds participate in the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) Program. CHIC, working with the breed’s parent club, lists the primary health screening tests that breeders should perform on their stock before breeding. This provides basic information for breeders to make more informed breeding decisions in order to reduce the incidence of inherited disease. The results also provide valuable information for potential puppy buyers looking for responsible breeders that health test their breeding stock.
The lists of breed specific health screening recommendations are not all encompassing. There may be other tests appropriate for each breed. And there may be other genetic diseases of concern for which there are no easily accessible screening protocols. For the participating breeds, the CHIC screening tests list the available tests of primary concern and benefit.
How to Research
- Find a breed below, and click on it to see the diseases and/or conditions which are considered of high importance for screening in that particular breed. The list represents the breeds where the parent club participates in the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) program and has defined a recommended health testing protocol.
- Use the OFA Records Search feature to search the parents and relatives of your potential new puppy or dog by dog name, part of name, breed, disease type, etc. Searching by kennel name may also reveal valuable information about other dogs in this kennel. All dogs that have had an OFA screening test with normal results since 1974 are in the searchable online database. Dogs with abnormal results are in the searchable online database if the owner authorized disclosure. If a dog is not listed in the database, it is fair to assume that the dog has not been screened for genetic disease by the OFA, or had abnormal results. The OFA also has a reciprocal agreement to list any available CERF results on dogs with an OFA record.
What if my breed is not listed below?
If your breed is not listed, it should not be interpreted that no health screening tests are appropriate or available. The list reflects the breeds that are participating in the CHIC program. If your breed is not yet part of the CHIC program, you may be able to find more information about issues of concern for that breed by doing a Google search for the parent breed club. If it is an AKC breed, you can find a link to the parent breed club by finding your breed listing under the “breeds” tab on the AKC website.
