OFA-CHIC Health Testing Requirements
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), working with the breed's parent club, recommends the following basic health screening tests for all breeding stock. Dogs meeting these basic health screening requirements will be issued Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) numbers. For CHIC certification, all results do not need to be normal, but they must all be in the public domain so that responsible breeders can make more informed breeding decisions.
For potential puppy buyers, CHIC certification is a good indicator the breeder responsibly factors good health into their selection criteria. The breed specific list below represents the basic health screening recommendations. It is not all encompassing. There may be other health screening tests appropriate for this breed. And, there may be other health concerns for which there is no commonly accepted screening protocol available.
Required Bloodhound Screening Tests
| Condition | Test |
|---|---|
|
Hip Dysplasia |
|
|
Elbow Dysplasia |
|
|
Cardiac |
Cardiac exam by a board certified Cardiologist Specialist or Cardiologist exam is recommended and preferred. The examiner is shown as: P-Practitioner, S-Specialist, or C-Cardiologist. An ECHO suffix indicates the exam included echocardiography. |
Optional Bloodhound Screening Tests
| Condition | Test |
|---|---|
|
Eyes |
|
|
Patellar Luxation |
|
|
Hip Dysplasia |
|
|
Degenerative Myelopathy |
Notes
In addition to the breed specific requirements above, a CHIC requirement across all participating breeds is that the dog must be permanently identified via microchip or tattoo in order to qualify for a CHIC number.
CHIC numbers generate automatically within 1 to 2 weeks after all the required test results have been registered with the OFA.
For dogs residing outside the US or Canada, owners may submit their country's equivalent health screening results for listing on the OFA website. These requests are reviewed on a case by case basis and fees apply. Once these results have been recorded with the OFA, owners may request CHIC numbers if they've met all the CHIC requirements through regular registrations or international equivalents. These requests are handled on a case by case basis.