CANINE HEALTH INFORMATION CENTER 

Providing a source of health information for owners, breeders, and scientists that will assist in breeding healthy dogs.

Bouviers were enrolled in  CHIC in 2007

 Bouvier fanciers are fortunate that the Bouvier Health Foundation (BHF) recommended to the ABdFC Board of Governors that the Bouvier breed be enrolled in CHIC. CHIC works with parent clubs to identify health screening protocols appropriate for individual breeds.

The CHIC database, which consolidates health screening results from multiple sources, is co-sponsored by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) and the AKC Canine Health Foundation. Dogs tested in accordance with requirements established by their parent club, and with the test results registered in the public domain, are issued CHIC numbers.

CHIC requires permanent identification with either tattoo or microchip for all individual animals in enrolled breeds. The health tests currently required for the Bouvier are hips, elbows, cardiac certification by OFA, and eye certification by CERF.

OFA or CERF test results automatically are included in the AKC/CHIC database and can be included in an individual dog’s CHIC report at no charge. Abnormal results are included in a CHIC report and published only if the dog’s owner checks the box on the form allowing for their release. Dogs with abnormal results not authorized for release will not be issued a CHIC number, but dogs with abnormal reports authorized for release will be issued a CHIC number.

Results from other recognized registries, such as PennHIP, GDC, OVC, or parent club maintained databases, can be included for a one time fee of $25. Any additional results after the one time fee is paid are recorded at no charge. Additionally, there is no charge when entering results on an affected animal from a non-CERF/OFA source.

Breed specific requirements remain flexible after a breed is enrolled in the CHIC program. The breed specific requirements can be modified as health priorities within a breed change or as new screening tests become available. A CHIC number issued to a dog that completed all tests required at the time are not revoked if breed specific requirements are change.

When all the required test results have been registered appropriately, the CHIC number should generate automatically. There may be a short lag between recording the last required test and issuance of a CHIC number because the program that identifies newly qualified CHIC dogs typically is run only two to three times a month. If it has been more than 4 weeks since the registration of the last test result for a dog and you haven’t yet received the CHIC number, you may email <chic (at) ofa (dot) org> to inquire about the dog’s status.

CHIC NUMBERS ARE NOT A REFLECTION OF NORMALCY
AND THEREFORE NOT A “STAMP OF APPROVAL” FOR BREEDING PURPOSES.

CHIC is not about normalcy. The CHIC registry exists to encourage both health testing and sharing of all results, normal and abnormal, so that more informed breeding decisions can be made in an effort to reduce the incidence of genetic disease and improve canine health.

The CHIC web site is user friendly and very easy to navigate.

To access the information about a dog on the CHIC web site the user does not have to know the registration number, or even the entire registered name.

The CHIC web page for a specific dog lists the health testing results of that dog. It also gives results for the sire and dam and all half-sibs of that dog for which the owners have checked the box to allow release of test results. Another page will generate a three-generation pedigree containing test results that have been released by owners of those ancestors.

WHAT IS THE USEFULNESS OF CHIC?

For breeders, CHIC provides a reliable source of information regarding dogs they may use in their breeding programs.

For buyers, the CHIC program provides accurate information about the results of a breeder’s health testing.

For parent clubs, the CHIC infrastructure is supplied and maintained by the OFA. The data is maintained in a secure environment by trained staff. This frees parent clubs to focus on their core strengths of identifying health concerns, educating their membership, and encouraging participation in the CHIC program.

For researchers, CHIC provides confidential and accurate aggregate information on multiple generations of dogs.

CHIC information will also be useful for epidemiological studies enhancing our knowledge of health issues affecting all breeds of dogs.

A club may also use the CHIC program to maintain information on additional health issues for anecdotal purposes. Later, as screening tests become available, the disease may be added to the breed specific requirements.

INFORMED CONSENT

CHIC operates an informed consent database. All information regarding test results remains confidential unless the owner specifically authorizes the release of the information into the public domain. The robustness of CHIC is enhanced as owners recognize that releasing all test results contributes to the genetic health of the breed by greatly increasing the potential for pedigree analysis.

For those not quite ready to accept open sharing of information, there is still value in submitting their results

All test information entered into the database is available in aggregate for research and statistical reporting purposes, but does not disclose identification of individual dogs. This results in improved information on the prevalence of disease, as well as information regarding progress in reducing the incidence of disease.

Dogs who have both OFA database listings and CHIC certification are now cross-referenced from the OFA site. Dogs who have a CHIC number will be listed in the OFA database with the CHIC logo, which will be linked to their information in the CHIC database. This will help breeders and owners using both sites to find health data on dogs.CHIC manages a database that requires owners' consent for the release of any information regarding test results. All test results are confidential unless the owner specifically authorizes their release into the public domain. Releasing all test results helps breeders analyze pedigrees and significantly contributes to the genetic health of the breed. Owners who are not ready to share their results publicly can still submit them.

 All test information entered into the database is available for research and statistical reporting purposes. It does not disclose the identity of individual dogs, which results in improved information on the prevalence of disease. Moreover, it also provides information on the progress made in reducing the incidence of disease.

Dogs that are both OFA database-listed and CHIC certified are now cross-referenced from the OFA site. Dogs with a CHIC number will be listed in the OFA database with the CHIC logo, which will be linked to their information in the CHIC database. This will help breeders and owners who use both sites to find health data on dogs.