OFA CHIC Program
As of January 2014
Staffordshire Bull Terriers are now a CHIC Breed!
Background on CHIC: CHIC (Canine Health Information Center) is a centralized database that works with AKC and other purebred breed Parent Clubs to provide resources for breeders and owners of purebred dogs by researching and maintaining information on certain health issues found in specific breeds. CHIC is sponsored by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) foundation formed in 1966.
For CHIC participation, a breed’s Parent Club must designate certain health screening tests as “Required”, and may designate others as “Optional.” To obtain a CHIC number for a particular dog, a dog owner must have their dog tested using all designated Required CHIC health screens for that particular breed, and allow this information to be included in the OFA CHIC public domain database. The owner can obtain a CHIC number on a dog regardless of the test results; a dog with abnormal results can be given a CHIC number as long as all “Required” tests are performed, and the owner consents to inclusion of all of the results in the OFA CHIC public domain database.
Participation by breeders and owners to obtain CHIC numbers for their dogs is voluntary. Currently, there are over 180 breeds enrolled in the CHIC program.
Required and Optional tests for Staffordshire Bull Terriers
To receive a CHIC number, there are five “Required” tests for a Staffordshire Bull Terrier for which results must be submitted to OFA; two additional tests are classified as “Optional”:
Required
- Hip Dysplasia: REQUIRED; OFA Evaluation – or – PennHIP Evaluation
- Eye Examination by a boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist – minimum age 1 year: REQUIRED; Results registered with CERF – or – Results registered with OFA
- L2HGA (L-2-Hydroyglutaric acidurea): REQUIRED; DNA Test
- Hereditary Cataracts (Juvenile Cataracts): REQUIRED; DNA Test
- Elbow Dysplasia: REQUIRED; OFA Evaluation
Optional
- Patellar Luxation: OPTIONAL; OFA Evaluation
- Congenital Cardiac Database: OPTIONAL; OFA Evaluation
As a greater number of DNA-based disease tests become available, a policy regarding the clearing of offspring out of DNA tested parents has become necessary. For direct mutation gene tests only, the OFA will issue clearances to untested offspring:
– If the sire and dam have both been DNA tested “Clear,”
– If the sire and dam’s DNA disease test results have been OFA registered, and
– If all three (sire/dam/offspring) have been DNA identity profiled and parentage verified.The DNA profile paperwork must be submitted along with a completed OFA DNA-based disease application. The resulting OFA certification will have a suffix of “CBP” (clear by parentage), indicating that the dog itself was not tested and that the clearance was based on the sire and dam’s test results, and known science at the time. Because of the possibility of new mutations or as of yet undiscovered gene mutations, only first generation offspring will be cleared.
For linkage or marker based tests where a margin of error including both false positives and negatives exists, the OFA will not issue any clearances to untested dogs.
DNA-based disease screening is an evolving area. This policy is subject to change by action of the OFA Board of Directors as technology and science advance.
https://www.ofa.org/about/policies/clear-by-parentage
Search the CHIC database for information on a specific dog or breed: Simply go to the CHIC Search page, and narrow the search down by the information desired. For example, to see a listing of all Staffordshire Bull Terriers who have received a CHIC number, select “Staffordshire Bull Terrier” in the Breed scroll box, and click “Begin Search”. Clicking on an individual name of the dog provided will allow you to view additional information on that dog, and any recorded information on its sire, dam, or siblings contained in the OFA database.
For additional information, please see the about CHIC webpage as well as CHIC’s FAQ page.