DOB: September 05, 2018
SIRE: CH Gribouille Des Falaises D'Fort Les Bans
DAM: GCH CH Mignonette De La Vie En Rose
BREEDER: Erica Henner Max
What is a CHIC number?
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) has a list of recommended health tests for each breed in its database. CHIC stands for Canine Health Information Center. In order to obtain a CHIC number, a dog must have been tested for each of the recommended tests for its respective breed and have those results listed on the public OFA database. Once these tests have been completed and results published, OFA will issue that dog a CHIC number to reflect that it has met the minimal level of health testing recommended for the breed.
PLEASE NOTE: A dog does NOT have to have passing results for each of the recommended tests in order to obtain a CHIC number. A dog may have failing results for one or more of the recommended health tests and still be issued a CHIC number, but those failed results must be publicly available in the OFA database.
If a dog does NOT have a CHIC number, that means the dog's owner has not yet completed the minimum level of recommended health testing, OR they have chosen to withhold failed results from the public database.
What's in a CHIC number?
Click the tabs below to learn more about the health tests recommended for the Berger Picard. All of these tests must be completed for a Berger Picard to obtain their CHIC number.
One requirement for a CHIC number in Picards is assessment of their hips. There are two acceptable methods of hip evaluation: OFA and PennHIP. Each method requires radiographs (x-rays) taken of the dog's hips.
For OFA, the dog must be at least 24 months of age for an official rating. Any evaluation of hips prior to this age through OFA is a preliminary evaluation. OFA requires only one image of the hips to be submitted, an example of which is shown to the right. Upon submission to OFA, a panel of veterinarians evaluate and rate the hips. There are three categories of ratings, with different ratings in each:
BORDERLINE
NORMAL
-
Excellent
-
Good
-
Fair
DYSPLASTIC
-
Mild
-
Moderate
-
Severe
To learn more about OFA hip ratings, click HERE.
For PennHIP, three radiographs are needed. These images are scored based on calculations taken from the various images and is generally more objective than OFA. PennHIP imaging can ONLY be performed by veterinarians who have been certified in the PennHIP technique. Once submitted, each hip joint is given a numerical rating referred to as a Distraction Index (DI). The hips are also assessed for evidence of osteoarthritis (OA). An example of the three images required are below:
Distraction View
Compression View
Extension View
To learn more about PennHIP ratings, click HERE.