CHIC and Your Chesapeake
What is CHIC? CHIC (Canine Health Information Center) is a database created to track health issues within a breed. CHIC is a joint venture between OFA and AKC’s Canine Health Foundation. Any breed can participate in CHIC, as long as their Parent Club has applied to participate.
The CHIC database was designed as an open database. That means an owner can release information on their dog’s health tests if they choose, regardless of the results of those tests. The CHIC database was designed to benefit researchers, breeders, and buyers. Researchers can benefit by having data available to them on a breed or condition for which they are planning a research study. A researcher doing a study on a specific disease can easily locate dogs that have the disease, and obtain population information (How many dogs? Do they have similar pedigrees?) that will help with study design.
Breeders and puppy buyers benefit by being able to see at a glance the pedigrees and health information on dogs they may be interested in breeding or buying. Breeders can use the information to plan breedings that will allow them to avoid deleterious genes, while still producing quality animals. Buyers can buy with confidence, knowing they are dealing with breeders who take health into consideration when planning breedings.
Each Parent Club which participates in the CHIC program decides which health issues are important to their breed. The club then submits a list to CHIC of the tests needed to get CHIC certification. The list can be subdivided into "required" tests and "optional" tests. Those which the Parent Club believes are key to the health of the breed would go on the "required" list. A club may elect to list "optional" tests; those which are available and recommended by the club, but not absolutely required.
What is CHIC certification? A CHIC certificate is issued to every dog which has had all the tests on the "required" list. A dog does not need to "pass" the tests in order to get a CHIC certificate. However, the owner must elect to release the dog’s information publicly to the database, and the dog must have permanent identification in the form of a tattoo or microchip. An owner may put their dog’s data in the database, but NOT release it publicly, if they choose. This will allow the data to be tallied, but breeders, researchers, and other members of the public cannot access specific information, such as the dog's name or pedigree data. Also, dogs whose information is not released to the open database will not be given a CHIC number.
The ACC has elected to participate in CHIC. Currently, the tests listed under "required" include hips (OFA, OVC, or PennHip), elbows (OFA or OVC), and annual eye exam registered with CERF. A dog will be issued a CHIC number and report if it has had hips and elbows x-rayed and submitted to one of the three organizations listed, and has had eyes checked and registered with CERF. Each year after that, the dog will be re-issued a report, each time it is re-CERFed, until 7 years of age, at which point that dog will be given a permanent CHIC number.
Optional tests for Chessies include cardiac, thyroid, and the prcd-PRA test through OptiGen. While not required, the heart and thyroid tests will help generate data on conditions which have been of concern to ACC members. The OptiGen test allows us to be able to breed dogs which may be affected with PRA or which are carriers, without the fear of producing affected puppies.
What does it cost? OFA and CERF data are automatically entered in the CHIC database. There is no fee associated with this. If an owner wishes to include OVC or PennHip information, the owner pays a one-time $25 fee, and must also include the results and a signed note from the owner stating that these results are to be included in the database. If a dog is affected, the fee is waived, but the owner must sign a release if they wish the information to be made public.
As more information becomes available, a Parent Club may decide to add or drop one or more tests from the breed’s CHIC profile. Even if the test profiles change, dogs which have been previously issued a CHIC number will not need to do additional tests. Once a dog has been issued a CHIC number, it is permanent, even if in the future, ACC decides to include other tests under the "required" category.
In addition to the database, CHIC also offers DNA banking services to participating Parent Clubs. This will allow Chessie breeders to store their dogs’ DNA to be used in future research efforts, even long after those dogs are gone. This will allow a wider participation of animals; this is especially important in numerically small breeds such as the Chessie. DNA samples may be either cheek swab or blood samples. The cost is $5 per dog for cheek swabs, and $20 per dog for blood samples. The samples will be stored indefinitely, and made available on a limited basis, to researchers only.
CHIC FAQ | 
