|
|
|
|
 |
 |
Summer 2005
Make Informed Breeding Choices with CHIC
By Theresa Shea, editor
 The
Canine Health Information Center, also known as CHIC,
is a centralized canine health database jointly sponsored
by the AKC Canine Health Foundation (AKCCHF) and the
Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA). CHIC provides
a source of health information for owners, breeders
and scientists, that assists in breeding healthy dogs.
The CHIC database, administered by OFA, collects health
information on individual animals from multiple sources.
In order for data to be included in CHIC, test results
must be based on scientifically valid diagnostic criteria.
For breeders, CHIC provides a reliable
information source regarding dogs you may want to
use in your breeding programs. Through CHIC, breeders
can begin to analyze the pedigrees of a proposed breeding
for health strengths and weaknesses as well the traditional
analysis of conformation, type, and performance strengths
and weaknesses.
For buyers, the CHIC program provides
accurate information about the results of a breeder’s health testing. For diseases that
are limited to phenotypic evaluations, there are no
guarantees. However, the probability that an animal
will develop an inherited disease is reduced when
its ancestry has been tested normal. Further, as more
DNA tests become available and the results are entered
into CHIC, the CHIC database will be able to establish
whether progeny will be clear, carriers, or affected.
For parent (or national breed) clubs
considering establishment of health databases on their
own, CHIC provides the answer with no up-front investment
required by the club. The CHIC infrastructure is supplied
and maintained by the OFA. The data is maintained
in a secure environment by trained staff. The services
are not subject to the time, technology, and resource
constraints that parent clubs might face on their
own. 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. For everyone
interested in canine health issues, CHIC is a tool
to monitor disease prevalence and measure progress.
Core to the CHIC philosophy is the realization that
each breed has different health concerns. Not all
diseases have known modes of inheritance. Nor do all
diseases have screening tests. Some screening tests
are based on phenotypic evaluation, others on genetic
testing. With all these variables, a key element of
CHIC is to customize or tailor the CHIC requirements
to the needs of each breed. These unique requirements
are established through input from the parent club
prior to the breed’s entry into the CHIC program.
CHIC operates an informed-consent database. All information
regarding test results remains confidential unless
the owner specifically authorizes release of the information
into the public domain. The goal is to test your breeding
stock, not necessarily to pass the test. Owners are
encouraged to release all test results realizing it
is in the ultimate health interests of the breed and
the information greatly increases the depth and breadth
of any resulting pedigree analysis. For those not
quite ready to accept open sharing of information,
there is still value in submitting 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 the disease as well as information
regarding progress in reducing the incidence of the
disease.
Visit caninehealthinfo.org
to find out more about how you can participate in
CHIC and how it can help you breed better dogs.
|
|
| |
Ronald N. Rella, director,
Breeder Services
Theresa Shea, editor | Email: AKCbreeder@akc.org
| Joanne Beacon, designer
Customer Service | Phone: 919-233-9767 | Email: info@akc.org
© The American Kennel Club 2005 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
