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The New CHIC Registry

Program Approved by BTCA Board of Directors

For the past several years the AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF), in a joint venture with the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), has piloted a registry program for genetic problems using four breeds in its initial phases. CHIC logo

Now this program has been made available for all breeds of dogs to participate in under the name of CHIC (Canine Health Information Program). Upon the recommendation of the BTCA Health Committee, the BTCA Board of Directors has approved participation in this new program. Boston Terriers will be the 14th breed to sign up for this new registry. This registry is patterned after some of the European registries that have been successful in reducing genetic disease in countries like Sweden.

The CHIC mission is to serve as a source of health information for owners, breeders and scientists with the objective of assisting in the breeding of healthier dogs. Success of the Boston Terrier registry will depend upon the participation of those who support the future health of our breed.

CHIC'S GOALS:

To work with parent clubs in the identification of health issues for which a central information system has been established.
To establish and maintain a central health information system in a manner that will support research into canine diseases and provide health information to owners and breeders.
To establish scientifically valid diagnostic criteria for the acceptance of information into the data base.
To base the availability of information on individually identified dogs at the consent of the owner.

CHIC BENEFITS:

For Breeders - Permanent identification and central data storage provides breeders with a reliable source of information about dogs they may be planning on using in their breeding programs.

For buyers - Breeders can provide copies of CHIC reports for new puppy owners and other breeders, or refer them to the CHIC website for accurate information about the results of their testing.

For Researchers - The database serves as a resource for scientists who need accurate or multiple generations of dogs.

CHIC FEES Here is the really good news: All test results from the OFA and CERF are entered into the CHIC registry AUTOMATICALLY at NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE . All data from both of these registries will be available for researchers working on canine health problems.

BOSTON TERRIER REGISTRY

The initial CHIC Registry for Boston Terriers will consist of the same genetic problems that are currently required for BTCA CERTIFICATION:
OFA Patellas
CERF Eye examination.
OFA Hearing Registry for BAER TESTED dogs - Hearing dogs will be charged $15 for OFA registration.

There will be a special fee of $30 when litters of 3 pups or more are sent into the registry. Deaf Bostons will be entered into this registry at NO CHARGE. The Deafness registry for BAER is under development and should be available in the near future. In the next issue of the Coast to Coast more details will be presented on this new hearing registry for Boston Terriers. The issuance of the CHIC report is not subject to the dog having all normal results. The issuance of the CHIC report is for the dog that has been tested for the specified inherited diseases that have been deemed significant health concerns by the parent breed club. The information provided should be utilized accordingly. Depending on the intended use of the dog, normal and abnormal results will have different implications.

OPERATING GUIDELINES:

Parent Clubs- The active involvement of parent breed clubs in the identification and management of breed-specific health issues in a central information system is essential to the success of CHIC. The Parent Club shares in the responsibility to disseminate information on the CHIC program and encourage and secure membership participation.

Data - The data entered and maintained in CHIC must be accessible and useful for authorized scientific research into canine diseases and be maintained in a format that makes such information available to interested owners and breeders.

Informed Consent Data Base - All test information will be available in aggregate for statistical reporting purposes but will not be released to the public unless the owner provides written consent.

Identification - All dogs must have permanent identification in the form of Tattoo or Microchip.

DNA Storage - CHIC will offer DNA storage services. This will facilitate research on affected families, and will enable post mortem testing as additional tests become available. Additional Tests - The parent club may add additional tests to this data base if this appears to be in the interest of breed health. Open Registry - The most useful kind of registry for a breed is an OPEN registry where both clear and affected dogs are registered. This is a "SEMI-OPEN" registry because each individual owner needs to agree in writing that these records may go into the OPEN data base and be made available to all interested persons. If breeders are going to be able to successfully reduce genetic disease through studying pedigrees, they must have access to data on both clear and diseased dogs. More important to the elimination of polygenic disease than the data from parents and grandparents is "breadth of pedigree" information showing both clear and affected siblings. Over time it is hoped that sibling data for problems like Patellar Luxation can also be developed in this registry. Although breeders will be encouraged to enter the records of their affected dogs, NO records will be made public without the written consent of the owner at the time they file their OFA report. The establishment of the CHIC registry for Boston Terriers is regarded by the Health Committee of the BTCA as a giant step forward in the battle against genetic disease in Boston Terriers if there is good participation by Boston Terrier owners. This new registry has the strong support of the AKC and the CHF. (The GDC Registry at Davis, CA has now essentially been integrated into the OFA./CHIC program)

Detailed information on the CHIC program can be found on the Internet at this website:
www.caninehealthinfo.org

BTCA Health Committee