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The Poodle Club of Massachusetts
Health Testing

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Health Testing and Litter listing policy.
    The following proposal was voted on and accepted by the PCM Board on 8/22/2018, to go into effect Jan 1, 2019.
  • If both Sire and Dam have CHIC numbers on OFA, the litter can be posted once pregnancy is confirmed by x-ray or ultrasound.
  • If only Dam has CHIC number, then litter can be posted, but must be on the ground before it can be posted.
  • If the Dam has no CHIC number, then the litter can’t be posted.


What is OFA?
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is a not for profit organization that aims to research and prevent orthopedic and hereditary diseases in companion animals.
OFA has health databases on a wide range of diseases including hip and elbow dysplasia, patellar luxation, Legg-Calve-Perthes, thyroid, cardiac, sebaceous adenitis, etc.
The OFA website https://www.ofa.org/ provides a central location to store and lookup test results.

What is a CHIC number?
A dog achieves CHIC Certification if
1) it has been screened for every disease recommended by the parent club for that breed and
2) the dog is permanently identified by microchip or tattoo and
3) those results are publicly available in the OFA database.


What is the goal of this policy?
Ensure that the breeder of puppies who are listed on PCM website have, at a minimum, health tested their dam to meet CHIC requirements, and even better, have bred to a sire that is also health tested.

Who does this benefit?
Breeders, puppy buyers and Performance people.
Tests recommended by our parent club, Poodle Club of America, for each of our varieties.
    Toys:
  • Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) DNA Test: DNA based test from an approved lab
  • Eye Exam by a boarded ACVO ophthalmologist (results registered with OFA or CERF)
  • Patellar Luxation: OFA Evaluation
    Minis:
  • Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) DNA Test: DNA based test from an approved lab
  • Eye Exam by a boarded ACVO ophthalmologist (results registered with OFA or CERF)
  • Patellar Luxation: OFA Evaluation, minimum age 1 year
  • Hip Dysplasia (one of the following):
    • OFA Evaluation
    • OVC Evaluation
    • Penn HIP Evaluation
    Standards:
  • Hip Dysplasia (one of the following):
    • OFA Evaluation
    • OVC Evaluation
    • Penn HIP Evaluation
  • Eye Exam by a boarded ACVO ophthalmologist (results registered with OFA or CERF)
  • Health Elective (one of the following):
    • OFA Thyroid Evaluation from an approved lab
    • OFA SA Evaluation from an approved derma pathologist
    • Congenital Cardiac Exam
    • Advanced Cardiac Exam
04-25-2024
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