Health Testing...what's involved and what does it mean?
On this page you will find expanded descriptions of health testing procedures and protocols along with the reasons why such testing is of benefit, not only to the breed as a whole, but to the individual dog and his family. Good animal husbandry practices dictate that health problems should not be "doubled up" when choosing breeding pairings. In order to make intelligent breeding decisions we must know what problems may exist in the dogs. Our breeding dogs can be tested for essentially all the conditions that have been described on the health page. While there is no guarantee that health problems will not crop up, we can certainly tip the odds in our favor by screening our dogs for health issues.
As one of the most proactive dog clubs in the country, the Havana Silk Dog Association of America is committed to promoting and protecting the health of all Havana Silk Dogs and encourages breeders and owners alike to take full advantage of available health screening. Our lovable little dogs are certainly worth it! HSDAA does not offer 'awards' for health testing. Our breeders health test because it's the right thing to do and because of their commitment to better breeding through proper animal husbandry. Passing the CHIC health tests is a requirement for certification of breeding dogs; in addition, several other health screenings are recommended by the HSDAA Health committee and generally performed by HSDAA breeders.
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A simple, inexpensive, painless examination of the eyes performed by an ophthalmologist approved by CERF (Canine Eye Registry Foundation) can detect ocular problems long before they are obvious. It is recommended that all Havana Silk Dogs have this exam annually beginning by one year of age and continuing at least until age 8, if not beyond. Because ocular problems can develop at any age, dogs used for breeding should have current CERFs on file.
Once the exam is done, the ophthalmologist will give you a form that can be sent to CERF to register the exam. You can easily find out if a dog has a current CERF by doing an online search at the CERF website. If the dog is not listed then it does NOT have a current CERF! (Some people mistakenly say a dog has been CERFd when it has had an exam but the results have not been registered with CERF. This is incorrect as CERF means registered with CERF where it is easily verifiable.) Please note that CERF will not list failed exams in the database so if a dog's CERF is out of date it either means that the dog has failed the exam or has not had an exam registered with CERF in the past year. If an owner wishes to have a failed CERF 'on the record', OFA will list failed CERF exams in the OFA database on request of the owner. If your HSD has failed a CERF exam, please consider sharing this information with the HSDAA Health Committee.
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| Scenes of a CERF Exam |
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Hip conformation can be evaluated by radiographing the hips while the dog is on its back with its hind legs extended parallel to each other and to the table. The legs must held in the correct position for the radiograph to be diagnostic. The vast majority of Havana Silk Dogs are cooperative enough for the radiograph to be taken without sedation. While it does require some cooperation by the dog, the positioning is painless and the procedure only takes a few moments. Dogs between one and two can have their radiographs reviewed by OFA and a 'preliminary' rating issued. There appears to be a very high correlation between prelims and final hip scores.
It should be noted that the hormone relaxin, which is produced by bitches during heat and pregnancy, may affect the ligaments, making them more flexible, which hold the head of the femur in the acetabulum. It is not recommended to radiograph bitches when they are in, or close to, or just out of heat, or when pregnant as excess laxity at this time can result in lower ratings, or even a rating of mild subluxation, when the hips would appear normal if radiographed another time.
Another factor that can adversely affect the results of a hip radiograph is improper technique and/or poor positioning. When choosing a veterinarian to radiograph your dog's hips, try to find one experienced in radiographing small dog hips. Traditionally, most of the breeds which undergo regular hip screening are large, muscular dogs and veterinarians used to radiographing these dogs' hips are used to applying significant traction to get the legs in the proper positioning. With small dogs, excess traction can artificially distract the hips and make it appear that there is more laxity than actually exists. This can result in a lower rating/ or failing score. It is important that the dogs be radiographed with a minimum of force applied to the legs. In addition, improper positioning (mostly rotation of the pelvis) can make one side, or the other, appear more lax than it actually is. While it is unlikely that dysplastic hips can be made to appear normal, it is entirely possible to make normal hips appear dysplastic. If your dog's hips receive a diagnosis of 'mild dysplasia' due to subluxation in one or both hips, you might want to consider having radiographs redone using proper technique and positioning.
On dogs at least 2 years old, the radiograph can then be sent to OFA for review by their radiologists. If they determine that the hips are normal, they will issue a certificate and OFA number certifying that the dog has normal hips. The required form can be downloaded from OFA. http://www.offa.org/apps.html When a dog is issued an OFA number, it will be listed on the OFA website and can be verified by online search. http://www.offa.org/search.html You can input the dog's registered name or just choose Havana Silk Dog under "All breeds" if you want to view all listed dogs.
The Foundation dogs in the Havana Silk Dog registry already had hip ratings listed at OFA in the Havanese database. OFA has created a separate database for the Havana Silk Dog so that we can track hips in our breed, separate from the Havanese. This separation is necessary so that we have an accurate view of hip health in our breed. As new testing is done, Silk Dog owners are having the old test results transferred from the Havanese database to the Havana Silk Dog database...this is a 'work in progress' so some dogs may still be listed under Havanese. If you key in the correct, registered name, with no breed chosen, the dog should come up regardless of which database it is in.
While Hip dysplasia is not expected to be a significant issue in the Havana Silk Dog, as our standard calls for conformation less likely to be affected by it, continued monitoring is necessary to eliminate it entirely from the breed. If you have an HSD whose hips failed OFA, please consider reporting this to the HSDAA Health committee.
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Elbow Dysplasia
While not one of the 'required' tests, screening of breeding stock for elbow dysplasia is recommmended by the HSDAA Health committee. Elbow dysplasia can be devastating to the quality of life of an affected dog, causing pain and lameness in the affected elbow. Treatment options are limited, therefore, it is in the best interest of the breed, and the individual dog, to eliminate elbow dysplasia from the breed. While the incidence in the HSD appears to be very low, only continued monitoring will identify affected dogs so that breeders can make informed breeding decisions.
Certification involves taking flexed lateral radiographic views of each elbow and submitting the radiographs to OFA for evaluation. Again, the procedure is painless and can be accomplished without sedation in the majority of HSDs, whose sweet and cooperative nature facilitates most health testing procedures.
If you have a Silk Dog which has been diagnosed with elbow dysplasia, please consider reporting it to the HSDAA Health committee for the database.
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A stethoscope should always be part of an annual physical exam for a Silk Dog. While there is debate about the need for annual vaccinations (there is ample evidence that vaccinations may last longer than one year...see Vaccination page) the annual physical examination is an essential tool for maintaining Silk Dog health. An echocardiogram is a follow up tool that can be used to diagnose heart problems when a murmur or other abnormality is detected on auscultation.
While cardiac abnormalities do not appear to be a significant issue in the HSD, careful and continued monitoring is necessary assess this health issue in our ancestral gene pool. It is recommended that all breeders have their puppies examined by a veterinarian, with special attention to known issues, such as congenital cardiac defects, patella luxation, etc, before they leave for new homes. HSDAA Health committee recommends that breeders provide puppy buyers with a written report by the examining veterinarian. Buyers should be apprised of any findings outside the norm before they take a puppy home so they are fully informed about their new puppy's health and condition.
It should be noted that puppies sometmes have transient heart murmurs that will disappear within a short time. Anything that results in turbulence in blood flow through a valve can cause a murmur. It is important to differentiate the cause of a murmur when making breeding decisions. Examples of non-heritable murmurs include anemia and valvular endocarditis (infection.)
There have been several instances of congenital septal defects (hole in the heart) in Silk Dog puppies. If you have a puppy that has been found to have a congenital cardiac defect, please report it to the HSDAA Health committee for inclusion in the database. Mode of inheritance is thought to be autosomal dominant with incomplete penetrance in several breeds. If you have a dog that has developed valvular degeneration before the age of 9, please share this information with the HSDAA Health committee.
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| Patient Pup BAER tested |
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| Sample Bile Acids Report |
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