New Cocker Spaniel Health Registry
We are pleased to announce that cooperation between the American Spaniel Club (ASC) and the Orthopedic Foundation For Animals (OFA) has filled an important need to start an American Spaniel Club Health Registry for our breed. Effective immediately we will now use the OFA Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) certification for our Cocker Health Registry! As soon as a cocker two years or older is evaluated by OFA for hips and by a CAER Ophthalmologist for cataracts, they will be eligible for a CHIC number! This will allow anyone to review the health testing information on any cocker and the health status of ALL relatives. The CHIC number is good for the life of the dog, certifying that necessary testing was completed on the animal after age two. Of course, we encourage yearly eye exams afterward, but the baseline information will be available for research and breeding information! Any additional tests such as annual eye exams, PRA testing elbows, or cardiac evaluations can also be recorded. If you have already submitted hips and CAER exams, you already have a CHIC number!
It is easy to get a CHIC number, and doing so establishes that you are a conscientious breeder! Most of us already use OFA to evaluate the hips of our dogs, so you will just continue as usual. Then simply either mail or register the results of your CAER exam with OFA. The cost to the owner is $15 per submission, but if you submit five exams together it is only $10 a submission.
Specifics of the OFA CHIC program can be found on their website here: https://ofa.org/chic-programs/
The Cocker Spaniel CHIC certification page can be found here: https://ofa.org/chic-programs/browse-by-breed/?breed=CS
ASC Foundation and OFA Participation Incentives
To encourage participation in the Health Registry, the ASC Foundation is giving owners a $5 rebate for each OFA CAER submission for the next two years. In January 2025 and January 2026, you will mail in the names of dogs you submitted for CAER to OFA for the previous year. Once verified, the Foundation will issue a rebate check of $5 per CAER registration. Further details on the submission process will be issued as January draws closer. We hope to cut LOTS of checks in 2025 and 2026!!!! And, by the way, think of how simple it will be now to Futurity nominate with a paperless option using your CHIC designations!
Even better, every eye clinic that is registered on the OFA calendar will also give participants in that eye clinic an OFA-issued discount code for $5 off. The process for getting eye clinics on the OFA Calendar is simple and free, so all clinic-giving shows and groups should take advantage of it for the discount code! Use the OFA site to register your clinics.
Together, these incentives can decrease your cost of participation in the Health Registry to $5 per dog. In doing so you are supporting the health of our Cockers by adhering to all the ASC breeding guidelines and it will enable accurate in-depth research into a dog’s relatives and ancestors. This is a REAL opportunity for us to step up to the plate and provide the health information on our dogs that everyone needs and deserves!
ASC and ASCF are excited to share this opportunity with cocker breeders and are anxious to see the increase in CHIC designations. Please address your questions to Lindy Bennett. Foundation and ASC Board member, at askthefoundation@gmail.com or directly to the OFA. We look forward to your participation in this fabulous opportunity to share health information with the fancy!
