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Entry 289Filed under Breeding

What Health Tests Should Silken Windhound Breeders Provide?

Request written, dated test results for both Silken Windhound parents. Club guidance names eyes, thyroid, heart, MDR1, and CEA; verify results against the current OFA/CHIC checklist.
3-minute read By Animalso Team
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Ask for dated, written health-test results for both the sire and dam—not just a verbal assurance that they are healthy. Silken Windhound club guidance names eye, thyroid, heart, MDR1, and CEA screening; use the current OFA/CHIC breed checklist as the baseline and confirm it, since recommendations can change.

Which health tests should you ask to see?

The Silken Windhound club guidance identifies these screening topics for breeding dogs. Ask the breeder for each parent’s individual report, including the date, evaluator or laboratory, and actual result.

Screening What to request What to know
Eyes Recorded ophthalmic examination result for each parent. OFA and the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists publish Silken Windhound ocular screening information. The screening result is not a guarantee against every eye disorder.
Thyroid The individual report and date for each parent. The club guidance names thyroid screening but does not specify an assay. Check the current CHIC protocol or ask a veterinarian which test applies.
Heart The individual report and date for each parent. The club guidance names heart screening but does not specify a cardiac modality. Confirm the current protocol rather than assuming a particular test.
MDR1 Each parent’s genetic test result. MDR1 is relevant to drug sensitivity; ask for the actual result, not a general statement about health.
CEA Each parent’s appropriate test result. OFA identifies Silken Windhounds among CEA-affected breeds and describes a DNA test. The test covers the CEA-associated choroidal hypoplasia mutation; it does not rule out all eye disease.

The list above reflects club-described screening topics, not a claim that it is exhaustive. Recommendations and protocols may change, so compare the records with the live OFA/CHIC checklist before deciding whether testing is complete.

How to check the records

  1. Get both registered names. Ask for the sire’s and dam’s registered names so you can search their records in the OFA database.
  2. Match each result to the dog. Check that the record identifies the correct parent and includes the test, date, evaluator or laboratory, and result.
  3. Request documents for anything not public. If a result is absent from OFA, ask for the original certificate or report and verify those same details.
  4. Compare with the current checklist. Check the OFA/CHIC breed recommendations and clarify any missing test or unclear report with the breeder and, if needed, a veterinarian.

The International Silken Windhound Society (ISWS) advises buyers to ask breeders about testing and to look up both parents’ OFA results. A breeder’s willingness to explain records is useful, but it does not replace the records themselves.

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What a CHIC number does—and does not—tell you

OFA says, “A dog achieves CHIC Certification if it has been screened for every disease recommended by the parent club for that breed and those results are publicly available in the database.” A CHIC number therefore indicates completion and public disclosure under the recommendations in effect for that program.

It is not an all-clear: CHIC does not mean every result is normal, nor does screening guarantee that a dog will never develop an inherited condition. Look at the individual entries and confirm that they match current Silken Windhound recommendations.

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Ask separately about copper-toxicosis variants

The Silken Windhound Club of America describes an ISWS health research effort screening the breed for copper-toxicosis variants, with testing routes through UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory and Embark. Ask whether the breeder has results or participates in the project. The available club guidance does not establish this as a CHIC requirement, so treat it as a separate research effort rather than a mandatory checklist item.

Questions to ask the breeder

  • What health testing have you done on both parents, and may I see the reports?
  • What are their registered names so I can check their OFA records?
  • Do the records cover eyes, thyroid, heart, MDR1, and CEA, and do they align with the current OFA/CHIC recommendations?
  • Do you have copper-toxicosis variant results or participate in the ISWS project?
  • If either parent has a CHIC number, can you show me the individual test results as well?
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What the published eye-screening counts mean

An OFA/ACVO ocular disorders report lists 539 Silken Windhound eye examinations from 1993–2018 and 588 from 2019–2023. These are examination counts, not a representative sample of all Silken Windhounds, and they do not establish breed-wide disease prevalence.

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