As of November 2022, the Eurasier breed is participating in OFA's CHIC Program. This public database can be viewed by anyone interested in the health tests conducted on any given dog, and although submission of health results is not mandated by the USEC, we encourage our breeders to publicize these results in the interest of transparency. Contributing information regarding your dog's health allow for a clear picture of the breed's overall health to be seen clearly.

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To learn more about CHIC, visit OFA.org.

Hip dysplasia in dogs is a condition that affects the hip joint, where the abnormal growth of the joint causes friction between the hip socket and the ball of the femur. This friction leads to degeneration of the joint cartilage, which eventually leads to the development of arthritis in the hips (also known as osteoarthritis, OA, or degenerative joint disease, DJD). Hip dysplasia most typically manifests as lameness; affected dogs may display a reluctance to physical activity, abnormal gait, difficulty with stairs, etc.

In addition to genetics contributing to the occurrence of hip dysplasia, nutrition and other environmental factors can play a part as well.

According to 2020 OFA statistics, 3.2% of Eurasiers whose hips have been evaluated have abnormal results. The USEC requires potential breeding dogs be evaluated under OFA or PennHip prior to breeding. OFA will give a permanent hip rating at 24 months, and only dogs with scores of Fair or better may be bred (Fair should be bred to Good or Excellent only). PennHip can be done as early as 16 weeks but the USEC suggests a minimum of 18 months. Acceptable results for breeding are those dogs who recieve a distraction index (DI) of < 0.5.

Elbow dysplasia in dogs is a condition that affects the elbow joint, where the abnormal growth of the joint and development of the cartilage results in osteoarthritis in the elbow. Dogs affected by elbow dysplasia typically display lameness, decreased range of motion, and outward rotation of the elbows with inward rotation of the limbs. In addition to genetics contributing to the occurrence of elbow dysplasia, nutrition and other environmental factors can play a part as well. According to 2020 OFA statistics, 5.2% of Eurasiers whose elbows have been evaluated have abnormal results. The USEC optionally recommends potential breeding dogs be evaluated under OFA at two years of age prior to breeding. Only dogs with normal results may be bred.

Patellar luxation is a condition where the kneecap (patella) luxates, or pops, out of place as a result of abnormal development of the patella with respect to where it rests on the femur. Dogs affected by patellar luxation will exhibit a skipping gait (in order to pop the patella back in place) or lameness, and the patella will displace when palpated.

According to 2020 OFA statistics, 7.6% of Eurasiers whose patellas have been evaluated have abnormal results, making it the most common among the skeletal conditions to affect Eurasiers. The USEC requires potential breeding dogs be evaluated under OFA from one year of age prior to breeding - only dogs with normal, or, under special circumstances, 1/1 results, may be bred.

Autoimmune thyroiditis is a disorder where the thyroid is attacked and slowly destroyed by the immune system, typically resulting in hypothyroidism. Autoimmune thyroiditis typically manifests between the ages of 2 and 5, though it can manifest later in life. After confirmed manifestation, it can take some time before thyroid function has decreased enough that classic signs of hypothyroidism present in affected dogs. As such, it is important to periodically test dogs who appear normal.

The occurrence of autoimmune thyroiditis is strongly believed to have a heritable component, though certain drugs are suspected to have an effect on thyroid values as well.

According to 2020 OFA statistics, 14.4% of Eurasiers whose thyroid panels were submitted to OFA had abnormal results, with 15.6% reporting equivocal (TgAA range outside of normal, but not high enough to be abnormal; needs retesting) results. This makes thyroid conditions the most common among conditions reported to OFA to affect Eurasiers. Thyroid function in Eurasiers can be tested with a full thyroid panel from various veterinary diagnostic labs. The USEC requires (potential) breeding dogs to be tested within one year of breeding. Breeding dogs who develop a thyroid condition should be removed from breeding programs, and consideration should be taken before determining whether or not immediate descendents should be bred.

HemoLife - Discounted Pricing for USEC Members Dr. Jean Dodds and Hemolife have generously offered the USEC discounted pricing on several tests. The Test Request Form includes the discounted tests you may choose from and also includes instructions on sample collection and shipping. The USEC encourages thyroid testing through Hemolife as they continue to track results for our breed.

Download: USEC Discounted Hemolife Test Request Form​​

• Thyroid Profile 5™ ​- This is the required thyroid test for all breeding USEC Eurasiers (if using Hemolife). This test is also recommended for any Eurasiers, since thyroid is one of the bigger health issues in our breed.

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• Thyroid Gold Registration & Certificate - ​This can be ordered with any of the Hemolife Thyroid Profile 5 tests. This is a more comprehensive test than the OFA thyroid certification. This certificate may be viewed as an extra level of assurance to breeders that dogs do not have autoimmune thyroiditis. This is optional.

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• OFA Thyroid Registry, Expanded Profile​ - This test will provide the required testing profiles for an OFA thyroid certificate. This is optional.

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*Please note that submission instructions are within the Test Request Form. For our international members here are the international shipping instructions.​

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• Other Labs :
  

  • ​Thyroid testing can be done through labs other than Hemopet as long as a TgAA count is given in the results or if the lab can perform an OFA thyroid panel.

  • A list of other labs that are OFA partnered for Thyroid testing are found on the following link: https://www.ofa.org/diseases/other-diseases/hypothyroidism/thyroid-labs

The OFA Dentition Database certifies dogs with all adult teeth are fully erupted. The database does not certify overall dental health, misaligned teeth, or dentition in accordance with a breed standard. The FCI Eurasier Standard lists that missing teeth is either a severe fault or a disqualifying fault depending on which teeth are impacted. Results for dentition check are required to be submitted to OFA for recording. OFA submission is optional for CHIC. Dentition needs only be checked once in a breeding dog's career. "-" indicates any leading number (1 to 4), i.e. missing 101, 201, 301, or 401 are all unacceptable.

Acceptable Results:

• Full

• Missing Teeth (one or more of the following): -05, -06

Unacceptable Results:

• Missing Teeth (any of the following): -01, -02, -03, -04, -07, -08, -09, -10