Health & Health Testing in Staffordshire Bull Terriers
“Health tested” should be something a breeder can show you, not something you are asked to take on faith.
Before buying a Stafford puppy — and certainly before breeding a Stafford — ask to see the actual results and verify them in the public databases where possible. Clear communication about health is not an insult to a breeder. It is part of responsible breeding.
Current SBTCA / OFA CHIC screening
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club of America currently identifies the following as required components of the breed’s CHIC program:
- Hip evaluation by OFA or PennHIP
- Eye examination by a boarded veterinary ophthalmologist, with results registered appropriately
- L-2-Hydroxyglutaric Aciduria (L2-HGA) DNA test
- Hereditary Cataracts DNA test
- OFA elbow evaluation
Additional testing may be appropriate for an individual breeding program or pedigree. Wavemaker has often completed screening beyond the CHIC minimum when we believed the information was useful.
What a CHIC number means
A CHIC number is valuable because it shows that the breed-specific required tests were completed and that results were released to the public database. It does not mean every result was perfect. Read the individual results.
Clear by parentage
For recessive DNA conditions, clear-by-parentage can be legitimate when the necessary parents and ancestry are documented as genetically clear. If a breeder relies on clear-by-parentage, you should be able to follow the paperwork that supports it. When the chain of documentation is uncertain, direct testing removes the uncertainty.
Health is larger than a test panel
No screening program can guarantee a perfectly healthy puppy. Tests reduce known risks and give breeders better information; they do not eliminate biology, chance or conditions for which no useful screening test exists.
We also pay attention to longevity, allergies and skin, dentition, breathing, orthopedic soundness, fertility, temperament and patterns that appear across relatives. A responsible breeding decision uses all the information available, not just the certificates that produce the nicest marketing graphic.
Ask questions. Verify records. And choose a breeder willing to have an adult conversation about both strengths and problems.