Read the actual report, match it to the dog and ask a veterinarian to interpret it. Ownership verification, a show result and a health-screening record mean different things.
General educational information. Not veterinary advice; no veterinary review is claimed. Discuss individual health and breeding decisions with your veterinarian.
Separate the tests from the marketing
“Health tested” is an invitation to ask which tests, performed when, on which dog and with what findings. Make a record of the issuing organization, dog identifier, test date and full result. A laboratory screenshot with the identifying details cropped away is harder to verify.
This guide explains how to organize evidence. It does not diagnose a dog or provide an individualized testing or breeding plan, and it has not received veterinary review.
What a CHIC number actually establishes
OFA states that CHIC certification means the required breed-specific screenings were completed and their results made public. The number does not mean all findings were normal. Requirements can change, so check the applicable protocol and the individual records.
OFA’s publication policies also matter when interpreting a search. Absence of a public result is not automatically a failed test—or proof that no test occurred. Request the original documentation and clarify its publication status.
A genetic result is not a complete health certificate
UC Davis describes SOD1-associated degenerative myelopathy as having incomplete penetrance: genetic risk and clinical disease are not identical. Read the laboratory’s interpretation for the exact test and discuss its meaning with your veterinarian.
Do not use a DNA result to explain a new symptom yourself. Different conditions can require different evaluations, and a profile cannot replace a clinical examination. Keep the test’s scope attached to any “clear,” “carrier” or “at risk” description.
Your document-review checklist
For a dog you are seriously considering, ask for the full set of relevant reports and review them with a veterinarian before making medical or breeding decisions. Keep the originals, not only a seller’s summary. If something is unclear, ask the issuing body how to verify the record.
On GSD Index, an owner badge confirms an ownership-review step. It does not certify that the dog is disease-free or suitable for breeding. Missing health information stays identified as missing.
- Registered identity matches the report
- Test, date and issuing body are visible
- Actual finding is available, not only a logo
- Any age, scope or interpretation limits are retained
- Veterinary questions are resolved with a veterinarian
Sources & scope
Sources checked 24 October 2026. Rules and services can change; the issuing body’s current document controls. These references do not imply endorsement of GSD Index.
- OFA: CHIC certification programTesting, disclosure and the limits of a CHIC number
- OFA: Publication and identification policiesPublic records and permanent identification
- UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory: DMSOD1 test interpretation and incomplete penetrance
No specialist review or first-hand experience is implied. Read our editorial standards.