HEALTH TESTING...the Hallmark of this breed!
Breeding the best possible candidates is the pride of a Shiloh breeder. Many go above and beyond the minimum requirements of their registry.
- Parent’s full names, call names, their sire/dam, health testing results should appear in all litter announcements.
- Passing health testing as required by the breeder’s registry should always be expected.
- Your prospective breeder should have no problem producing health testing results for the breeding pair.
- Once you have familiarized yourself with the health testing below, visit our Buyer’s Checklist [HERE] to learn about what questions used to find the Breeder that is right for you when looking for a new puppy.
Required Health Testing
- Heart/Cardiac-
- OFA Normal, 12-24M+ required by TSSR & WSSBA
- Cardiac Echo for structural defects (SAS, etc.), optional, highly recommended by TSSR
- Cardiac Holter Monitoring for electrical activity (VT, IVT, GSD/IVA, etc),
recommend 7-9M for breeding dogs (by Dr Sammarco, Alba Medical), optional
required by ISSA, NSBR, & TSSR - Practitioner auscultation testimony (minimum), required by ISSA
- learn more about OFA’s heart certifications [HERE]
- Hips –
- one of the following is required
- PennHip 18M+
(0.50 or less with no DJD required for TSSR, NSBR, & WSSBA; 0.50 or less with no DJD at 10M is required for ISSA) - OFA 24M+ with a Fair, Good or Excellent rating with no DJD/OA, (required by TSSR & WSSBA)
- OFA 18M+ (required for NSBR)
- OFA 12M+ (required for ISSA, ISSR)
- OVC Normal 24M+* (required by TSSR, NSBR, & WSSBA)
Additional Testing Recommended
- Cardiac Holter Monitoring
- required by ISSA, NSBR, & TSSR; recommended for other Shiloh registries
- Recommended and/or Required by many Breeders
- Typically tested between 4 to 9 months, no later than 12 months (required by ISSA & TSSR)
- Testing between 7 to 10 months (required by NSBR)
- DM – Genetic Degenerative Myelopathy
- optional test; recommended by TSSR; required by ISSA
- OFA normal
- OFA carrier (recommended breeding only to a normal)
- OFA affected (very small percentage of those tested; does not guarantee the disease will present)
- Normal/Normal via parentage (both parents have been cleared)
- learn more [HERE]
- Elbows
- optional test; required by WSSBA, NSBR; recommended by TSSR
- OFA Normal, preliminary tests accepted, finals (24M)
- Eyes
- optional test, not required; recommended by TSSR
- CAER (formerly CERF) Normal, OFA recommends annual testing
- checks for pannus and other eye related issues
- Thyroid
- optional test, not required; recommended by TSSR
- OFA Normal or practitioner test showing normal results
- TLI (EPI screening)
- optional test, not required
- 5.7 to 45.2 considered normal
CHIC Certification
- OFA created the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) designation [DETAILS]
- Awarded when dogs achieve tests recommended specifically for our Breed. [read more]
- Health Testing requirements specific to Shiloh Shepherds:
- Hips
- Elbows
- Cardiac Evaluation
- DM (Degenerative Myelopathy)
- Additional requirements:
- Dog must have permanent identification (microchip or tattoo)
- Test results must be released on ofa.org public database
Additional requirements for breeding dogs
- DNA for parentage
- required for TSSR, NSBR, WSSBA; recommended for ISSA
- note: DNA for sire & dam must be on file with UC Davis & their number(s) submitted with your application in order for UC Davis to match to parent(s)
- DNA testing, general, not currently required by any registry
- this is NOT DNA for parentage
- provided by Embark, Wisdom Panel, MydogDNA/Optimal Selection, etc. and screens for a variety of genetic diseases
- Embark will confirm parentage IF both parents are also tested with Embark (health+breed)
- Height Certification
- required for TSSR, NSBR, WSSBA & ISSA
- 28″+ for males
- 26″+ for females
- Temperament Testing
- at least one of the following is required for TSSR, ISSA, ISSR
- Approved Temperament Test
- Canine Good Citizen (CGC)
- Canine Good Neighbor (CGN)
- Therapy Dogs International (TDI) or equivalent
Age Requirements
- Following is a list of requirements for breedable registrations by the individual Shiloh Shepherd Breed Registries:
- ISSA – 12+ Months
- ISSR – 12+ Months
- NSBR – 18+ Months
- TSSR – 24+ Months
- WSSBA – 18+ Months (males), 24+ Months (females)
Health Screening:
- OFA, Orthopedic Foundation for Animals {www.ofa.org}
- OFA – A Guide To Interpreting OFA Certification Numbers {www.ofa.org/about/educational-resources/number-key}
- PennHip, The University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program {www.pennhip.org}
General Health
- Canine Health Info {www.caninehealthinfo.org}
- Merck Veterinary Manual {www.merckvetmanual.com}
- Pet Health Library {http://pethealthlibrary.purinacare.com/}
- White Shepherd Genetics Project – a great collection of a variety of articles {http://www.wsgenetics.com/articles.htm}
Health Clinics
- CavalierHealth.org {http://cavalierhealth.org/}
- OFA Health Clinic Calendar {www.ofa.org/health-clinics}
Hips
- Precise Positioning (article) by Lonnie Davis, DVM, posted at TroyAnimalHospital.com
- The Importance of Good Positioning on Canine Hip X-rays by Ed Frawley
PennHip – What is it?
Shiloh Shepherd Breed Registries, their Rules & Requirements
- ISSA (International Shiloh Shepherd Alliance) – http://www.shiloh-shepherd.com/pages/testing.html
- ISSR (International Shiloh Shepherd Registry) – http://www.shilohshepherdclub.com/issr-rules-and-regulations.html
- NSBR (National Shiloh Breeder’s Registry) – https://www.nsbr.website/registry-rules
- TSSR (The Shiloh Shepherd Registry) – http://tssr.info/registry/registry-regulations/
- WSSBA (Worldwide Shiloh Shepherd Breed Association LLC) – http://www.registermyshiloh.com/rules.html
To learn more about the various registries and their history go [HERE]
Breeder Code of Ethics
- The following registries have a Breeder Code of Ethics as part of their registry program:
- ISSA
- NSBR
- TSSR
footnotes (*):
- OVC discontinued their hip and elbow certification in 2012 [www.ovc.uoguelph.ca];
- CERF is now known as CAER; results posted in ofa.org