Border Collie: health-screening sources

Key facts

Statement date

October 2016 [source]

Screening emphasis

Hips and specialist eyes [source]

Identity requested

Microchip-linked records [source]

What the BCSA document establishes

The Border Collie Society of America’s October 2016 board statement recommends screening for hip dysplasia and inherited eye problems. It specifies hip evaluation after twenty-four months and annual examination by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist until age seven. It also calls for microchip identification and recorded results. These are the requirements and recommendations in that named document. Working registries and other national clubs may issue their own guidance, so the document should not be labelled a universal Border Collie registration rule or attributed to the American Border Collie Association.

Genetic testing is an additional source of information

The BCSA statement notes that genetic tests are available and that selection of relevant tests depends on knowledge of the breeding dogs and their ancestors. It does not state that any arbitrary large commercial panel replaces its hip and eye recommendations. OFA explains why: a specialist screening records the observable eyes, whereas an apparently normal eye examination cannot by itself establish a dog’s genotype. Conversely, a result for one inherited variant does not describe all clinical eye findings. Keep the test name and the actual laboratory result alongside, rather than in place of, the dated specialist report.

Herding evidence and health records should both remain readable

The club discusses preserving working ability, temperament and performance as well as health. A pedigree or herding result therefore belongs in the dossier without being treated as proof that joint imaging or eye examination was completed. OFA’s hip information explains that outward movement does not predict every radiographic finding or future clinical course. An owner can gather the dog’s permanent identity, original reports and family information for veterinary interpretation. This uses the BCSA source for its real purpose while avoiding unsupported claims that appearance, coat colour, registry affiliation or a particular trial result establishes freedom from inherited disease.

Common questions

Sources & further reading

References for this guide. Rules and services can change; check the responsible organisation for current details.

• Border Collie parent-club health statement (opens in a new tab)
• OFA: Companion Animal Eye Registry scope (opens in a new tab)
• OFA: hip dysplasia screening (opens in a new tab)

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