Vizsla: health-screening sources

Key facts

Statement dated

6 December 2024 [source]

Recommended CHIC areas

Hips, thyroid and specialist eyes [source]

Separate DNA purpose

AKC identification is not health screening [source]

The statement separates DNA identification from screening

The Vizsla Club of America’s December 2024 statement requires an AKC DNA number within its breeding guidance and strongly recommends CHIC screening for hips, autoimmune thyroiditis and eyes. Its hip recommendation specifies evaluation at twenty-four months or older. Thyroid screening is described every other year, and the specialist eye examination annually. These are the club’s published programme instructions. The AKC DNA identifier records a different kind of information from the named health evaluations, so the presence of an identification number does not show that a hip assessment or health panel was completed.

Optional tests also have different purposes

VCA lists optional recommendations for elbow and cardiac assessment and DNA tests addressing long hair and skeletal dysplasia 3. A longhair result is coat-trait information rather than a broad disease-clearance certificate. Cardiac examination, in contrast, is a clinical assessment by the specified veterinary specialist. Putting these items on the same form does not make them equivalent. A useful source guide preserves their categories, the actual result, the dog’s permanent identification and the examination or sampling date rather than counting every item as one more generic health test.

The club explicitly explains CHIC’s limitation

The statement says a passing result is not necessary for a CHIC number, so buyers must review the underlying findings. OFA’s programme explanation agrees: completion and public release of the required information are the basis of the number, and requirements can change without revoking older numbers. Current eye and thyroid records therefore need their own dates. A veterinarian can interpret the individual documents and relevant history; the club’s structured list helps locate evidence without diagnosing a Vizsla, providing a personalised breeding decision or guaranteeing suitability for field work, competition or ordinary family life.

Common questions

Sources & further reading

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

• Vizsla parent-club health statement (opens in a new tab)
• OFA: CHIC certification and limits (opens in a new tab)
• OFA: Companion Animal Eye Registry scope (opens in a new tab)

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