In our organization, The Havana Silk Dog Association of America, there are several diagnostic types of health testing required for a Silk dog to become Certified for breeding. This is a very important step for us, and the puppy buyers as we only breed the healthiest of our dogs. Tests are evaluated by professional specialists at the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals – OFA. These tests are: Hips, Patella, Cardiac, Hearing BAER and Eyes CAER. After having these results publicly disclosed on the OFA website , the dog will acquire Health Certificate called (CHIC). In addition to the CHIC Certificate,  the dog must get a normal CBC & Blood Chemistry Panel and Liver panel. The next steps are to get a hands-on Evaluation by trained HSDAA professionals reflecting a score of at least 80 and demonstrating good temperament with no signs of aggression. If no major faults are found, the dog will become Certified by the Havana Silk Dog Association of America. This is a very big step for us! In addition, we are thrilled to be part of a Genetic Diversity program through BetterBred and UC Davis.  Starting this year, we will be able as a Club to genetically screen our dogs for genetic diversity and Genetic Relatedness for best scenario breeding matches.  We feel that these breeding health checks are very important step and I am yet to see one club that is trying to make such an effort on a Club level, as much as the Havana Silk Dog Association has.  The Club feels this is the only way to create a responsible breeding program. So when you are purchasing a puppy from us, you know not only who the ancestors are, but also you are getting a healthy puppy whose parents have been tested.