The BOSTON TERRIER CLUB OF AMERICA is a
member of the American Kennel Club and is
also the National Club which represents, protects, and furthers the
interests of the breed and its owners throughout the world.

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Health Certification Program

Hello fellow club members:

It is that time of year to post a reminder to members of the BTCA about submitting your application and Certificates to me for the 2010 BTCA Health Committee, Health Certification Program. Those who apply for the Gold or Silver Level Certificate will once again be recognized at our Awards Banquet at the 2010 BTCA Nationals held in Atlanta, GA. We have adjusted the Fee to just $5.00 per person, NOT PER DOG, which will cover postage and handling to mail these certificates to you. We hope this new lower price will encourage more of you to participate in this program. This special recognition for our Boston’s, is especially important for the future health of our Breed. How wonderful it would be to see all the Veterans, 7 years of age or older, receive this special recognition, with it being noted on the Award that they are a Veteran. The information registered with OFA can then be used in any studies that need to be completed in the future. Thank you, to those of you that have already sent me your applications. The Cut off date for all tests to be current and used for the 2010 Award Certificate is December 31, 2009. All Health Certificates are valid for 1 year from date of issue.

With OFA requiring that all permanent identification of dogs be VERIFIED by your Vet, please take the opportunity to have that form completed while having your Vet do their Health Examination. http://www.offa.org/vpiapp_bw.pdf
Reminder: Permanent Identification should be implemented prior to any testing.

Please mail PHOTO COPIES of these official Certificates OR A PRINTOUT from OFA's website showing your Boston's status as proof of certification, along with the ORIGINAL copy of your BTCA Physical Exam Form completed by your local Veterinarian. We updated the Exam Form in 2007 and only the new form will be accepted as your application.

With your appropriate documentation, please send a money order or check for $5.00 made out to: ”BTCA” and marked for “Certification” and mail it to me, postmarked no later than Feb 15, 2010:

Sue LeCalsey
BTCA Health Committee
4125 Dollar Lane
DePere WI 54115-8790.

Summary of requirements for each level are as follows:

Silver Certificate:

Have your veterinarian complete the BTCA Health Examination form (Send the ORIGINAL copy). The form is located at:
http://www.bostonterrierclubofamerica.org/BTCA/forms/BTCAExaminationForm.pdf
Send a COPY of your CERF and Patella Certificate.

Gold Certificate:

In addition to the 3 previous documents, you must include proof of your OFA BAER Certification.
In lieu of copies of Certificates, you may send a printout from OFA’s Web Site showing your dogs status as proof of Certification, whichever is easier for you to do.

CHIC Certificate:

You will automatically receive your CHIC Certificate after your results for the CERF, OFA Patella and OFA BAER Tests have been registered with CERF and OFA. No additional fee is required for the CHIC Certificate.

BAER Test Sites may be located at http://www.lsu.edu/deafness/baersite.htm The BAER (Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response) test needs to be performed only once in a dog’s life, sometime after it is 35 days of age. OFA recommends this test should be performed by a Board Certified Veterinary Neurologist, but will accept results from experienced veterinarians and audiologists.

Bilateral hearing PASSES. Unilateral or bilateral deafness FAILS

Application fee is $15.00 per dog unless you qualify for the Litter Rate of $30.00 for 3 or more littermates. Kennel Rate is $7.50 for 5 or more dogs owned by the same person.
Equivocal and affected dogs are registered at No Charge.

CERF Test Sites may be located at http://www.vmdb.org/clinic.html
Puppies can be examined as early as 8 weeks of age and CERF will also register them at that time. Send owners copy of the physician completed CERF Exam form into VMDB with your $12.00 fee. Re-certification and Kennel Rate charge is $8.00. They forward the info to OFA. Permanent Identification at time of exam of your dog (must be by microchip, tattoo or DNA profile) is required as of 1/1/01 to register your dog. Certification is good for 1 year from date of exam. Dogs should be CERF'd annually.

Patella Examination form can be located at http://www.offa.org/plappbw.pdf
The Patella Examination is performed on dogs 12 months or older by your veterinarian and should be registered in the Patellar Luxation Database with OFA. Puppies examined younger than 12 months will be treated as Consultations and no OFA breed numbers will be assigned. Fee for dogs over 12 months of age is $15.00. The Litter Rate of $30.00 applies to 3 or more submitted together. The Kennel Rate of $7.50 applies to 5 or more submitted together, owned/coowned by the same person. Patellas should be re-examined bi-annually. There is no charge for re-submitting bi-annual Patella results to OFA.

Miscellaneous Web Sites to obtain additional information about each test or Program:
BAER http://www.offa.org/deafbaer.html
CERF http://www.vmdb.org/cerf.html
OFFA http://www.offa.org/geninfo.html
CHIC http://www.caninehealthinfo.org

For more information on each test, please go to the BTCA Web Site under the Health Committee section.

Thank you in advance to everyone that cares enough about the future of this wonderful breed to do these Health Tests and for going the extra mile and submitting your results to OFA.

You may e-mail me with any questions this notice does not provide answers for, at
AchatesBostons@Ameritech.Net