Summer 2017  Saber Tails 65    

Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Club of America

the hunting fields, know firsthand the effects of age on 

their own degenerating joints. No one in the club, or on 

the Board, wants our stoic little hounds to suffer from ar-

thritis. I firmly believe that the Club should be working to 

increase the health consciousness of our breeders. Evalu-

ation of hips should be one of our recommended pre-

breeding health screens.
I am happy to supply these articles to any Club mem-

ber who wishes to read further on the subject: 

Bell (2017) AKC Bearded Collie Stud Book & Genetic Diver-

sity Analysis. Website accessed May 15, 2017. http://www.

beaconforhealth.org/Final_Stud_Book_Analysis%20

with%20edit%20restrictions.pdf
Keller, Dziuk, and Bell (2011). How the Orthopedic Foun-

dation for Animals (OFA) is tackling inherited disorders in 

the USA: Using hip and elbow dysplasia as examples. The 

Veterinary Journal 189: 197.
Malm, Fikse, Egenvall, Bonnett, Gunnarsson, Hedhammar, 

and Strandberg (2010). Association between radiograph-

ic assessment of hip status and subsequent incidence of 

veterinary care and mortality related to hip dysplasia in 

insured Swedish dogs. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 93: 

222.
Wilson, Nicholas, and Thomson (2011). Selection against 

canine hip dysplasia: Success or failure? The Veterinary 

Journal 189: 160.

Response to Laura Liscum’s Article 

“Response to PBGVCA Withdraws from CHIC”

by Tiffany Cannon – Past President, PBGVCA 

This response was written by me when I was still serv-

ing as President of the club.  This was presented to and 

reviewed by the Officers and Board of Directors.  Let me 

explain that I am firmly against anything (conversations, 

opinions, arguments, disagreements, etc.) that would 

drive a wedge between our club members.  I do not be-

lieve we, on the board or the committees, should ever do 

anything to risk alienating members or causing members 

to be concerned that we represent differing interests 

rather than the best interest of the breed.  I belong to 

other breed clubs with extreme division in the ranks and 

I would have done anything to avoid those divides while 

still doing what I believed to be in the best interest of our 

breed.  The topic of whether or not the PBGVCA requires 

hip testing for PBGVs in order for them to obtain a CHIC 

number has apparently escalated into a back-and-forth 

of which I strongly disapprove.  However, in the interest 

of transparency to the club members, Laura Liscum’s ar-

ticle and this response are being published here.  

 

Related to Laura Liscum’s response to the article “PBGVCA 

Withdraws from CHIC” published in the April 2017 Saber 

Tails, I do not agree on many levels!  Mostly, I do not agree 

that hip dysplasia testing is appropriate or warranted for 

our breed.  However, I do still plan to test my dogs for hip 

dysplasia.  I do not agree that hip dysplasia is a prevalent 

problem in our breed.  I really do not agree that OFA hip 

x-ray evaluation is an appropriate predictor of that poten-

tiality in our breed, and I do not believe the health survey 

can be used as a support to a possibility that hip dyspla-

sia is an issue.  As a breeder, I will most likely continue to 

have a very expensive hip test conducted and recorded 

on my breeding males and females simply because it 

makes puppy buyers feel more comfortable.  I’m not sure 

yet how I’ll handle the inevitable situation that one of my 

dogs fails to pass the test.  That hasn’t happened to me 

yet, but when it does, I must admit, I will NOT believe the 

results.    

I also would like to point out that a CHIC number has 

nothing to do with the actual testing or publishing of test 

results.  Anyone who wants to may continue to have hip 

x-rays taken and may continue to have those x-rays re-

viewed and results recorded by OFA. Those results will al-

ways be available on the www.offa.org website as stated 

in my April 2017 Saber Tails article.  I also believe there 

is a big difference between a dog that is declared to be 

dysplastic via x-ray review and a dog that is symptomatic.

A question to the health committee must be asked.  Jo 

Quintenz (Director – West Region) solicited feedback 

from the health committee in advance of any decision 

being made by the Officers and BOD.  Jo’s research was 

extensive and thorough, but we were very interested in 

the health committee’s position on the subject.  We were 

told that the committee was against removing the OFA 

hip test from the list of CHIC required tests, but no one 

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