Recommended Health Tests For Norwich Terriers

These are the health tests that I do for my Norwich Terriers and that I recommend to my puppy buyers.

3 to 4 weeks after birth - Embark panel DNA test

Embark uses a soft sponge for DNA collection, so the DNA collection is safe for newborn puppies. The Embark for Breeders Dog DNA Test gives information on all the health DNA tests currently known to affect Norwich Terriers.

2 weeks after last puppy (DHPP) shots - titer

Titer the puppy to make sure that the puppy has antibodies for distemper and parvo. This will require a visit to your local vet clinic to have blood drawn. The clinic may send the serum to a lab for testing (often at an expensive mark up). Alternatively you can mail the serum yourself to the University of Wisconsin CAVIDS Titer Testing Laboratory. See my Inexpensive titering page for complete instructions. When I did this in December 2025 my cost was:

$35 blood draw
$43.52 FedEx two-day ground shipping
$55.00 University of Wisconsin - Puppy Nomograph Follow-up CDV/CPV
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$133.52

6 months to 12 months of age - Bile-acid testing and CHIC DNA repository

Both bile-acid testing and the CHIC DNA repository require blood draws that can be done by your local vet clinic. Because of the amount of blood, it is best to do the draws on separate days. Of the two, the bile-acid test is the more important (as it gives information on a dog's liver), while the CHIC DNA repository is primarily for research.

bile-acid testing
Call your vet's office and request an appointment for both a "pre" and a "post" bile-acid test. You will need to fast your dog (no food after midnight) prior to the day of the test. You will drop your dog off in the morning. Your vet clinic will draw some blood, then feed your dog. Then two-hours later, they will draw some more blood. Serum from both blood draws will be sent to a lab, and you will receive a report in a few days. This report will give you and your vet a "baseline" in case of suspected liver problems later.
CHIC DNA repository
You need to order the CHIC DNA repository blood kit prior to making an appointment with your vet's office. Go to the Applications section of the OFA website. Down under "Miscellaneous Forms" is the order form for "DNA Repository". Fill out the form, making sure that you check the box for the "Blood Based Collection Kit". It can take a couple of weeks for the kit to arrive. The "kit" is really nothing more than stickers that will be put on the tubes of blood. Once you have the kit, you can make an appointment with your vet's office for the blood draw. Make the appointment for early in the week (ideally Monday) as the blood has to be shipped overnight to arrive on a business day.
Your vet's office may ship the blood for you, or you can ship it yourself. To ship yourself, go to the nearest FedEx Ship Center. Purchase a "small electronics box" and ask for a "Clin Pack" (clinical pack), which is a large plastic bag. Put the tubes of blood inside a small zip-lock bag (with some paper towels in case of leakage). Put the zip-lock bag and a "cold pack" (which your vet's office can give you) into the box you purchased. Put the box in the Clin Pack. Ship the Clin Pack to the University of Missouri address that came with the collection kit. Ship "FedEx Standard Overnight"; the package does not need to be shipped priority.

12 months to 24 months of age - Dentition database and UAS scoping

Dentition database
Sometime around the time when your puppy is 15 months old ... or perhaps a little older ... make an appointment with your vet's office for a first dental cleaning with dental x-rays. Not all vets do dental x-rays, so you may need to find another vet to clean your dog's teeth. This first dental visit is more about the dental x-rays than the cleaning. (You want to make sure that there are not any retained teeth.) Prior to your appointment, go the Applications section of the OFA website. Under "Vet Exam-Related Forms" is the form for "Dentition". Fill out the form and ask your vet to fill out the rest. Submit the completed form to OFA.
Annual dental cleanings with dental x-rays is highly recommended.
UAS scoping
Prior to your dog having his teeth cleaned, ask your dental vet if they are willing to evaluate your dog's upper airway. Some will, some will not. Show them the UAS score sheet (that you will be asking them to fill out) and the visual guide to scoring - both available on the website of the Norwich Terrier Club of America. If your dental vet is not comfortable evaluating your dog's upper airway, you will need to find another vet who will. Your breeder may be able to suggest someone in your area; alternatively any internal medicine or surgery specialist vet (someone who is board-certified) should be able to do the scoping. Try to find one who has experience with brachycephalic breeds and/or brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) which is the closest thing to Norwich Terrier upper airway syndrome (UAS). Your vet should be able to recommend such a specialist. What you will be asking for is an endoscopy of the upper airway (larynx). You do not need an endoscopy of the trachea. All you want is for the UAS score sheet to be filled out.

24 months to 36 months of age - CHIC tests

CHIC stands for "Canine Health Information Center", and is a joint initiative of the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA). and the AKC Canine Health Foundation (AKC/CHF). Most breed parent clubs have joined CHIC and list a set of recommended health tests for their breed. For Norwich terriers, the CHIC tests recommended by the Norwich Terrier Club of America are tests of hips, patellas, and eyes. Hips are only officially evaluated by the OFA after the dog is two years old. Your vet can do the tests for hips and patellas. You will need to take your dog to a veterinary ophthalmologist for the eye exam. Your vet can recommend one; alternatively you can go to the website of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists to find a veterinary ophthalmologist in your area.

hips - Make an appointment with your vet clinic for an "OFA hip x-ray". Most vets require that a dog be anesthetized for a hip x-ray, so you might want to schedule the OFA hip x-ray for the same time as your dog's annual dental cleaning (when they also need to be anesthetized).
Prior to the appointment, go to the Applications section of the OFA website. Under "Vet Exam-Related Forms" is the form for "Hip and/or Elbow Dysplasia". You only need a hip x-ray; you do not need an elbow x-ray. Fill out the form, initializing the section "Authorization to Release Abnormal Results". (Hopefully there will not be any abnormal results. But if there are, you want to share the information.) Give the form to your vet and ask them to sign the form and submit the form an x-ray to OFA.
patellas - Patellas can be evaluated at the same appointment as the hips are x-rayed. Again prior to the appointment, go to the Applications section of the OFA website. This time you want the form "Patellar Luxation". Again fill out the form and give it to your vet. Ask you vet to sign it. Either you or your vet can submit the form to OFA.
eyes - You want to make an appointment with your veterinary ophthalmologist for an "OFA eye exam" - sometimes called a CAER (Companion Animal Eye Registry) exam. There is no OFA form to bring this time. Instead you will be asked prior to your appointment to visit the OFA Online website, create an account, and create your application form online.

If dog is to be bred, around two-year of age - Blood vWD test

[To be added.]

Last updated 20251204