Navigating kennel club requirements for CEA testing can be confusing, particularly for breeders who compete internationally or import dogs from countries with different regulatory frameworks. Requirements vary significantly between registries — some mandate testing, others merely recommend it, and others have no formal policy at all. Understanding the landscape across major canine registries helps breeders meet their obligations, access available databases, and make the most of health transparency tools that these organisations offer.
The UK Kennel Club
The UK Kennel Club has taken an increasingly active role in canine health governance over the past two decades. For Collie Eye Anomaly in the breeds it affects most severely, the KC operates within its Breed Health and Conservation Plan (BHCP) framework, which identifies priority health conditions for each breed and recommends screening protocols.
For Rough Collies, Smooth Collies, and Shetland Sheepdogs, CEA is listed as a priority condition. The KC does not currently prohibit registration of affected dogs but operates a system of health test recording that allows buyers to see whether parents have been tested. The Health Test Results Finder allows prospective buyers to check registered dogs' health test results, creating market incentive for testing even where it is not strictly required.
The KC's DNA Testing Service offers CEA testing with results automatically registered on the KC database. This integration reduces administrative burden for breeders and ensures that results become part of the permanent pedigree record rather than being stored only as paper certificates. For UK breeders, using KC DNA testing is a practical choice that maximises the utility of results.
Assured Breeder Scheme
Breeders participating in the KC's Assured Breeder Scheme commit to meeting enhanced standards that include breed-specific health testing. For affected breeds, this scheme typically requires CEA ophthalmoscopic examination and may include DNA testing. Assured Breeder status signals to puppy buyers that the breeder meets verified health testing standards, creating competitive advantage and demonstrating commitment to breed health.
The American Kennel Club and OFA
In the United States, the American Kennel Club registers dogs but has historically been more restrained in mandating health testing compared to some European registries. Health testing requirements for AKC breed parent clubs vary by breed and are set by the parent club rather than the AKC centrally.
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) operates as the primary health database for American breeding dogs. The OFA's Eye Certification Registry, conducted under CAER (Companion Animal Eye Registry) protocols, records ophthalmoscopic examination results performed by board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists. CEA findings from these examinations are recorded and publicly searchable through the OFA database.
The American Rough Collie Association, Collie Club of America, and other breed parent clubs for affected breeds recommend CEA testing as part of their breed health programmes, though mandatory requirements vary. Some clubs have included CEA testing in their CHIC (Canine Health Information Center) requirements — a programme that recognises breeders who have completed a minimum set of health tests and made results publicly available.
The CAER Examination
The CAER examination protocol is the North American standard for ophthalmic health certification. Examinations are performed annually at specialist clinics and at breed shows by board-certified DACVO veterinary ophthalmologists. The protocol covers multiple inherited eye conditions in each breed, and CEA is included in the examination for herding breeds.
The important nuance for American breeders is that the annual CAER examination for CEA, unlike some other conditions, does not have the same age-dependent limitations as examinations for progressive retinal atrophy. Given the "go normal" phenomenon in adult CEA examination, relying solely on annual adult CAER examinations without genetic testing can miss affected dogs who have become ophthalmoscopically normal. The OFA recommends combining genetic testing with clinical examination, and I strongly support this combined approach.
FCI and European Registries
The Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) coordinates breed standards and international competition for the majority of the world's kennel clubs, including those in Continental Europe, Latin America, Asia, and many other regions. FCI itself does not mandate specific health testing protocols, leaving this to national member organisations.
Individual European national kennel clubs vary considerably in their approach to CEA. The Nordic countries — Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark — have some of the most rigorous mandatory health testing requirements globally. Swedish Kennel Club (SKK) and Finnish Kennel Club policies for affected breeds include mandatory health testing that has materially reduced CEA prevalence in their national populations over decades. The success stories from Nordic breeding programmes are directly attributable to these regulatory frameworks.
In Germany, the VDH (Verband für das Deutsche Hundewesen) and breed-specific clubs (Rassezuchtvereine) often mandate CEA testing for registered breeding dogs of affected breeds. Dutch, Belgian, and other European breed clubs show varying levels of requirement. Breeders importing or exporting dogs across European borders need to verify the specific requirements of both origin and destination country registries.
Australian National Kennel Council
In Australia, the Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC) and its state member bodies register pedigree dogs. The ANKC's breed health requirements are set at breed club level and vary considerably. Australian Collie and Sheltie breed clubs have developed health testing recommendations that include CEA, though the degree to which testing is mandatory versus recommended varies between states and organisations.
Australia imports significant breeding stock from the UK and USA, creating a need for consistent health documentation that can be accepted across different regulatory frameworks. The genetic test result, with its universal language of N/N, N/CEA, and CEA/CEA, translates directly between systems in a way that clinical examination records may not. Understanding how to document and communicate genetic test results across international registries is practical knowledge for internationally active breeders.
The Health Database Ecosystem
Beyond kennel club registration, several independent databases collect and publish canine health information. The OFA database in the USA is the most comprehensive, covering dozens of conditions across hundreds of breeds. The EVCO (European College of Veterinary Ophthalmology) maintains records of ophthalmological examinations across its member countries.
Breed clubs often maintain their own health registers with more detailed data than national registries. The Collie Health Foundation in the USA and equivalent organisations in the UK and Europe collect and publish CEA data that helps monitor population trends and identify geographic variations in prevalence.
For breeders, engaging actively with these databases — not just submitting results but reviewing data about the population their dogs come from — provides valuable context for breeding decisions. A stud dog with a large number of offspring on health records allows prospective dam owners to see what proportion of his get are clear, carrier, or affected, information that the stud dog's own genetic status alone cannot fully provide.
Transparency as a Competitive Advantage
Beyond regulatory compliance, health testing transparency has become a significant factor in puppy buyer decision-making. Sophisticated buyers, and their numbers grow each year, specifically seek breeders who can demonstrate comprehensive health testing and open results. A breeder who provides full documentation of CEA status alongside other health tests, with results visible in public databases, signals the kind of transparency that justifies confidence in the breeding programme.
The evidence-based breeding strategies that conscientious breeders implement benefit from being publicly documented. Buyers who see a pattern of clear x clear matings, or informed carrier x clear decisions with full disclosure, can trust that they are working with a breeder who prioritises breed health over short-term convenience. This transparency, in turn, creates the pressure that drives improvements across the broader breeding community.
When Requirements Change
Kennel club requirements evolve, and what is recommended today may become mandatory tomorrow, or existing mandates may change as scientific understanding develops. Breeders should maintain relationships with their breed clubs and national kennel club health contacts to stay current with changing requirements. Retroactive compliance with new requirements is generally impossible, which is another argument for exceeding minimum requirements with comprehensive current testing.
The direction of travel in canine health governance worldwide is clearly toward more comprehensive testing, greater transparency, and higher mandated standards. Breeders who embrace testing culture now, using tools like the thorough puppy screening protocols that specialists recommend, will be well positioned for whatever regulatory landscape develops rather than scrambling to catch up.