Health tests
What each health test is
The country pages tell you what a club demands. These pages tell you what the test itself is: what it looks for, what it costs the dog when it is missed, and what the result means. Everything here is reported from the clubs' and laboratories' own documents.
| Test | What it looks for | How it is done | For the breed | Demanded in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hip dysplasia Not confirmed | The document does not state this. | X-ray | The document does not state this. | No country in our records demands it |
| Elbow dysplasia Not confirmed | The document does not state this. | X-ray | The document does not state this. | No country in our records demands it |
| Patellar luxation | Whether the kneecap (patella) can be displaced from its normal position, and how far — from a knee where it cannot be luxated at all to one where it sits permanently out of place and cannot be put back by hand. | Examination by a vet | The document does not state this. | 5 countries |
| DNA identity profile | The dog's own genetic identity, not its health. A laboratory reads a DNA profile at the ISAG2006 marker set, so that the dog can be told apart from every other dog and its parentage can be checked. The FCL states the purpose plainly: the analysis serves "zur Klärung von Verwandtschaftsfragen" — to settle questions of relatedness — and the profile is required "zwecks Abstammungssicherung", to secure the recorded descent. | DNA identity profile | The document does not state this. | 1 country |
| Eye examination | Known and Presumed Hereditary Eye Diseases (KP-HED) of the eye and its adnexa. This entry describes the ECVO scheme; Flanders and Britain run their own, so read it beside the country record. Under the ECVO scheme, evaluation of the entire eye is recommended — adnexa, anterior segment and posterior segment — and the examiner should evaluate all the conditions listed on the ECVO certificate; visual function is noted if abnormal, and all lesions found are written into the descriptive comments, whether hereditary or not. | Examination by a vet | The document does not state this. | 2 countries |
| Heart examination Not confirmed | The document does not state this. | Examination by a vet | The document does not state this. | No country in our records demands it |
| Conformation assessment | How closely the dog matches the currently valid FCI standard for its breed — breed type, proportions, condition, temperament and the typical features of its sex — assessed live in the ring by a show judge who is obliged to judge "strictly and exclusively in accordance with the FCI breed standard that is currently valid". It is a judgement of the dog against a written description of the breed, not a veterinary examination. | Assessment at a show or survey | General to all breeds | 2 countries |
| Temperament assessment Not confirmed | The document does not state this. | Assessment at a show or survey | The document does not state this. | No country in our records demands it |
| Breed survey class Not confirmed | The document does not state this. | Assessment at a show or survey | The document does not state this. | No country in our records demands it |
| Craniomandibular osteopathy (CMO) Sources disagree | The SLC37A2 c.1332C>T variant associated with craniomandibular osteopathy (CMO). | DNA test | Seen in the breed | 1 country |
| Macrothrombocytopenia (MTC) Not confirmed | The document does not state this. | DNA test | The document does not state this. | No country in our records demands it |
| Portosystemic shunt (liver shunt) | Whether a Cairn Terrier puppy has a liver shunt (portosystemic shunt), judged from the ammonia concentration in a fasting blood sample ("bloedonderzoek op ammoniak"). | Blood test | The document does not state this. | 1 country |
| Testicle check | Whether a male dog has two apparently normal testicles, both fully descended into the scrotum. The FCI standard for the Cairn Terrier states it under N.B.: "Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum." | Examination by a vet | The document does not state this. | 1 country |
| Degenerative myelopathy (DM) | The SOD1 c.118G>A allele associated with degenerative myelopathy, an inherited neurological disorder the laboratory compares to Lou Gehrig's disease in people. | DNA test | General to all breeds | 1 country |
| Von Willebrand disease type 1 Sources disagree | The VWF c.7437G>A variant associated with von Willebrand disease Type 1 - a shortage of the blood clotting protein von Willebrand factor. | DNA test | General to all breeds | 1 country |
| Canine multifocal retinopathy 1 (CMR1) Not confirmed | The document does not state this. | DNA test | The document does not state this. | No country in our records demands it |
| Globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD / Krabbe) Not confirmed | The document does not state this. | DNA test | The document does not state this. | No country in our records demands it |
| Legg-Calvé-Perthes Not confirmed | The document does not state this. | X-ray | The document does not state this. | No country in our records demands it |
| Mitral valve disease (MVD) Not confirmed | The document does not state this. | Examination by a vet | The document does not state this. | No country in our records demands it |
Explanations checked: 11 August 2026