How important are OFA scores- really?

[wildo]

One reason I've decided to run Pimg at 20" is because I still haven't gotten her hips and elbows OFA'ed. In some respects, I think that's a bit negligent on my part. I'm really asking her to do a lot without knowing *for sure* what state her joints are in. But on the other hand, I just can't see taking a risk with putting her under anesthesia only to get hip xrays. She doesn't have any medical issues right now requiring anesthesia, so I have been putting them off.

But I was thinking about it- and had this question: Does it really matter?

She shows no signs of joint issues at all. She chases squirrels up trees constantly, jumping up and down at the base of the tree over and over and over. I'm not talking little piddly jumps either- I'm talking 6 or 7' jumping straight up, constantly:


If she had joint problems, seems like I'd know about them by now. Still- I question- if you finally OFA your dog's hips and find them to be poor- if the dog is not showing signs of discomfort- do you continue agility? I think that's probably a yes, but I'm looking to some people with more experience on this...

[BlackthornGSD]

She has functional hips--or you'd know otherwise by now, especially as active as it seems she is. At 5 years of age, if she had bad elbows, you'd know it by now.

If her hips are less than perfect, then they might give her trouble as an older dog.

The ratings matter for breeding decisions. (It's important to have an impartial and somewhat standardized reading on the xrays--not just the opinion of the person who wants to breed the dog.)

For a dog who you don't plan to breed, the xrays and/or ratings can help you make good decisions if you have a dog who you plan to be active with -- but generally, if the hips were really bad, she'd have had problems before now.

[Elaine]

If you have a well behaved, trusting dog, you don't have to sedate your dog for hip and elbow x-rays.

If I had a dog that I wasn't going to breed and that dog was jumping and moving well, I wouldn't bother with x-rays. Unless there's a lameness issue, I don't see the need.

[Lucy Dog]

She doesn't have to be under any kind of anesthesia to have hips x-rayed.

You don't really even need to send them to the OFA if you don't want to. Major hip issues are pretty much black and white just by looking at the x-rays.

[jocoyn]

I think the sedation is to get the *perfect* image for the OFA . Agree with Paul - I would do hip AND back. My own dog who was severerly dysplastic did not show symptoms until after a cold winter swim. I did adjust her activity after that - kept her active but did not do certain types of things that would accellerate her decline and it has all been good for the past 5 years.

[TaraM1285]

I do not think OFA scores are that important. I did have x-rays of Tara's hips and elbows for my own peace of mind before beginning agility when she was 2 years old. If you would feel more comfortable knowing, I would go ahead with the x-rays. As others said, she should not need to be completely anesthetized for x-rays. Tara was done with a light sedative and her films were excellent in quality and positioning (I think they are posted on the board somewhere). Some dogs can probably be done without any chemical restraint. I'd ask your vet about it.

I plan to jump Tara at 24" when we trial. I do still supplement with glucosamine/chondroitin and fish oil and make sure she's warmed-up properly before running and that she stretches and does other strengthening exercises to keep her in good shape for it.

[JakodaCD OA]

I have xrayed all my dogs to determine status of hips/elbow/spine/knees. The majority I don't send in to OFA because there is no need. They are also good for future reference if something crops up and you want to go back and look to see if there have been any changes

[wildo]

Thanks everyone- that helps give me some peace of mind. I didn't know that I would physically be able to see issues already if she had any.

Originally Posted by Elaine

If you have a well behaved, trusting dog, you don't have to sedate your dog for hip and elbow x-rays.

If I had a dog that I wasn't going to breed and that dog was jumping and moving well, I wouldn't bother with x-rays. Unless there's a lameness issue, I don't see the need.

I feel that I have a well behaved, trusting dog- but getting up on the xray table and having unknown people contort her in every which way is about as fun for her as... well, I just woke up for the morning three minutes ago and can't think of anything funny to say yet. She hates it. She screams and whines bloody murder. There's no way she could be xrayed without at least sedation.

[Liesje]

I'm a "need to know" sort of person so I x-ray all my dogs at 6 months and 24 months regardless of whether I intend to breed or even submit the films for ratings. I just need to see them. I'm glad I did because we found a fairly major problem with Nikon that explained a few odd symptoms. Without the x-rays we would NEVER have figured it out, since the issue is a skeletal abnormality and one that *usually* doesn't cause the odd symptoms I saw unless severe. Ironically though, his "hips" are fine, he's OFA Good. But I have decided to limit doing agility and flyball and I will not do weight pull.

To me the OFA rating is not as important but I do need to see the anatomy, once before I start training and at least once again when the dog is mature. I also do elbows and spine. It has always been less than $150 which is definitely worth my peace of mind!

[Chris Wild]

I'm also a need to know sort of person. Particularly if the dog is going to be leading a very active lifestyle. Absolutely if the hips or elbows were very bad, you'd know by now. But it's not safe to assume that they are great either simply because there are no symptoms. If mild or moderate, she wouldn't necessarily be showing any trouble now, but may in the future. And if that is the case any excess wear and tear now could lead to earlier onset and increased severity of symptoms. Knowing for certain allows the owner to make educated decisions about activity, lifestyle, diet and supplements, which if there is a problem there could significantly reduce any trouble she has in the future.

A dog does not need to be sedated, and certainly not fully anesthetized, for x-rays. X-rays don't need to be sent to OFA either, provided it is a competent vet taking the films and interpreting them. For breeding, official scores from OFA etc... matter. From the standpoint of just knowing where the joints stand as it relates to possible quality of life issues later, scores aren't necessary.