PennHIP, x-rays, OFA ...

[BluePaws]

Ok, I'm a little confused because it's been 8 years since I went through this with my last pup and it was all a blur back then because of the results.

Do y'all recommend doing the PennHIP survey ... or just getting x-rays done? Are they the same thing? And then depending on the results, sending them to OFA? Or send them to OFA regardless? When should I have a puppy x-rayed? If there's going to be a problem in the future, I want to start it on supplements (or get surgery if needed) as early as possible.

I don't even have the puppy yet ... three and a half more weeks or so ... I'm just trying to line up those proverbial ducks! (Get all my ducks in a row ... )

Thanks!!

Carol

[Rerun]

In addition to that question - if the dog was supposedly x-rayed over seas, how do you verify the x-rays and the rating?

[Vinnie]

Have you asked the breeder of your future puppy? Sometimes the breeder likes to know how the hips of the puppy are and will ask that you have them x-rayed at a certain age. If you're puppy's breeder is this way he/she may have a preference of PennHip or OFA.

[Miikkas mom]

PennHip can be done at a much younger age. Miikka had Pennhips done when she was 4 months old. It cost about $400.00

OFA’s can’t be done until the dog is much, much older….like 18-24 months.

Some breeders wont accept PennHip reports, so you should talk to your breeder first.

[Montana Scout]

my breeder wants a copy of the OFA for hips and knees and if they are below moderate by the age of 25 months then she will refund some of the money through the guarantee.. but for the past 7 generations only 1 dog (one of the real later ones) had below normal but not severe..

but im really not sure what pennHIP is.... whats the difference between pennHIP and OFA?

[Doc]

Two different ways to measure hip displacement. Is one more accurate than the other? Probably. PennHip will not "rate" the hips but rather give you a numerical comparison to other dogs of the same breed. PennHip scores are a number - based on measured displacements and expressed in percentages.

OFA "rates" hips based on 3 radiologist reading an x-ray - and the lowest score of three is what is given. The x-ray can be read at a later date and recieve a different score. OFA is very subjective.

[Liesje]

I care less about "ratings" and more about getting a qualified veterinary radiologist to take and interpret the x-rays. It matters a great deal who takes the x-rays and how the dog is positioned. My dog has a skeletal abnormality so I don't care what OFA or PennHIP say, I go to the radiologist and *he* is the one that tells me what is or is not wrong with the dog and whether he has HD or not. If you do choose to have them rated, make sure you pick someone that is familiar with the system you choose so the dog can be positioned and sedated properly.

[Doc]

Originally Posted by Liesje

I care less about "ratings" and more about getting a qualified veterinary radiologist to take and interpret the x-rays. It matters a great deal who takes the x-rays and how the dog is positioned. My dog has a skeletal abnormality so I don't care what OFA or PennHIP say, I go to the radiologist and *he* is the one that tells me what is or is not wrong with the dog and whether he has HD or not. If you do choose to have them rated, make sure you pick someone that is familiar with the system you choose so the dog can be positioned and sedated properly.

It's funny. A buyer will reject a breeders knowledge and experience when it comes to hips. They have been brain-washed to believe that an OFA rating is mandatory and insures a "good" dog even when they have no clue how the procedure is done.
I can show a potential buyer the hip x-rays of dogs in a pedigree and they have no idea what they are looking for. But if the x-rays are read by someone who is suppose to know what to look for, they take it as the truth.

I do not submit x-rays to OFA anymore. I find it rather queer that some kennels get many "excellent" readings while other kennels never have a passing grade. I've sent x-rays to well know radiologist and they have rated some hips 2 or 3 times better than OFA rated them. The problem is the OFA readers are not as versed as they should be on reading x-rays. They rarely consider the effect of sedation on laxity or the impact of poor postioning unless it the dog is falling off the x-ray.

I wish the focus would shift to dieases that can kill a dog rather than a hip that may or may not be tight enough to pass a flawed rating system.

[Liesje]

I submitted to OFA (it was the third set of films) but just to have the dog in an online, searchable database. It was cheap so I figured, why not? I already knew what "rating" he was going to get.

But yeah, as far as actual diagnostics I would not use these organizations to tell me anything about my dog, I would find a vet that I felt was qualified and whom I trusted. Right now I'm lucky to go to someone who has been studying this stuff for twice as long as I've been alive and whose research these "ratings" are based on, so when he says my dog's hips are this or that, his word is gold. The rating is just to add another entry for the breeder in the database, since so many people are obsessed with these ratings and will instantly rule a breeder or a dog's lines in/out based on OFA.