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Deciding factor to have x-rays?

1K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  Liesje 
#1 ·
What was your deciding factor to have xrays done? I think my 6 month old may be showing early signs of HD. He kind of runs with his back legs together and in all the time I've had him, we havent seen him just full out run. He also doesn't jump up on things or down, or over. Ok he doesn't jump much. What are some things to look for before I call the vet and schedule xrays?
 
#2 ·
if he's only 6 months old, and you see no physical "pain" issues, personally I would wait.

Puppies are clumsy, the flop around, walk funny, they are not done growing. Growth plates don't close until they are around 15-18 months or so.

I always xray my dogs from stem to stern so I have a clear view of the big picture, usually around the above age, or if I'm ofa'ing when they hit 24 mths of age.

Again, if he isn't showing signs of "pain", I'd just wait a bit.

Are you having him neutered? If so, xray then. Just MHO
 
#3 ·
if he's only 6 months old, and you see no physical "pain" issues, personally I would wait.

Puppies are clumsy, the flop around, walk funny, they are not done growing. Growth plates don't close until they are around 15-18 months or so.

I always xray my dogs from stem to stern so I have a clear view of the big picture, usually around the above age, or if I'm ofa'ing when they hit 24 mths of age.

Again, if he isn't showing signs of "pain", I'd just wait a bit.

Are you having him neutered? If so, xray then. Just MHO
Thanks for the input...I'll certainly hold off for now. He's not showing any signs of pain, he just moves a little different. I'm a little paranoid about it after a couple people made comments about how he walked weird and asked if there was something wrong with his hips. I'll definitely give him at least another 6 months before I do it.

On a side note, what's normal as far as jumping and running? He's a touch lazy... but he also is slow about stairs. I wouldn't think anything of it but people have made comments and made me concerned. He climbs them, carefully like you would imagine a toddler would. He doesn't run up them like the grown dogs do, but I wouldn't expect him to do that with his ginormous feet and small body either.
 
#6 ·
I get all my GSDs x-rayed at 6-7 months regardless of whether they show symptoms, but I need the peace of mind. If I have a dog I intend to train fairly intensely, I also want to know ahead of time if there are any concerns or reasons his activities should be restricted. My puppy is 6 months old today and I just made an appointment for his x-rays to be done in 1 month. My vet does it pretty low cost (under $150 for hips and elbows) so to me it's worth the peace of mind to find out.

If you want to rule HD in or out, there's really nothing else to look at or consider other than x-rays. That is how it is diagnosed or ruled out. However if you suspect he may just be young and uncoordinated, you don't have to do the x-rays this soon.
 
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