[LuckyD]

I have a question about getting my pup's hips xrayed. I was under the impression that we could get xrays done at 6 mos for a fairly accurate idea of if our pup is going to have trouble. Now I'm reading you shouldn't do xrays until 2 years. Which info is correct?

Also, if the hips are good at 2 years, does that mean they are good for life barring something strange? Do you routinely have to xray or is one set at 2 (or six mos) enough?

Not interested for the sake of breeding, btw, just interested in a healthy family pup with a long life. Our pup is 5.5 mos and we were going to have her spayed, xrayed, and chipped all at 6 mos.

Thanks!

 

[onyx'girl]

Welcome LuckyD

Glad you found this great site that loves GSD's!
When she is sedated, go for the x-ray. Then at two have them done again to have OFA certify them. Make sure your vet knows about the proper positioning. If your dog is positioned incorrectly, the x-ray will not be worth anything! Even if you aren't going to breed, it is worth letting your pups breeder know how they come out. There has been discussion on waiting til pup is grown for the spay, or at least letting her go thru a heat cycle.

 

[3K9Mom]

I had my boy's hips and elbows done when I had him neutered. There was no extra sedation and I got good information. He was 14 months old. I don't know exactly how incredibly useful the info you'll get will be for a 6 month old who is still growing rapidly. But the way I look at it, anytime I can get MORE info with not much more cost or inconvenience, I figure it's a good thing.

As onyx says, since your pup will be anesthetized already, you can go for it if you'd like. Keep in mind that these films are *very* preliminary. But you'll have more information than if you didn't get them. If your pup is developing hip problems, knowing sooner is oh so much better than finding out later. And if everything looks good, great! You'll still want to be super careful with her growing body, but that will be good news.

Then, when she next has to be sedated for something else, you can have her OFA'd. I'm not in a huge rush to get my boy OFA'd. I will. But I'll wait until he needs sedation for something else first. Anesthesia is something I take *very* seriously.

I kind of maintain that mentality throughout my dog's life. I don't xray "just because." Regular exposure to radiation is not a good thing. And once the hips are set in an adult, barring something unforeseen (like an injury), things *tend* to stay consistent for the average household pet.

 

[Chris Wild]

OFA (the main hip/elbow certification organization in the US) will not certify hips until the dog is 2 years old. That's where the 2 year rule comes from.

But prelims can be done much younger than that. The earlier they are done (younger the dog), the greater chance of things changing as the dog finishes growing and maturing. So prelims done at a year are more accurate in terms of predicting the final hip status than prelims done at 4 months. Generally, hips that look bad when young are not going to improve. But hips that look good when young may change and not be good at adulthood.

I like to do prelims early (6-8 months old) so I have a general idea of the dog's joints. This tells me if it will be ok for the dog to participate in physically strenuous activities, and if there is a problem with the hips, the sooner it is identified the more options there are for treatment and the better the long term prognosis. But doing the hips again at adulthood is a good idea, to make sure any changes haven't occurred.

 

[Barb E]

Quote:But doing the hips again at adulthood is a good idea, to make sure any changes haven't occurred.

Chris - Do you mean the prelim and then at 2 or do you mean again after 2 at some point?