OFA question.

True, but the problem is that finding a vet who can take good x-rays with proper positioning is hard enough. Finding one who can properly read the x-ray, interpret what it says and give a somewhat accurate prognosis for the dog is much, much more difficult. If someone doesn't have access to a vet with that kind of knowledge and experience, or doesn't know if their vet has it or not, paying the $35 OFA fee to get an expert opinion is worth it.

Originally Posted By: selzer
Why someone would want a rating from the OFA for this is beyond me, maybe they do not want to take their vet's word for it?

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yes, this is the question i was getting at. not just having the hips xrayed but going as far as to send them to the ofa. but chris answered that - thank you.

i have gia x rayed every two years [she was diagnosed w/ hd 4yrs ago] and tilden is going to have his first set done next month. an official ofa score is not important to me, as long as i'm confident with what i hear from the vet. if not i may use ofa as a 2nd opinion.

my neighbor works for a mobile vet that travels to most of the Ca dog shows specifically for this service of x rays. its his specialty and i'm going to grap the opportunity of having my pups done (at no cost). if he isnt as experienced as he says - i've lost nothing but a half tank gas

CM - here is what the ofa site says about mixed breeds...

3. I have a mixed breed. Can she get an OFA number?
The OFA does not require dogs to be purebred or registered in order to perform an OFA evaluation or to register test results into our databases.

i assume you just leave the registration number line blank

...and this is all it says in regards to indentification:

PI - Indicates that the animal has been permanently identified in the form of tattoo or microchip. If the dog has been permanently identified AND the identification has been verified by the attending veterinarian, a suffix of VPI is applied. If the animal lacks permanent identification, a suffix of NOPI is applied.

Originally Posted By: selzer

Why someone would want a rating from the OFA for this is beyond me, maybe they do not want to take their vet's word for it?

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Well, from my experience, MOST vets do not have the skill at reading x-rays to make taking their word for it a good idea.

I have had, and known people who have had, vets tell them horror stories about their dog's hips based on x-rays, when in truth the hips were fine and passed OFA when sent in. And other cases where the vet said the hips looked fine, but in truth the dog had HD.

Sadly, I even know of one person who put a 8 month old pup to sleep based on their vet's advice that it had bad hips and elbows and the pain and limping the pup experienced was due to the bad hips and elbows, then when they sent the x-rays to the breeder to claim their replacement pup and the breeder had a very experienced radiologist look at the x-rays, it was evident that the pup did NOT have HD or ED, but did have Pano. An 8 month old pup killed for Pano because the vet was an ignornant idiot and the owners "took the vet's word for it."

The opinion of some vets is accurate. That of many is not. Unless the vet has a very solid reputation for accurately reading x-rays, or the owner is educated enough to be able to tell if the vet's opinion is accurate enough, having the x-rays reviewed by experts is never a bad idea.

I agree with Chris. I don't know many vets (atleast in my area) that can *take* decent OFA style X-rays, let alone read them.

It wasn't long ago that I went through quite an ordeal with a vet who did our Apollo's radiographs. She refused to send them to OFA saying that it was obvious he was dysplastic with severe atrophy in his left rear leg. I was heartbroken. Missed class, my husband missed work, and we both cried tons of tears. Meanwhile, I came here and was able to learn that the Xrays she had taken were horrid. I had them retaken by a different vet and they passed OFA. I've since learned that I can trust my new vet's opinions regarding the xrays, he's really quite good, but if this is the first time working with a particular vet, having an outside (expert) opinion is worth the OFA fee, imo. Plus, with OFA, 3 professionals will be reviewing the radiographs and giving independent scores.

JMO.

I have used 3 different vets for my OFAs, (well - 4 actually, but the 4th one was not the best). I don't particularly worry about sedating a dog if the vet is good..and whether the dog gets sedated depends more on the dog I have found...my black male would not be not easy to handle upside down so he was sedated. That vet does alot of OFAs and thought he'd go Good, but he went Fair....I have used Dr. Hutchinson as well for a couple, and he has not only been right on, but explained to me WHY the dog would get the rating he predicted - Said Csabres hips were perfect - but that the lenght of the neck between the head and long bone might keep her from being Excellent - she went Good. Another clinic closer to home is also known for repro work and OFAs, and I have had 4 done there, the only one sedated was the male and the x-rays on all were good. This vet knows me and I get to help hold the dogs at her clinic.

I think most of these have been in the neighborhood of $200 for hips and elbows plus OFA fees


Lee

Dr. Hutch told me that Babsy's hips were excellent, they went good. He did say that they may go good, but you would have to ask why.

He said Jenna's were good, but Babsys were phenomenal. I was a bit disappointed by the good rating, but that is just plain stupid. "Good" is great.

I am going to him this Saturday with Rushie.

What I really like is that he gives them some sedation but doesn't put them totally under.

While the drive is a couple of hours, the price tag is not any worse than my vet here. He has digital prints that he can e-mail to the OFA. My vet has to go with film. I know it is not the end of the world, but you can zero in and look at stuff with the digital prints.

I like the guy and trust him. If he tells me my dog has a problem, I will believe him. With a vet that doesn't see so many of these, doesn't have the facilities, the techs to position the dog, etc. I don't know, but if they tell me the dog has a problem, I am going to want a second opinion and not just an ofa. I will want separate prints taken. So, why not fork over in the first place and save the second opinion money.

Also, I am very disappointed that when Arwen was pregnant they detected a mass and had an x-ray, brought me the dog back, and several minutes later, they came back and said they needed to redo the x-ray. Ok, but the bitch is pregnant and now I am out of my mind with worry thinking they found something awful. It turned out to be nothing (after an ultrasound at a veterinary referral they sent me to).

Then when she was due to have the pup. I had her x-ray'd because the pregnancy was weird, the temp dropped, no puppy, due date was there, nesting behavior started, then stopped. I thought I was having uterine inertia. Well, I'll be damned if they didn't do the same thing. Brought the bitch back to me, then had to take her again for still another x-ray.

Sorry, I like my vet and all, but I do not think I want them positioning my dog for his ofas.