I want to do hip and elbow prelims on my year old girl, my question is, she seems to be in pre-season her vulva has been swollen off and on for a while now, so not sure if she is really coming in soon or not. I would not do finals near her season, but do you all think it would be OK to do prelims near her season? I will be making a decision based on the results, and would rather do them sooner (now) than later.

Would you wait, or do them now?

TIA!

I'd wait until after she's been in season.

I'd go ahead and do them just to get an idea. If they're questionable, I'd re-do them in 2-3 months if you really want to make a decision on her now. I have have several radiographed just days before they came into heat and have gotten excellent/goods, but if they failed, I would have re-done them

wait till after her season (mid way between cycles) to get the best idea what is going on ortho-wise

A well known vet's office in California has done their own study on this. I was one who held to never doing OFA's on a bitch in season. This office is so used by breeders for hips, that appointments take three months to get in. Of course my girl was in season just when she was due for her final x-rays. I called to cancel. The office told me to bring her. I expressed my concerns. They said if the joints look lax, they'll redo for free. So... I went. Read by the radiologist there as good to excellent. OFA came back Excellent. Take it for what it is worth.

I did pre-lims on my 18 month girl when she was in full season came back good from OFA.

Then why does it say this on every OFA application:

"Hormonal Effect
Some female dogs show subluxation when radiographed
around an estrus cycle which is not apparent when re-radiographed
in anestrus. The OFA recommends radiographing 3-4
weeks before or after a heat period or 3-5 weeks after weaning
a litter of pups."
http://www.offa.org/hdappbw.pdf

I would wait until she is 3mts out from her season. My girl came back mild HD when she was just coming into season. My ortho vet recommended to re-do them 3mts after her season. Result OFA Good !! Good Luck with your girl

I think I am more concerned about obvious osteo-arthritic DJD changes in her elbows are femoral heads at this point (age) than laxity. Her family ortho history is very strong. Hmmmm I trust my vet that does my OFA's, I think I'll go ahead and have them done, (and maybe not send them to OFA) if there is any question we'll redo them in a few months after she comes in.