I'm pretty new to all of this, and I'm very upset about something that happened yesterday at the vet's office. I took my 16 week old female show prospect to the vet for her final distemper of the year. My vet has always been very thorough, and all my dogs get a full exam whenever they are seen by him no matter if there there for just a vaccine. Upon rotating her left hip, I noticed a funny look on the vet's face, and he told me that he felt her hip "pop". He said he only felt it once on the first rotation, and could not get it to do it again after several more. The other hip was fine, although I could tell she was uncomfortable through the whole exam of both her hips. The vet said to definately have her OFA prelimed at 12 months of age, but my question is what would all of you do with this? Should I get her prelimed at 6 months? Should I change her diet or add a suppliment? She gets plenty of exercise, looks very proportionate, and weighs 29.8 pounds. She hasn't had any injuries in the past, and her pedigree is outstanding...nothing lower than OFA good in her geneology. Am I being extremely paranoid about all this, or do you all see a definate problem looming?

A vet should never palpate the hip of a puppy that young. The femoral heads are not calcified yet. Vets can permanently damage the hips that way, pull them right out of the sockets. The joints are like rubber. It is hard to know what your vet did given a brief email description but be careful.

Prior to the exam, did the puppy move normally? Did it appear to be uncomfortable when moving? Did that change after the exam?

It is possible that she has the beginnings of HD. But then again, it was just once and it hasnt reoccurred? Is she still looking uneasy when she walks? Was she fine when she went in?

Get her prelims done and go from there.

Also, just because she has a pedigree full of nothing less than a rating of "good" does not mean that nothing can go wrong with her hips. You state that she has had more than enough exercise, well for a young puppy - it might be too much exercise?

You might be interested in doing a PennHip evaluation on her, she is old enough to do it now at 16 weeks. It may ease your mind to do so if if it make a difference about her staying or not. I agree, the vet should not be manipulating the puppy's hips that way just yet.

I didn't know that the vet shouldn't be palpating the hips in that manner. By "more than enough exercise", I meant that she is by no means cooped up in a crate all day, she's out freely and well watched except at night when she goes into her 10'x10' kennel. She was moving fine both before and after the exam, I havn't seen any change in her gait, no limping, no slowing down. At what age(if any) should the hips be examined with rotation? I just assumed that since he's the vet, he knows what he's doing. Now I'm really upset that the vet may have hurt her. How do I go about doing the Penn Hip? What is the procedure? Is it the same x-ray as the OFA, or is it different?

http://research.vet.upenn.edu/pennhip/LocateaPennHIPVet/tabid/3539/Default.aspx

Use the above link to find a PennHIP vet. Not all vets are certified to do PennHIP.

As for the vet manipulating your pup's hip, I can't think of any reason to do that without cause. My vet does very thorough well puppy exams and has never done that. It seems totally unnecessary.

The longer you are involved with dogs and breeding, the less likely you will be to let a vet manhandle your dogs/puppies. I can't see any reason it would EVER be necessary to rotate a puppy's hips. If we could tell what puppies were going to be dysplastic by rotating their hips, we would all be doing it! Next thing you know your vet will be swinging a dead chicken over your bitch to predict how many puppies she is going to have! Speak up when you are uncomfortable with something your vet is doing. It is ok to question authority! At this point I would just relax and wait until she is 12+ months and have a prelim done *only* if you plan to place her depending on the results or she is showing signs of lameness. Otherwise just wait until she is two. Oh and I doubt I would let the chicken swinging witchdoctor near my puppy again.

The vets I use all the time would not do that sort of exam. I see no need for it, unless the dog is in pain and we are looking to see if it may be injured. I did have to bring one of the dogs to an emergency hospital a year or two ago and he said the dog needed a full exam (to treat a wound on her leg). He started to do that to her hips and I told hm she was OFA Good and he wanted to proceed with the exam. I told him I refused to let him do that, as it served no purpose. Just what they teach them in school, I guess.

It's funny how this exam only gets done on pups that are with people who are new to this. I agree this manipulation should not be done on developing joints. It's something they teach in vet school and they are told that it means the pup will develop hip dysplasia. But show me the studies!

I feel like a fool now, but I'm glad I asked all of you. Thanks for your advice, and guaranteed this exam will not happen again to any of my dogs, pup or adult. Now my next question...considering this pup is intended to be the starting foundation of my kennel, should I do the Penn Hip right now or not? This is why I'm so paranoid about the whole incident...something I put so much time, effort, and money into is possibly going down the drain because of my naiveness. I don't want to do any more damage(if the vet in question did cause damage)to her hips by having the x-rays done. I know how the OFA x-rays are done, and it seems rather harsh...are Penn Hip x-rays the same? If you were starting over, what would you all do?

I would try to put the incident aside and enjoy having this puppy. I would then do hips and elbows at 12 months. If you haven't had an eye exam, I would go ahead and do that. I would also ask some local breeders who they use for a vet.

I give Cosequin DS to my growing pups. I talked to a nutritionist about it and she recommended it

I agree with Lab Breeder. Put the incident aside and do prelims at 12 months.
Penn Hip xrays can be done at 4 months old, but some believe that the positioning itself can cause damage at such a young age. I think it is different positioning than OFA's.
There is quite a bit of info on Penn Hip xrays on this forum by people who have a lot of experience with it. Just search Penn Hip and you'll find it.
Enjoy your puppy and take it one day at a time.

First I'd smack the vet for being an idiot. Then I would find a new vet.

Hi Nancy
I have to share this story.I am not new to dogs (Vet Tech for over 20 yrs before my current profession of Medical Technologist) and I had a vet pull this same thing on me so fast I couldn't beleive it. I never allow early joint manipulation and the vet knew that....he did it when I was distracted by his Tech asking for vacc history....I didn't know he had done it until the puppy gave a whimper and he pronounced her displastic at 12 weeks. Totally bogus...after I took the roof off the building....he fessed up....learned in a continuing education conference it was a sure sign of HD...this is what they are calling continuing ed....very sad.Needless to say, that Vet is history.
Take care and I wish the best for the OP.
LRM

ROFL.....ditto!

Did you have the pup OFA'd when she was older? What were the results? It's not the fact that he felt a "pop" so much that terrifies me- it's that he may have caused the "pop" in the first place. Don't get me wrong, no way am I finding a new home for this girl yet. I've thought about things and decided to relax a little and just do the OFA prelims at 12 months. I guess now I'm looking for some "feel good" stories, and probably a sedative for myself, lol!

Hey Newbie, OP?
Yes, she was good on OFA. She runs agility and is a very active, sound happy girl...but I had the same concerns as you have voiced....could it cause a problem when none existed originally? I think it can and that is why I will not allow early joint manipulation of that type in any of my puppies. Young puppies will have more laxity to joints and ligaments...and that is what worries me. The round ligament attaches the femoral head to the acetabulum (hip socket)and any stretching or tearing due to excessive manipulation could lead to hip issues in the future where none existed until manipulation.It turned out okay for me, but I watch exams "like a hawk" now and any move to start that kind of manipulation I will immediately stop. I have a good working relationship with my current vet, I'm comfortable with their integrity, but I still watch for it.
Best to you
LRM