This came up on a pet board and I wondered what the breeders and die-hard show people thought.

Do you OFA and/or Penn Hip your dogs that do keep but do not intend to show/breed? I know many of you might not have these kinds of dogs, but like I have a spayed bitch I do OB, rally, and field work with. I already dealt with ED issues/surgery with her but still wouldn't consider checking her hips as nothing has led me to believe she has problems.

I often see so many pet owners worrying about their altered pets because they "hopped" funny and start stressing about taking them in for xrays, even if the dog has never limped or done anything that would make someone else suspect HD. It sounded like there were folks who do the films and send to OFA just to check if the dog is predisposed, so IF it was, they could take preventative measures NOW....one person commented like this was common with performance dogs.

I try not to be a cheapie with my dogs, heck I've spent way too much on torn cruciates and ED surgery, broken toes, etc. But am I wrong not to be checking my non breeding dogs for problems they are not showing signs of? Seems like money down the drain.

Anyone have thoughts or comments?

My eldest lab doesn't much like to jump and it was suggested to me to have her hips xrayed, we did OFA views but didn't send them in, she's fine, she just doesn't like to jump, my youngest had Penn Hip done at a year and is a 99%ile. Middle lab hasn't had any xrays as she is always enthusiastic, and doesn't have any symptoms, but now as she is getting a bit older, I may do her hips as well....All 3 compete in rally agility and some obedience as well as hunt test training, so I don't want to overwork parts that might be at issue

barb

I always encourage my puppy people whether they are pets or show to do the hips, elbows and eyes at 2, it is good to know what is there or not and also good for me to see how many in a litter has passed or failed cause if there are too many in a litter that doesn't pass i'll scrap the line and not even breed from the good ones.
Aloha,
jackie

I always encourage my puppy people whether they are pets or show to do the hips, elbows and eyes at 2, it is good to know what is there or not and also good for me to see how many in a litter has passed or failed cause if there are too many in a litter that doesn't pass i'll scrap the line and not even breed from the good ones.
Aloha,
jackie

i did hips and elbow xrays on my pet lab jake. i didn't send them into OFA but i was just interested in seeing how they were. everything else went wrong with him but hey he has good hips and elbows.:)
adam

I personally think it's a good idea to X-Ray hips and elbows especially on working dogs. You don't have to submit them to OFA if you're not using the dog in a breeding program. My reason for X-Raying all three of my dogs is that if there is a problem with any joints you can get the dog on the proper suppliments to help prevent severe arthritis. Also...if your dog has an orthopedic issue...you may not want to jump the dog.

I agree - I would get readings on hips and elbows also optigen and Cerf. If nothing else I want a baseline in case something comes up later...it can be used for comparason. The more information I have on my dogs the better IMO - even a pet.
A

My pet clients don't want to xray of fear there is a problem. They don't want to have to return there pet for the health guarantee.