First, let me say that I've been there regarding much-loved , promising youngsters that don't pass clearances. It's devastating. I know there are those who choose to breed their Labs in spite of failed clearances, and if you listen long enough to their reasons, it all seems okay. But-- unless a breeder is going to keep all the resulting litter from such a breeding at least until all of them have passed their clearances (and provide a forever home for those that don't), there is no excuse for such a breeding IMO. It's just perpetuating ongoing problems. It's selfish, no matter who you are.
I think you're to be applauded for doing the right thing. Shame on the breeder.
I'm wondering what the PennHip enthusiasts would do with this situation. I know of one that has stayed off this thread, and since she is extremely opinionated on the subject, it strikes me as odd !
Do you ignore OFA, and beleive PennHip ? It's my understanding this bitch cleared PennHIp, and not OFA?
Well done Dr. Cooper. Yes, it is mostly sarcasm. I can't resist sometimes when I know I can make a comment that will inspire some virtuous responses. I do enjoy reading them sometimes. However; I do not want to continue and potentially influence people who are new to the hobby.
It would be a rare exception that I would breed a dog who did not have OFA clearances despite the flaws associated with this kind of standard. There is no such thing as the perfect dog so I won't say "never."
They do not have a pass/fail system but a dog in the 70th percentile would be in the range considered suitable for breeding according to them. PennHip also looks for DJD as well and notes that in their report, so wonder if there were any findings with that for this bitch.
Thank you for helping me make my point. A bitch in the 70% is breedable according to PennHip, this is bitch falls there. So for those that depend on PennHip, would they breed this bitch even though OFA fails her?
And as a side note, how the devil does one sell puppies without OFA hip score on the dam ? Just asking?
It is interesting because my dog that is in the 50th percentile for Penn Hip is OFA Excellent. Three littermates are OFA Good (the rest are untested). Three are easily-finished champions and all have multiple working titles and have never had any issues. I was concerned by the Penn Hip Score as it is mediocre and will keep it in mind when breeding, but not sure I would use it on its own.
I do know dogs that have been bred only on Penn Hip (80th percentile or better) and I am not aware that they have produced any issues.
I would start by sending in the films (or taking new ones) to OFA, just to see. I have a male here, who I was told by two separate vets looking at two sets of x-rays (one an ortho who was examining him for something unrelated) that he had "mild hip dysplasia". OFA gave him a rating of GOOD, he competed in Obedience advanced levels (so jumping, etc.) until the age of 11, and will be 13 in a few months and to this day shows NO signs even of any arthritis in his hips.
That said, with the poor familial history, even if she passes OFA I would be hesitant about breeding her. My point is just that OFA doesn't always agree with "regular" vet opinions.
I think.I didn't make that clear. Both hips were over .65 DI, not percentile.
Don't bother waiting. The difference between 70th percentile and a DI of .65 is the difference between night and day.
Don't waste your time & money. Find a wonderful pet home for her and look for a better prospect for your breeding program. Time to move on.
I don't think that I would run on her, unless she is the very best, the very last of your line, or a very good reason to overule the orth. stuff (like she is already a champion) I firmly believe on building a pedigree on good stuff, not marginal or below standard
TO the OP
IT sounds like YOU DON"T want to breed this bitch, regardless of what her clearances are. You don't mention anything about the rest of her clearances or her faults.
IF you DO want to breed , Penn Hip 70% ( I am reading it as the Dam has the .65) is breedable. I would WAIT for the OFA determination , and then take into consideration the rest of the package, clearances,type, temperament, then do you say yea or nay.
If it is the breeding contract , and you don't want to breed, take it as a valuable lesson on what you buy into......
I guess everything you write is taken literally here. All I was trying to get across is that if you have a once in a lifetime dog, maybe it would be worth thinking about - breeding with poor orth. in hips - one litter and run on a few and see if there is something to move forward with. I would not use bad elbows, though.
Ok , thanks for the clarification on the DI
Please do some research and read up on what PennHip is.....and trying not being mean, but I think you need to educate yourself across the board on clearances and breeding, BEFORE even thinking about breeding.
Your bitch would be in no danger because of her PennHip score.......
I am not sure what you mean. The bitch's DI would probably put her in the 20th percentile, which is not good. Having a litter might not put the bitch in danger. But since she has poor PennHIP scores and will not pass OFA, OP would risk having her produce puppies with poor hips.
The OP said
"Besides, with DI scores that high, aren't I putting my girl in risk during pregnancy? How I understand DI, is that less than 35% of her hip is in the hip socket. Then I am going to put her in a situation where her hips are going to loosen further, just so I can see what happens? "
That is what I was referring to, I agree with the offspring being at risk
If you read my response, I said that it would be something to think about. In the OP circumstance, I would not breed the bitch, that was not what I was saying. I, myself, have never bred anything less than fair and almost 100% of my pairings have been OFA good or better. I guess there is just no room for discussion here without someone getting their hackles up.
It is my understanding that the bitch has DI of over .65 and someone said that would probably place her in the 20%. I also understand that none of her x-rays were sent to OFA?
If thats the case send in the x-rays. I had a bitch placed 30% so high DI scores, but she OFA'd good. Now there is a dileama of what to do.
It looks as though the general consensus on this particular thread is that the OP's bitch should not be bred.
But it concerns me that several posts, such as the most recent, advise to try different methods of getting around what is already known which is that the bitch has questionable hips and hip lines??
I find that irresponsible at best, deceitful for sure!! In my opinion, that puts those that do such things right down there in the barrel with back yard breeders!!
Either we are going to use the tools that are available to us right now to breed strong, healthy dogs or we aren't. The same people who advertise their OFA certifications shouldn't then twist and turn those certifications when things don't go their way.
I understand that things happen, even between good hip lines but if we know what we know about a particular dog then why go looking for trouble?? And don't forget, we breeders aren't the ones watching beloved pets suffer from poor hips. It's the families we entrusted our puppies to who go through the heartache and financial setback. Not to mention what we may have put a dog through!!
This is not directed at the OP and it is just my opinion.
She did not pass OFA's DON'T BREED HER. She can't be that perfect that you would put pups who could have a problem the rest of their life in familys hands. Let the breeder breed something else. There are a ton of pups out there. Try again.
I did not and do not sanction breeding her. I just wanted to point out that the 2 do not agree. In the bitch that i mentioned She OFA'd good and everyone here would have bred her based on her OFA results. Then the Penn Hip results came in........