yes, more expensive than OFA. but cost varies by area of the country. check the pennhip website for a vet certified to take the x-rays. then call around for prices.
Would and have done this instead of OFA preliminary testing. Wish they did elbows!!!
My Pennhip vet (orthopedic vet) will do them plus a second set for OFA for $314.00. Thats for EVERYTHING except for the mailing of the OFA rads (he gives these to me in a mailer) and the cost of the OFA fee. I usually get the results within 3 wks for both.
I would say around here in Southern California, PennHIP is usually around $350-400. It completely depends on location, medications used, and so forth. PennHIP films require deep sedation or light anesthesia that relaxes the muscles for the compression/distraction views and the veterinarian requires special training/certification to be able to do them (and to even own the equipment to do them- the "distractor" is numbered and registered to an individual veterinarian). OFA's can be done at the same time for a tad more (since the same view for OFA is also used for PennHIP), but PennHIP does not evaluate elbows so those are additional views done for OFA submission.
OFA's costs (for obtaining the films only, not for sending in for OFA evaluation, which is a set cost on their website) depend on location and whether or not sedation/anesthesia are used (I've heard quotes anywhere from $110 to over $300). OFA recommends sedation since they feel it gives a more accurate picture of how well-seated the hip sockets are. When a dog is nervous and laying on its back for radiographs, those muscles are generally pretty tense. http://www.offa.org/hd_procedures.html
