Hock dysplasia is the one joint problem that you can see without doing x-rays. I'm amazed to see more and more bad hocks in the ring. Is it that exhibitors fail so see it or they just don't care?

Just to open a constructive discussion, no flames!

How can you see hock dysplasia without an x-ray? It could be any number of things that would cause lameness. There can be hock dysplasia without noticeable lameness. Years ago I had a dog with a huge lump on his hock joint. Felt sure it was dysplasia. Took him for x-rays and it turned out to be an injury and eventually disappeared. Are you talking about lumps on hocks?

What exactly is hock dysplasia? This is a new one on me. I've heard of OCD in the hock. This can be seen, but is nothing new. Lameness and swelling, but that may be from other causes. Slip hocks, yes, these can be seen as well and are more of a weakness, just like a dippy topline, but hock dysplasia? Well please tell me what it is. I tried to Google it but nothing came up.

Dysplasia in any form is simply an abnormality Of development. So dysplasia of the hock could be OCD, changes due to slipping hocks, etc.

Yes, I was talking about OCD which causes hock dysplasia. Even in mild cases, you can see it just by looking at the joint. Not all inflamed hocks are OCD, but all OCD (in the hock) will eventually cause enlargement of the hock. If a dog has a Knot in the hocks that doesn't go away, it is most likely OCD. Of course you need x-rays to confirm OCD.
BTW, not all OCD of the hocks will be painful, so it is possible to have it and never have a limp.

This is why I liked the Wind-Morgan program that went out of business some 10+ years ago. A dog had to pass 4 sets of joints - hips/elbows/shoulders/hocks, a set of like 12 xrays (don't exactly remember anymore), and it could be done at 1 year, so I liked to do them as prelims on hips/elbows and for more information.

I think that any swelling of the hock in a Lab is OCD, unless proven otherwise. If you make a point of looking for it in the show ring, you will see it and in some pretty "important" stud dogs. I'm not sure if breeders just ignore it, since it is not an "OFA joint", or if they don't see it or if they just don't care.
I don't think judges care about it, but they should.
OCD can be in any joint...will the stud with the bad hocks produce pups with elbow OCD? I don't know, but I suspect it will and I won't take the chance in my breeding program. I do think we should be much more careful about swollen hocks.
Keep an eye out for it, you might be surprised at where you'll see it.

"There are many reasons why the hock can be inflamed, but chronic mostly non-painful inflammation in the hock screams OCD."

I don't know how common it is to have swelling of the joint and not have it be OCD but I had such a dog. There was a large knot on his hock joint and I watched it for 6 months. No changes, no lameness, no sign whatsoever of being uncomfortable, just big and ugly looking. I finally got my courage up and took him to an ortho vet who x-rayed him, did a physical examination and every test known to man. Turns out it was an injury that in the following 6 months disappeared entirely. So, I hesitate when we oldies make sort of no holes barred statements of "always" and "never" when it comes to canines. It just doesn't work that way. Don't want newer people taking our advice without further investigation. And that being said, always get a second opinion. Vets don't know everything.

At least you can see a swollen hock and hopefully, the owner of the dog will be upfront with what is going on. You can't see bad elbows, especially if they are bilateral and the dog moves ok. I don't understand why a breeder would show a dog with elbow dysplasia? Is it just to have another champion? Is it to promote the dog for stud (maybe an "injury" involved here, too?)
Will breeders use a dog with no elbow number? Just trying to understand, not picking a fight.

Personally, if I have a dog with swelling in a joint that doesn't go down is a week or less they are into the vet. I prefer not to string it out "hoping" for the best. I firmly believe that hope is not a strategy - as bad as the news might be, I want to know.

I am not sure why/how breeders feel comfortable breeding a dog that has elbows without a passing OFA grade. Even if there might have been a "documented" injury to the elbow. So the dog has a documented injury, how does one know that the dog didn't have elbow dysplasia in addition to the "documented" injury?