Vet diagnosis or OFA?

[Ayoka]

Bear is about the age that I should have his hips tested for HD.

My options are to have the vet do an x-ray or have the x-ray done and sent to OFA...I do plan on keeping him in flyball and we're actually on a team but so far he's been doing only 8" jumps. To date, I have had no indication of any problem but I know HD is a degenerative disease so things aren't always evident right away.

Bear came from the SPCA so I have no clue where he came from or who his parents are, he is fixed so he will never be bred. However, I want to do right by him and make sure that he is physically sound enough to participate in sport.

Do you think that I would be OK with the vet diagnosis or should I go for the OFA certification?

[SonnyRott]

If he has no known history, it really wouldn't benefit anyone searching the OFA database and seeing his results there.

I would just go ahead with the vet's x-rays and not submit them to OFA.

[hcelsa]

I would submit them to OFA, it's a minimal extra cost over what you'll be paying for the x-ray anyway (it's $35 to send in hips/elbows less for just hips). While he won't be connected to other dogs due to his unknown history, the information will be included in the statistics for the breed. Even better, that way you'll know that three professionals that know what they're looking at/for have evaluated them (most regular vets are not that experienced in evaluating hip x-rays).

[fbkeays]

I would never let any ole vet take hip or elbow x-rays and then take the results as true. Find a vet that does a lot of OFA x-rays. If you need help finding a vet that does that, contact several local breed clubs- not just rottweilers but golden and labs too.
There is nothing worse then getting bad x-rays done and still not have any idea about the condition of the joints, except for having bad x-rays done and then told that the joints are bad. A badly positioned dog = bad looking joints. A badly exposed x-ray = bad looking joints.

[Paulos]

Francis is correct. If you pay for a poorly positioned x-ray, you will have wasted good money for a useless x-ray. Specialists cost a little more, but do this kind of work exclusively (many times the dog is under sedation). Seriously, look very hard before you spend good $$$. There are some very good websites that describe what to look for in a good radiology exam for HD.
Once you get the results, it is up to you to have the specialist send it for OFA review. I don't think this is necessary if you aren't planning breeding. Essentially, it is like a second evaluation of the same x-ray. Luck

[BostonRott]

I would also submit to OFA, for your own knowledge.

[SonnyRott]

My vet is an ortho vet so I would trust his evaluation.

But if you're vet does not take good x-rays or you do not trust him to do so, then you may want to send them off to OFA to be evaluated for your own piece of mind.

[marianne]

I will agree if you really want to know have the X-rays sent into the OFA. The results might be more than your vet can tell you. But also the X-rays have to be done with the dog really in the proper position.And NOT all vets can really get the dog 's X-rays right.

[Paulos]

I forgot to mention that the fee to forward the x-rays to OFA is only about $25-$30, if I remember correctly. Pretty nominal.

[Cash]

Originally Posted by Ayoka

Bear is about the age that I should have his hips tested for HD.

My options are to have the vet do an x-ray or have the x-ray done and sent to OFA...I do plan on keeping him in flyball and we're actually on a team but so far he's been doing only 8" jumps. To date, I have had no indication of any problem but I know HD is a degenerative disease so things aren't always evident right away.

Bear came from the SPCA so I have no clue where he came from or who his parents are, he is fixed so he will never be bred. However, I want to do right by him and make sure that he is physically sound enough to participate in sport.

Do you think that I would be OK with the vet diagnosis or should I go for the OFA certification?

I would definitely start with a good Ortho who knows how to take xrays, read and assess them. If you receive bad news from xrays you want to be sure you have aligned yourself with an Ortho you trust.

The most valuable aspect of any OFA rating is knowing that behind it came a knowledgable and educated submission. Be it a positive or negative classification from OFA. While your dog is of "unknown origin' it doesn't hurt the breed to disclose information. I did.

[Cash]

Originally Posted by Paulos

Francis is correct. If you pay for a poorly positioned x-ray, you will have wasted good money for a useless x-ray. Specialists cost a little more, but do this kind of work exclusively (many times the dog is under sedation). Seriously, look very hard before you spend good $$$. There are some very good websites that describe what to look for in a good radiology exam for HD.

Recently I've had 2 very well respected Orthos xray and diagnose my dogs hips - NEITHER time did they sedate him for rads. In fact, it's preferred that the dog ISN'T sedated.
Postioning can play a factor in xrays, but in all honestly, do your homework, find a good Ortho and you will find out what you need to know for your purposes. OFA should be a confirmation of what you've already seen. And, not a huge shock when their classification is returned to you.

[BostonRott]

Originally Posted by Cash

Recently I've had 2 very well respected Orthos xray and diagnose my dogs hips - NEITHER time did they sedate him for rads. In fact, it's preferred that the dog ISN'T sedated.

I certainly prefer to have my dogs done awake, and have had 2 done that way. However, I have 2 that they absolutely could NOT get good positioning on without sedation. Both are fairly dominant dogs and are NOT happy about being rolled on their back. One of them, has NEVER EVER rolled on her back, not in play, not ever. So, the "attitude," combined with the muscling on them made it safer for the dogs to be sedated. NOT because they were trying to eat vets and techs, but b/c to force a joint against tensed up muscles and ligaments is dangerous to the soft-tissue involved.

The sedation used was a reversible combination of things (dormitor and something else, I forget what). Both dogs came back to me within about 20 minutes, awake and able to jump into the back of my Expedtion.

The only reason I point this out is to say that sometimes a vet's skill has nothing to do with whether or not you are physically able to get the dog into a good position for xrays.....sometimes it has to do with the dog themself.