Czech GSD's with bad hips - Page 13

I've OFA'd maybe 25 dogs over the years and xrayed many more belonging to other people. 2 of my litter brothers came back as mildly dysplastic. One was xrayed in Utah, one in Alaska, both vets said no way. We had them both re-xrayed, both got goods. I didn't see the original xrays, but it was good enough for me that the vets who did the xrays said OFA was wrong. Those were the only 2 surprises I  ever got from OFA other than some ratings weren't what  I thought they would be. I don't get hung up on ratings so that wasn't a big deal to me.

It's prudent for ALL breeders to learn what a normal GSD hip and elbow xray looks like and to select a vet with the expertise in doing it right. The Leerburg site has a nice tutorial about hips and the importance of correct  positioning. IMO you also need a vet who sedates for xrays. If Hans has proof that one dog did in fact get 3 different ratings, then he should report that to OFA including all information and if the ratings were determinded using the same set of xrays. They do care and if the dog was identified as the same dog on all 3 submissions, they will have all the information at hand they need to investigate and to decide if the readers made errors in judgment.  I suspect those readers have already been questioned. I do think that OFA could do a better job asking for another xray where the exposure or positioning is not diagnostic. Often that is the reason for different ratings on the same dog. Some I know routinely re-xray dogs that have received a fair in hopes of gettng a better rating. Sometime it works. OFA is not perfect, maybe the SV isn't either, but I don't think that's a valid excuse for not using their expertise. 

I would never buy a puppy from parents that did not have hips and elbows certified by some qualified organization or a veterinary radiologist.. IMO the certification lends legitmacy to the breeder and indicates that they are doing all they can to breed the best dogs they can. Expecting a breeder to certify their dogs' hips and elbows isn't asking too much. 

Re: Adela's xray - the positioning isn't perfect, but the flim is diagnostic and clearly shows a female with normal hip conformation. Why not simply send the xray to OFA? It never harms any GSD breeder's reputation to have their dogs listed in the OFA database as having normal hips.

Remember one important thing, regardless of whether the dog has an OFA, has been read by their vet, or for knowledgable breeders, read by th breeder themself.....it doesn't change what the hips are. They are what they are and nothing changes that. For newbies and first time owners, it is definitely a barometer that helps them make a decision....for breeders, if they need an OFA rating of good or excellent to be the defining reason for using a dog, then I look in another direction. I place much higher value on the overall condition of the siblings hip, and the hips of first three generations collectively, and lastly the compatibility of the hips of the other breeding partner; then I do on the individual grade of a certified dog. But that's just an old timers way of viewing this issue.

Good arguments on both sides of the fence.   (The OFA debate part that is)

Bad hips and an overshot jaw so bad on the same pup...for those that don't know, an extremely overshot OR a slightly undershot jaw are both breeding faults and dogs that breed pups like that should be eliminated from breeding programs...

Not sure I'd eliminate Ex z jirkova dvora from a breeding program just b/c of a overbite & bad hips in a pup. I've seen the videos of him and that dog works very very nice. Provided I liked the bitch, wouldn't hesitate using him as a stud.  Got to loo at the whole dog.  Jinopo doesn't own him though.

I've owned and bred af few dogs myself in the last 50 years and I still want to see certified hips and elbows on the dogs I am considering. In fact that is the very first thing I ask about. Had my share of HD years ago. I do look at hips of sibs and other close relatives - I look to see if their hips/elbows are certified by an accredited radiologist or the OFA or the SV. If not, I move on. For me, its' as simple as that.

@Blitzen, I understand your philosophy and I don't condemn it at all, I just look at it from a different perspective, just like the dogs you breed and like are probably different than what I would breed to....no right and wrong just a matter of what we are trying to achieve and our ability to reach it.