elbows - don't x-ray or don't pass? - Page 2

To me Hips and Elbows are the most inportant part of knowing that these Dogs are okay in that department I would hate to put a dog through strenous work not knowing if its hips and eblows were not sound enough to do it
That is my main reason of wanting to get a check as soon as i can
At the moment i am waiting to here of Izzys results i paid the fee to the SV and now wait for the Postman to give me the results and my heart will be in my mouth when i open the letter to read the contents
I took Izzy to a very good vet in Holland he also has the Penn Hip Method but they are not supported offically by the SV yet
However this vet told me that with Gina the new Puppy we have, it would be a good idea for him to Penn Hip her at 4 to 5 months old, He said he can then say wether they will be good or not, well give a good idea
It will save a lot of time waiting for her to grow then find out for if her hips and elbows are not up to standard i can find her a good home as a Pet Dog where no strain will be put on her Joints
However that would be a Sin being a Daughter of Java Talka Marda and from a mother who is Full siister to Como Bonauer Wald,
But we never know and i will spend a 100 dollars in a month or so time just to find out how the little girls joints are unofficially They deserve it the least we can do for them
Steve1

Thanks to all who replied and especially those who do certify both.  It seems from my limited experience that only very recently has it been common for German dogs to have elbow ratings.  I've seen a few pink papers and none of those dogs or their ancesters have elbows listed, but they are not lame in any way so one would just not know.  Would it be a safe ballpark guess that 1/4 of those wouldn't pass OFA if they did have them done?  Personally I've never known a dog with lameness or pain due to it's elbows, so I can see why some breeders don't look and don't think it's an issue.  But I've heard that it can be debilitating to young dogs when they are growing. 

I think hips have become part of the "culture" where as elbows are still "new" to the general public.  Better breeders do both.

As to not liking "pre-lims" I found it interesting that the OFA states on their site that the "pre-lim" reading is 95% accurate as to the adult rating.  I do pre-lims as part of my culling protocal, and have found the prelims to come out the same as the adult readings.

I agree that bad elbows *can* cause a dog more problems than bad hips. 

 

Amysue, you ask:

Would it be a safe ballpark guess that 1/4 of those wouldn't pass OFA if they did have them done? Personally I've never known a dog with lameness or pain due to it's elbows, so I can see why some breeders don't look and don't think it's an issue. But I've heard that it can be debilitating to young dogs when they are growing.
 

I think 25% would be a very high estimate. I know it does occur, and when it does, it is a significant problem for the dog, so it is something I test for, but it seems to be fairly uncommon--at least in the working bloodlines. Less than 5%, maybe? 

Christine

BlackThornGSD; for the GSD the incidence of elbow dysplasie is 19.3% per the most recent O.F.A. statistics. Remember - this is for examined dogs and we know that most are not examined. For what it is worth - the hip dysplasie statistics currently show 19.1% for examined GSD's.

This is good news - yes and no. The GSD is showing a slight improvement over years past so careful breeding is evident at least for the short term. The breed has come a long way during the past ten (10) years when the rate of dysplasie for either end of the dog was in the mid 20% range.

Now that the S.V, is requiring the elbow examination we may see further improvement but it will be very small and it will be many years before we notice the trend. Most GSD's born in the U.S.A. are not from S.V.-registered stock and the ones that are came from stock who was not officially examined by the S.V. as the requirement is but a few years old now.

All things considered - many breeders are on the right path when it comes to determining which dogs are qualified for breeding. When elbows are finally treated with the same attention as hips we may see another small improvement.

Best Regards,
Bob-O 

I must have exceptional luck... or selecting from generations of tested dogs does help. I have had far better results than 1/5 having bad hips/elbows.

I thought in the US that elbows have been regularly xrayed for two decades at least. I know I did my first set of hips/elbows on a GSD in 1994.

Christine