Sedation for OFA xrays - Page 2

I had my x-rays on my female German Shepherd without sedation. If your dog is calm and comfortable, sedation is clearly unnecessary. OFA recommends sedation for muscle relaxation, if necessary.

https://www.ofa.org/diseases/hip-dysplasia/hip-screening-procedures

I wouldn't want someone hauling on my dog's legs that hard (they must be pulled straight HARD and be held that way) without sedation. There's no reason to do that to a dog. Sedation risk is so small it's not even worth being worried about.

 

Edit: I'm also concerned with getting an accurate picture. If the dog is not completely relaxed you won't get an accurate picture no matter what the position. I want to know what the story really is not the one that might look better due to no sedation. 

Edit again: exposure to rad is another issue. better to get one good view than have to take several that weren't quite right. 

Every dog I've had to sedate or anesthetize has come through it just fine.

Every cat I've had to sedate or anesthetize has come through it just fine. Although one small cat had a few days of lingering drunk-like effects when she was spayed.
 

My dog would not allow someone to manipulate his limbs like it's necessary to get a good xray if he was not sedated. Unless your dog has a very soft-temperament and doesn't mind strangers 'man-handling' him/her, sedation is less stressful as well.

When my mentor had the bitch that was eventually my Ob Comp dog scored, a year or so before she came to me, I believe she had her Xrayed by the same human Radiologist. The lack of sedation did not obscure the fact that she had a hip score of 29:31 (total 60 out of 106); which is why she was taken out of the breeding programme and gifted to me. (Fortunately she was one of those dogs whose HD is asymptomatic & lived a long and mobile life).

PS of all Ronnie's dogs I would not have described my Vida as being of a "very soft temperament", tell that to those she bit !

 

This also occurs to me (thinking of this being done by a humans' doctor):  many, many human X rays are taken while patients are awake, some of them involving uncomfortable positions. (And don't talk to me about the agony of mammograms LOL!)  OK you can 'explain' to most humans, but I think some people may be exagerating the effect on their dogs here, in line with a general softening of interpretation of what dogs are able to bear.

Hund - I don't think you can compare xraying humans to dogs as we can understand the need for awkward manipulation and cooperate with the radiologist. Dogs just know that some stranger, dressed funny (xray guard cape/gloves) is yanking their limbs as they're on their back. A lot of dogs will not put up with this and a poor image will result, nervermind the risk to the vet/tech taking the xrays. I don't know the percentage of dogs with adverse reaction to sedation, but it's probably very low. If the breeder does not know of any of their dogs having had a bad reaction to sedation then it's most likely going to be OK.

To the OP - did you ask the breeder about this?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/z85nafxxbplj9k0/Photo%20Feb%2027%2C%209%2012%2000%20AM.png?dl=0

Here is a pic of my males hips done with out sedation. My male was a year old and does not like to be manhandled or put on his back. Muzzle was used. He was in and out in 5min. It can be done

Jettasmom - another factor to consider is how profocient the vet is and how quickly they can take a good xray to submit for OFA. Obviously it's do-able per yours and others examples, but it requires skilled & quick vet/techs, and the OP did not indicate their location or access to such personnel. Just another thing to consider in all of it.

Exactly, as I pointed out in an earlier post. I’m lucky to have a vet that is exceptional in this area.

If you want a more accurate image, absolutely sedate. No matter how cooperative the dog or efficient the veterinarian, you cannot match the quality of sedated images, period. Even the very cooperative dog is still a dog and so won't stay truly still in such a situation unless unconscious.

If I were going to sedate a dog for hips, though, I would bite the bullet and shell out the extra money for PennHIP instead of, or in addition to, traditional imaging for a number of reasons. http://siriusdog.com/pennhip-vs-sv-ofa-hip-views, http://siriusdog.com/subject-pennhip-vs-hip-extended-views. From Fred Lanting, GSD man and authority on HD. His book on the topic is well worth a read.