Hip Review? OFA submission - Page 2

i think they will go Good 

Hips came back good. Elbows, however, came back DJD1 bilateral. There is no present lameness and I will consult to see best preventive actions but I gather many dogs get this and it has no impact on them whatsoever.  

Yep, elbows DJD 1 which in all likelihood means NOTHING to the dog! Interesting factoid about the DJD1 rating............did you know that they fail them because they MIGHT mean there is some other abnormality that they cannot see, and that's basically it? Yep...super interesting article anyone mourning a DJD1 rating should read before getting too upset about the impact on their dog: http://www.ridgebackregister.com/images/RR_11Sp_Elbow_Debate_singles.pdf

Thing is those are SUPER clear x-rays. I have seen some where you could be unsure......and the contrast was so high you may not even see the osteoclasts...but it is clear there are no sclerotic bone changes, no secondary arthritis, and no UAP. .... I still plan on checking it all out. I think the most important thing (based on my experience) is to develop/maintain a conditioning plan that will minimize damage.  And I am being more agreesive about dietary glucosamine and using the ramp to get out of the truck.

I know a lot don't even bother to x-ray the elbows else they say don't post if abnormal.......Thank you for the article!

OFA wants zero changes, period. Your dog is 2.5 and a healthy working dog. Based on those xrays, you have no real reason to suspect they will ever worsen substantially. If he were 6 mos. old, it might be different. I say pretend you never saw those and keep working your dog as you wish and as he enjoys. Breeding dogs is of course a more complicated venture with regard to how to treat a DJD1 reading.

Regarding using the ramp to get out of the truck, have you let him jump before? 

I've seen DJD1's stay a DJD one for their whole lives. To me, that's NOT DEGENERATIVE! Degenerative means worsening, by definition. I personally think OFA needs a new rating for this "catch all" DJD1. 

Actually, yes I have.........not extensively but it may have been enough.........

And while I am thinking, I have seen several rated normal where the elbows are not nearly as flexed as his and you would not be able to clearly see the ostephytes if they existed as they would be covered by the joint/humerous........

Yes, absolutely. I have seen many that would've passed in all likelihood had they not been so flexed. Hence, my reluctance to get too upset about the working life of a dog w/DJD 1. 

What are you/OFA looking at in these elbow films to say DJD1? Can you put an arrow on the films pointing to the area to look at?

(I think I know what you are looking at, but I want to be sure.)

Christine

I cannot do photo editing on this computer but the article Jenni posted a link to has a picture of the artifact with an arrow pointing to it. Basically of you follow the aconeal ridge from the point of the elbow to the joint, you see a smooth line. But on that smooth line you see a little "fuzziness" near the joint associated with the ridge..looks like a little "hump" that is not solid.  But there is no evidence of any floating bones and there is no sclerotic change (noted by opacity) on the other bones.  No arthritis noted on other key locations. So many questions. The muscle is very well defined in these shots.......so I wonder if it is not just normal tissue.  

Regarding "I wonder if it is not just normal tissue." Sure, it could be, but OFA won't take that chance, so elbow dyplasia it is! LOL...only it's not really funny. I love how in the article she even had a CT scan done of the dog's elbows and found NOTHING wrong, yet that dog was labeled dysplastic by an admittedly inferior diagnostic tool. 

There just really is no easy answer, unfortunately. Were you hoping to breed your dog or are you just concerned about working him?