Genetic Testing and Orthopedic Evaluations

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by clc29 on 10 January 2012 - 22:01

Kudos to all of you who have their dogs tested for inherited diseases and x-rayed for hip and elbow evaluations.
Cisco will be 12 months old next month (wow does time fly) and I will be getting his hips and elbows prelimed with the OFA and he is scheduled for his first CERF exam.

I would also like to have him tested for DM and see that several labs perform this testing for different costs.

My first question to you is..... which lab would you recommend?

Do you as breeders and potential puppy buyers prefer to see the results on the OFA website or does it matter to you?

My second question is what other tests would you have done and where would you go to get them done?

Thanks a Bunch for your input.

Cheri

by Rik on 10 January 2012 - 22:01

If planning to breed, I would do OFA. Not because it's any better but because of recognition.

Personally, I would do H/E and DM.

Rik

by clc29 on 10 January 2012 - 23:01

Thanks Rik

Not sure about breeding him yet......we have a lot of training, testing and evaluating to do yet.

I kind of figured that OFA would be the best bet as well.

Cheri

by Ryanhaus on 10 January 2012 - 23:01

Why OFA pre-limbs,
I used to do pre-limbs but now I just wait till they turn two yrs old.
why pay a vet and ofa twice?

Ofa for all the tests,
Hips, elbows, heart, Thyroid, at the vets, DM you swab the dogs cheek, and mail it in.
Eyes with Cerf.

I prefer to see the results on the ofa site, then you can look at siblings and other relatives.

Good luck with his health tests!

by Rik on 10 January 2012 - 23:01

mirasmom, it really depends on the goal for the dog. it really is counter productive to invest time/finances in a dog that one has high hopes for only to find that h/e are bad at 2 y.o. when all this could have been determined at 1.

agree not really necessary to submit to OFA but do think it should be determined if there is no hope as early as possible.

Rik

by Ryanhaus on 11 January 2012 - 00:01

Rik you make a good point, but I would do a pre-limb only if the dog showed signs of
lameness.
Unless I am going to rehome him cause I am just looking for a stud and not a pet, then I would want to know his hip grade asap.

by trixx on 11 January 2012 - 00:01

without an xray you wont know if hips are good or bad as not all dogs will show signs of pain.

i think doing the xrays at 1 year is a good idea.

by Rik on 11 January 2012 - 01:01

mirasmom, understanding where you are coming from. a lot of years ago, I bred a litter from a very nice OFA female and one of the top (at the time) Am. GSDCA Selects in the U.S. Kept a bitch that looked to be my entry into the big time. Carried her everywhere, did well in puppy/young classes and all the pats on the back.

x-rayed her @ 2 for OFA and she had no ball and no socket and no contact, the absolute worst hips I have ever seen. And she never limped a day in her life.

Rik

by Blitzen on 11 January 2012 - 01:01

I always xrayed my puppies before I began any sort of training or showed them in puppy class. I got a few surprises. One of my best puppies, a specialty sweepstakes winner at 5 1/2 months, had horrendous hips at 6 months. Never assume. If your goal is just to breed the dog and not to show or train it first, then I can understand waiting.

by clc29 on 11 January 2012 - 01:01

Thank you everyone for your replies.

Mirasmom.....I am doing prelims for a couple of reasons. One it is required by the breeder in order to fulfill the hip guarantee and two I am investing a great deal of training time and money to certify him as a SAR dog, finish his BH AD, SchH1 and hopefully a Koer rating.

I would like to know in advance that his hips and elbows are all right.

Cheri

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