pennHip VS OFA - Page 3

OFA recommends the use of anesthesia, but does not require it. Some dogs cooperate and a good film can be taken without the use of drugs. Others need to be sedated. Anesthesia CAN make a difference on the close ones. If a breeder has a dog that seems to produce more than the expected number of dysplastic progeny and that dog has been certified without the use of anesthesia (or a tranqulizer), they might want to consider having that animal re-xrayed using some sort of chemcial restrain. This would mostly apply to dogs with fair ratings, however some goods could slip through if they were resisting the positioning enough so that subluxation would be impossible to demonstrate. Most people prefer to not anesthesize their dogs for xrays, but if your vet tells you he can't get the dog positioned correctly without using it or if he thinks the dog's hips are iffy, anesthesia would probably be the best way to go with that particular dog. A poor quality film will usually be rejected by OFA with the request that another be submitted and why. However, sometimes OFA does refuse certs based on substandard films. If those dogs are re-xrayed and a better film submitted, they might get a number after all. I would certianly never write off a dog with mild HD per OFA if I saw the film and felt it was not positioned right or exposed correctly. Especially if the refusal were based solely on shaoow sockets and/or subluxation and no degenerative joint disease. It behooves all GSD breeders to learn about positioning and film quality. There are a number of websites that show examples. Leerburg is a good place to start. Do not depend on your vet 100%, you need to learn what it's all about. It never hurts to try again on the close ones. I've had that happen to 2 of my own dogs, mild on the first films, OFA good on the next.

I am doing both because my breeder is evaluating her breeding program and would like her puppy owners to send in the results. She is giving half of the money spent on both OFA and PennHip back as long as I send the results to her. I don't mind doing it to help her breeding program. Thanks for the information.