SO-- WHAT'S IT ALL MEAN?

Now that hip x-rays are done, I have a choice.

I can keep the information to myself and share with those I choose…

OR

I can send them (for a fee) to OFA-Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (America)…

OR

I can send them (for a fee) to OVC-Ontario Veterinary College. (Canada)

Keep in mind veterinarians are not radiologists. They can only offer their opinion as to whether or not the hips will pass or fail.

I had one of my girls, CH. Sandalwood What a Scandal TT x-rayed and the vet I used at the time told me he wouldn't suggest breeding her...her hips wouldn't pass, so not to bother sending in the x-rays. I sent them in anyway and they passed!

OFA is the most widely accepted data -bank for hip evaluation/certification, along with many other tests from thyroid testing to DNA.

Three radiologists, independent of each other, will evaluate and grade the dog's x-rays: Excellent, Good, Fair, Borderline, with the last rating subdivided to denote the severity of Dysplasia---Mild, Moderate or Severe.

I don't understand why there isn't a 'very good' rating in there, as I'm sure there could be a vast difference between 'excellent' and 'good'). When I refer to something as excellent, I mean it's fabulous-great, positively the top. Good on the other paw denotes acceptable.

Good in any survey I've ever seen is always two steps below the excellent rating. Are the dog's hips at the top-end of good--bordering excellent or at the bottom-end, bordering on a fair?

For years, there have been nasty rumours circulating-involving the time of month one sends the x-rays in....if one gets them in between the 1st and 6th of the month (days may vary depending on who you're talking to) they will get a pass-if sent later and OFA has reached their 'passing' quota for the month, you're out of luck.

But don't despair... apparently people have been known to re-submit previously failed x-rays only to get a pass the second time round.

There are also rumours of people downloading a hip clearance certificate ( the same way one can for vaccinations) from the internet, print it out, white-out the dog's personal data, insert their own dog's data, et voila-their dog has a hip clearance of 'excellent'! Of course in this case, there would be no such dog listed on the OFA site but one would, I assume, produce said fake certificate to show to prospective puppy owners.

Once you've submitted your x-rays to OFA, if they fall within the first three classifications-excellent, good or fair, you/your dog gets a number and the rating becomes public domain, which anyone can view on the OFA site.

If the dog on the other paw gets a borderline; mild, moderate or severe report, the owner of the dog can choose to keep the information from the public/open data base.

What???

Well, that's most considerate-but it really doesn't help the cause. I believe if you choose to send the x-rays in to be evaluated-let the public see the results.

Then there are the unethical persons ( and they are out there-probably on KIJIJII) who confidently and proudly state their dog has had its hips x-rayed and leave it at that...without mentioning the results of the tests!!

Another choice is OVC at the University of Guelph, in Ontario.

OVC terminated their hip evaluations a couple of years ago for a short while but now have fully re-instated the program. OVC offers a 'Pass' without any sub-grading or a rating of Grade I-IV. With no sub-grading-did the hips pass just by a hair or are they excellent?

So this shows the comparison between the two rating systems:

OVC.............................OFA

Normal/Pass................Excellent

Normal/Pass................Good

Normal/Pass................Fair

Grade I........................ Borderline

Grade II.......................Mild Dysplasia

Grade III......................Moderate Dysplasia

Grade IV......................Severe Dysplasia

There's an interesting 'By Breed Dysplasia Statistics' list from OFA here: http://www.offa.org/hipstatbreed.html

When all is said and done, the rating should be a firm guideline for any serious breeder…which dog/line to keep in your breeding program and which to steer away from.

Unfortunately, just because the sire and dam both test clear of dysplasia, does not guarantee a litter of pups free of the disease.

It does however stack the odds in your favour that it won't be present!