What age should I have my dog checked for hip dysplasia?
My dog is eleven months old and has not reached full size yet…..Should I wait until she is full grown to have her checked for hip dysplasia or can they detect it earlier than when the dog is fully developed?
She’s am alaskan mal and they are prone to hip dysplasia, so of course it is a legitimate concern.I’d like to know so that if there are future problems I will know what it could be and how to deal with the best way possible…
December 24th, 2009 at 1:59 am
With most cases you can tell before your dog is a year old.
Common signs are rear leg pain, poor coordination, trouble rising to their feet and a limp or wavering gait. Dogs with severe hip dysplasia typically develop lameness by the time they are two. Dogs who have less severe cases may not experience arthritis and the related pain or lameness until they are six to ten years old.
http://dogtime.com/canine-hip-displaysia-aaha.html
December 24th, 2009 at 2:01 am
Two years. The skeleton is not fully developed until then. If you’re considering having them certified by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, they won’t accept X-rays on a dog younger than 24 months.
Edit: Animal_artwork. True enough. Was just going by their guidelines for the certificate. Just had my dog’s hips and elbows evaluated last month. I don’t know if anyone around here does Pennhip, haven’t checked into that.
December 24th, 2009 at 2:50 am
Breeders often do preliminary checks after a year of age… before they start spending too much money showing the dog.
However, the definitive check (official) should occur after the age of 2 (if you are talking about OFA).
You can do a PennHip much earlier (I use these as my pre-lim).
Edit: drb: OFA will issue a preliminary rating on x-rays submitted before the age of 2.
December 24th, 2009 at 3:48 am
The age that breeders do it at is at 2 years of age to get the health certificate. Usually the vet can tell by feeling, but breeders do the OFA at 2 years.
December 24th, 2009 at 4:03 am
You can have a preliminary x-ray done at 18 months, but the results can’t be “certified” and aren’t accurate until the dog is 2 years old. If/when you get ready to have this done, download the paperwork from http://www.offa.org and take that to your vet. The x-rays have to be done in a certain position or the OFA vet can’t read them. It also usually requires sedation. OFA will give you ranking of good, fair, excellent, etc. The better test is Pennhip, as you get a percentage. But, it requires more views, and a vet must be certified by Pennhip in order to perform the x-rays.
Good luck!
December 24th, 2009 at 4:11 am
You didn’t say what breed your dog was, however, it is best to x-ray for hip dysplasia after 2 years of age. When you do the x-ray, make sure your dog if a female is not in heat nor about to come into heat nor is she nursing puppies. I worked in veterinary offices for 30 years so know this is good information. If you are going to certify through OFA they will tell you the same. If your dog is a registered breed and you want to use for breeding, OFA certification is important as well as you can have results listed in AKC I believe.
December 24th, 2009 at 4:55 am
PennHip can be done as early as 16 weeks because it is predictive in nature. An OFA prelim can be done at 12 months and OFA certification can be done at 24 months, this is because the OFA test is subjective in nature.
I do PennHip at 16 weeks before I spend a fortune on training and entrance fees, and then OFA at 24 months.
December 24th, 2009 at 5:00 am
I have my dogs’ hips and elbows scored at 12 months old but I believe that pups as young as 6 months old can be x-rayed to determine whether or not they have hip dysplasia but normally a Vet will not operate then if it is detected. They like to wait until after the dog has turned 1 year old before they perfom the operation.
December 24th, 2009 at 5:06 am
Veterinarians can certify that a dog is or is not dysplastic by x-raying it by the time it’s 24 months old. Is she showing any symptoms? I have a page on my website all about hip dysplasia. Check it out, it might help.