OFA

[co1651]

Do you put your dogs under when doing the OFA xray? I hear horror stories and gripes about both

[BigShooter]

Do you put your dogs under when doing the OFA xray? I hear horror stories and gripes about both

I'm not a vet so no I don't put my dogs under! The vet I contacted to do OFA films for me uses sedation.

[Adam]

Definitely not!

[kninebirddog]

My vet tries not to do any sedation for OFA unless the dog absolutely is struggling with him ...he prefer them awake so the muscles are not relaxed if they are relaxed your dog will not get as tight of a reading if your vet doesn't know how to set them right to make up for how lax the muscles get when they are sedated ..the reading difference is not going to be that drastic as a good hip and socket are going to be good hip and socket but it can make the difference between an excellent and a good if everything is real close or a good and a fair if the hips not as deep
it may get a border line form a fair if it is to relaxed But OFA will ask for another x ray to be taken if the vet does a poor job they are not that lax in their job some vets are better at setting dogs to get better views of hips having them straighter then others

But bad hips are bad hips and no matter what a vet does they will not be able to hide that

[BigShooter]

k9,

Another great post!

[Karen]

The vet I use only sedates if they can't get good x-rays when the dog is awake (they're squirming/fighting too much). I've yet to have them sedate one of mine.

[phermes1]

... But OFA will ask for another x ray to be taken if the vet does a poor job they are not that lax in their job some vets are better at setting dogs to get better views of hips having them straighter then others

Have to disagree with that. I know of a few instances where OFA accepted very poorly done films and rated them anyway. Poorly positioned dogs, poorly exposed films, you name it. I've always had the impression that OFA will evaluate anything that gets mailed to them.

[kninebirddog]

I know of a few people who have been asked to have x rays to be redone

I have also seen a couple not as straight x rays that ..the dog got a fair ...the hip was shallow and it didn't matter even when the guy took his dog to another vet and had the hips redone in a better position...result came back the same Fair

If anyone has a question on their results...You can Call OFA and they will be happy to go over the evaluation and explain why your dog got the rating it did...
Some people just can't accept that something they own isn't perfect

Some people do not understand how their dog can run and play and jump and look and act normal but the x ray reveals a dyplastic hip(s)
I know the crush of when you have high hopes on a dog only to have it come back with no OFA number and then have to start over because I want to have a breeding program

Anyway no program is perfect but at least with OFA one can go to the www.offa.org website and learn some about the dog they have as long as the breeders before had their dogs OFA'd and posted

and if you have questions call OFA..I have a couple times even to ask Dr Kellers Opinion on a couple dogs I wanted to breed

[1vizsla]

Definitely lightly sedated. I have always heard the opposite to the post above... that the pictures are better when the muscles are relaxed and not tense. We have tried both ways and prefer the light sedation (with better results). A lot of it depends on the vet doing them and their experience. I have also been told by former OFA Vet that experience may be the difference between good and excellent but bad hips show up no matter what. Personal decision, I guess.

Carla

[Brittguy]

If you have a bitch , for best results you should not have it done during a heat cycle or within 30 days of nursing.

[dog dr]

OFA actually recommends doing it under sedation (to the point of relaxation, anyway). not required, though. in my experience, it is pretty tough to position the legs the way they need to be and get the dog to hold still. preoper positioning is a little painful

[ezzy333]

OFA actually recommends doing it under sedation (to the point of relaxation, anyway). not required, though. in my experience, it is pretty tough to position the legs the way they need to be and get the dog to hold still. preoper positioning is a little painful

This is what I had always heard and it was better because you got a better x-ray. I know OFA has recommended it for years and have never heard where they had changed their minds. Just has to be a lot easier on the dog and the vet to do it that way. Hopefully that leads to better results.

Ezzy

[phermes1]

I know of a few people who have been asked to have x rays to be redone

I have also seen a couple not as straight x rays that ..the dog got a fair ...the hip was shallow and it didn't matter even when the guy took his dog to another vet and had the hips redone in a better position...result came back the same Fair

If anyone has a question on their results...You can Call OFA and they will be happy to go over the evaluation and explain why your dog got the rating it did...
Some people just can't accept that something they own isn't perfect

Some people do not understand how their dog can run and play and jump and look and act normal but the x ray reveals a dyplastic hip(s)
I know the crush of when you have high hopes on a dog only to have it come back with no OFA number and then have to start over because I want to have a breeding program

Anyway no program is perfect but at least with OFA one can go to the http://www.offa.org website and learn some about the dog they have as long as the breeders before had their dogs OFA'd and posted

and if you have questions call OFA..I have a couple times even to ask Dr Kellers Opinion on a couple dogs I wanted to breed

Different experiences for different people, I guess. It's not just people jumping to an unsupported conclusion that the film was done wrong, either. I know of terrible films that had 2-3 additional vets review and attest that they were done improperly. To the point that the original vet issued a refund.

I'd rather just not leave it to chance, so we go to an experienced vet. For better or for worse, we want it done right. There's a vet 2 hours away from us that has been doing OFA films for many years, does it well, and almost always predicts accurately what the dog's rating is going to be. He's worth the trip. fwiw, he also sedates.

Anyway - while I think they could be more discerning on the films they accept, I do agree that OFA is about the best thing going. Their database is simply a fantastic resource.

[Adam]

OFA actually recommends doing it under sedation (to the point of relaxation, anyway). not required, though. in my experience, it is pretty tough to position the legs the way they need to be and get the dog to hold still. preoper positioning is a little painful

If you're having a hard time positioning the legs without anesthesia you might want to head up to Dr. Link at Spring Harbor Animal Hospital in Madison, WI he does all his hip and elbow xrays with dogs fully awake it takes a matter of 5 minutes from the time you head to the back to the time your back out and never once have my dogs show any sort of "pain" also both of mine came back excellent...

[dog dr]

OFA actually recommends doing it under sedation (to the point of relaxation, anyway). not required, though. in my experience, it is pretty tough to position the legs the way they need to be and get the dog to hold still. preoper positioning is a little painful

If you're having a hard time positioning the legs without anesthesia you might want to head up to Dr. Link at Spring Harbor Animal Hospital in Madison, WI he does all his hip and elbow xrays with dogs fully awake it takes a matter of 5 minutes from the time you head to the back to the time your back out and never once have my dogs show any sort of "pain" also both of mine came back excellent...

hey, good for you. they want to squirm too much for me! course he must really be fast, cause it takes about 5 minutes just to develop the x-rays!

[freefallgsp]

We have always lightly sedated all of our dogs... Dobes, GSMDs, and now the GSPs... probably will continue to do it, too. Never had a problem with it, so I guess it is all just on personal preference of the vet and/or the owner of the dog.

[co1651]

Adam, you are the second person I know that told me to go there w/o sedation. Sounds like it will be worth the 3hr ride in feb

Thanks all for your input

[dog dr]

Do you put your dogs under when doing the OFA xray? I hear horror stories and gripes about both

just curious, what kind of "horror stories" have you heard regarding sedating the dogs??

[jlp8cornell]

just curious, what kind of "horror stories" have you heard regarding sedating the dogs??

I am curious as to the horror stories of sedation as well.....
Also, have never heard of radiographs being done for hips w/o sedation due to the possible painful positioning and also the fact that many dogs will not stay still. But, to each his own..

[ezzy333]

just curious, what kind of "horror stories" have you heard regarding sedating the dogs??

I am curious as to the horror stories of sedation as well.....
Also, have never heard of radiographs being done for hips w/o sedation due to the possible painful positioning and also the fact that many dogs will not stay still. But, to each his own..

I think if there are horror stories, they are just that, stories. I am sure there has been a problem sometime or the other but I can find no evidence that it is a problem worth worrying about. I agree, let the vets do what they are comfortable with but I can see problems with quality x-rays if the dog is moving or can't be positioned correctly.

Ezzy

[1vizsla]

The only "horror" stories I have heard involve either Collies or Greyhounds which can be suseptible to anesthia. And then they weren't horror stories because the owners knew going in about the risk.

Carla

[CherrystoneWeims]

Do you put your dogs under when doing the OFA xray? I hear horror stories and gripes about both

just curious, what kind of "horror stories" have you heard regarding sedating the dogs??

And if your dog has a problem with sedation do you really want to use it in a breeding program!

Every vet I've ever used for OFA sedates the dog. I also have PennHip done at the same time so you would have to sedate the dog to get proper positioning.

[kninebirddog]

If a dog is in pain because of being stretched out for an OFA x ray that in itself is in indicator to me something is wrong

The only dogs I have ever seen have a problem being laid on their backs are ones that have figured out the squirming and crying gets them out of doing something that they do not want to do
Or that were dysplastic My vet over the years has only semi sedated one of my dogs and that was because he my vet thought that little extra extension could get an excellent reading ...which after I spoke with Dr Keller of OFA he said that there was one spot in his hops that was a bit flatter then they would have like and My dogs final reading was an excellent good good with remarks noting what prevented the doc from giving my dog an excellent across the board.

If any one has a question you should try emailing or even calling the OFA office . I have a few times and found it very informative and helpful in decisions I was making

[scout_on_38s]

I checked with several local vets and all said they would sedate. Dropped her off in the morning and picked her up on my way home from work. Came back "good" 2 weeks later. Cost was $155 to the vet and $35 to OFA.