Now before we get to the fun lets make one thing clear I am NOT, repeat NOT breeding in this situation, this is purely for opinions.
So for those who do/have bred would you ever consider this: Breeding a dog out of your kennel who had failed its OFA for hips, to a dog with a better rating? Both dogs are solid when it comes to drive, work ability, conformation, pedigree etc, the only divergence is the hips scores. None of the pups would go to the GP, just to other working homes/kennels and everyone knows what the deal is and are fully capable of evaluating the pups they get. Both dogs are from lines you've known and bred with for years.
Do you go through with the breeding or do you just scrap the dog from your breeding stock?
2012-05-01T10:36:09Z
Greek: That I know. Only about 11% of the LCLDs tested are in the excellent range Dutch: Since the breedings aren't going to the public the sire and damn aren't listed in this years planned breedings.
Julie D.2012-05-01T10:20:08Z
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The dog would be scrapped from the breeding program. It makes no sense to me to breed a dog that has ALL the good qualities, but ends up producing dogs that are half crippled. If you remember, I DID have a dog with severe Hip Dysplasia, which really has nothing to do with your question as she was just a couch potato pet Bulldog. The point is, why make a dog that will eventually be rendered as useless? No point really, IMO. There's no need for any potential puppy buyers to go into a sale with a *I wonder* attitude. Understandably, any well bred dog can potentially end up with a health problem, but why breed a dog with a health problem to begin with. Nope, I wouldn't do it. There are always other fish in the sea.
would not breed this dog, unless there is a reason, like he is grand champion and has an IPO 3 or monio titles, and then probably would not breed anyway. There are thousands of mediocre dogs, working and other wise out there. WE do not need more. We only need to have the best of the best bred... What happens when 1/2 or more of the pups get those bad hips, and cannot compete. . You do not need those hips sitting in the sidellines waiting to show up in pups or grandpups. NO NO NO > Start with another female. If you are true to the breed you will not bring more un-'almost' perfect dogs into the world.. If you just want a pup from your ***** ,, you will breed. I am glad you are not breeding. I for one don't want another dog that has any problem.... And when you say FAILED OFA I assume you mean the OFA recommmends not using this dog ?? Meaning the dog isn't even "borderline" it is dysplastic?? what rating, MIld moderate or severe? You know better...in your heart and I would hope others do as well.
It would depend on a lot of things. How bad is it? there are some that no way would i think should be bred. Others are more borderline cases. Might it be the position of the xray? Is it worth having it re done & evaluated ? How are the scores of this dog's littermates, parents, grandparents, ancestors, older siblings? If it's a whole line of bad hips that is different than if this is an anomaly.
If in this hypothetical situation an OFA Mild dog really did have the other qualities you mention and had siblings & parents w/ good hips it might be worthwhile to breed to a dog w/ good or excellent hips from a line that has a history of improving hips, if the breeder is honest with the buyers about it and breeder & buyers are agreed about how it will be handled if there is a problem. It helps that in your hypothetical situation it's working homes rather than possibly naive pet buyers.
Well, limited experience here, but the breeder I know who has a contract with the Police in various Provinces to provide working GSD's does not breed dogs with poor hips. Period.
She has spayed an import (read very expensive) that developed food allergies and sold it at a loss. She has one of the highest standards I have seen in the country for working dogs - and she has maintained her relationship with Police for the last few decades because of her ethics and high standards.
Having said all that, failing is what?
Years ago I had a Doberman x-rayed by a vet (my regular vet was away) and she sat me down and told me the dog had some serious cardio problems. I forget the details - but she told me to expect the worst. She advised I get a specialist opinion.
So I took the dog to Guelph Ontario - and had an expert cardiologist look at the same x-ray. He told me it was the position of the dog and how the x-ray was taken and said basically, this vet was full of shyte and that nothing was wrong with my dogs heart.
X-rays are a measure - interpreting them is another skill entirely separate. Scoring is often biased, and its not 100% objective. So, I suppose in all of this the words "it depends" applies. Some dogs can move well and xray fair - but a dog that has any hesitation in movement and shows up on x-ray as questionable is why I would expect at least 2 opinions on a dog that was sketchy.
There was a recent post (actually a few months ago) about the different standards in hip scoring - I think the consensus was Penn Hip was better - but since I have not been actively researching this I could be corrected and not even sure I have the context correct.
Reading radiographs is almost an art form. I think I recently answered a question on here - someone took their dog to an emergency vet whom, based on xrays taken, recommended the dog be hospitalized and put on oxygen support. When the same xrays were taken to their regular vet, the regular vet (in the asker's words) basically said the emergency vet was full of sh!t and there was nothing wrong with the xrays.
One vet was obviously seeing something (or NOT seeing something) the other vet wasn't. And as much as people in general like to rant and believe, most vets are NOT out there to rip you off, take all your money, and treat your pet unnecessarily. Not only does that risk their license and the clinic's reputation, but believe it or not most people in the veterinary field actually LIKE animals. Duh...
Im sorry, off topic... lol. That being said, you would HOPE OFA officials would have the expertise to put a right label on a dog's hips. Like Dutch says, that doesn't always happen...
It would depend on the rating and on how I personally felt the radiographs looked. Remember, even a fair is considered some MILD dysplasia, but does a fair REALLY mean the animal is dysplastic? Turning the leg out slightly too far can cause the head of the femur to appear shallow in the acetabulum. I also know some breeders that won't guarantee against dysplasia if the OFA rads were taken under sedation... sedation, of course, causes muscle relaxation, and may cause the head of the femur to appear shallow in the acetabulum.
Too many variables to answer in black and white, unless of course realistic situations were presented lol
Plus, I'm not a breeder as it is
EDIT: I guess I should clarify... fair doesn't TECHNICALLY cover mild dysplasia, that would be mild... lol BUT fair does mean they are viewing SOME kind of abnormality. And the definitions are too vague for me to NOT believe that some mild dysplasias are marked as fair.