OFA???????????????????????????

It's not about how often but at what age the dog should be tested for OFA certification. For hips, that is at just about 2 years of age. Anything done before is not reliable--the dog would still need to be x-rayed again at 2.

What it proves is that there is no structural abnormality in the joint being certified. For example, an OFA certification for hips of Fair, Good or Excellent means it is very unlikely that the dog would have hip dysplasia and could be part of a reputable breeding program. Anyone telling you the dog is certified should give you the OFA number and you can look it up yourself on the OFA website to confirm the rating. If you are looking to buy a dog (of a size in which hip dysplasia is an issue) from a reputable breeder, you would want to see that the hips of the parents and grandparents passed the Hip screening and also check out all their previous puppies to see if the parents tend to produce dogs with good hips.

OFA also offer elbow screenings and may offer some others, but I am not as familiar with those screenings.

OFA has a variety of different screenings. They evaluate X-rays and other tests for hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, Legg-Calve-Perthes, Shoulder OCD, Thyroid problems, cardiac problems, Patellar Luxation, Deafness, Sebaceous Adenitis, and various DNA testings. The results will indicate a variety of things depending on the test run. The orthopedic screenings can indicate whether the dog has the condition, and also whether they are likely to develop it in the future. There are different levels of results, and a screening saying the dog is free from the condition now does not mean they can not develop it in the future. Hip and elbow testing can not be done conclusively before 24 months of age, but there are preliminary screenings that can be done earlier. Most other testings are done any time after 1 year of age, deafness & DNA testings can be done at any age. Recommended re-testing intervals depend on the breed and the specific condition being checked for. BUT, re-testing IS recommended for many breeds and many conditions, specifically orthopedic conditions since joint condition can deteriorate with age. A breeder friend of mine re-checks her Boston Terriers' knees yearly for patellar luxation through OFA, and also has yearly CERF screenings for eye problems, since these issues are common in the breed.

Actually, I'm not sure you know, as it sounds as if you think OFA is one thing. I will be doing OFA on both hips and elbows next month after my baby dog turns 2. My older dog had both done, and had excellent hips and normal elbows- he was 5 and already neutered (he was a rescue, neutered at 6 months), but I was looking for physical causes for his jumping issues. Hips can be certified as fair, good, or excellent, or not certified, elbows as normal or (not!) These are the most common OFA tests, and mostly when people talk about OFA, they are referring to hips. Hips need to be done once, after the dog turns 2, although you can get a preliminary reading before then. There are also additional blood tests and screenings that they do, such as Legg-Perthe-Calves in certain breeds (same x-ray as hips) and DNA tests for Dengenerative Myelopathy, among others. They also support and perform research on a variety of issues, often working with other organizations such as the AKC Canine Health Foundation and the Morris Foundation.

If you are interested in canine health, whether or not you ever plan on breeding, they have a newsletter that you can subscribe to.

Hmm, why did I get 3 TDs? I answered the question and gave additional information!

In answer to your additional question of whether a dog with a high OFA rating can pass on bad hips, the answer is yes, even when mated to another dog with good hips. Ideally, the breeder should know at least some of the ratings of siblings and cousins/aunts & uncles of any dog being bred in order to understand what the range of possibilities and likelihoods is. For instance, I'd rather breed a dog whose hips are "good" and whose sibs have hips ranked fairx1, goodx4, than a dog whose hips are ranked "excellent" but who has 2 sibs who are dysplastic, another with fair hips, and 2 whose are good.

Apparently, two people seem to think dogs need to be tested more than once [per the fact that anyone that clearly stated they only need to be tested once has 2 TDs].

You test a dog once using either [or both] OFA or PennHIP, and it's after the dog is 2 years of age.

Testing is for Hip Dysplasia, usually; but it also may be elbow and shoulder [[no, you don't test *for* OFA, you *use* OFA]].

OFA can also be used to test for Patellar Luxation, Thyroid and Cardiac, if I remember correctly.

The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) continues to focus on hip dysplasia, but has also expanded into other inherited diseases and other companion animals such as cats. Through testing, the OFA hopes to reduce the incidence of genetic disease. This information gives breeders the ability to breed dogs with "normal" ratings.

What breed you have will determine what inherited diseases you want to test for as each breed may have certain diseases they are specifically prone to.

For example, I own, show and breed French Bulldogs, therefore my breed is susceptible to hip and elbow dysplasia, patellar luxation, cardiac and spine issues. (They should also be tested for vonWillibrand's disease and hereditary cataracts but for the purpose of this discussion, I'm going to stick to the issues that the OFA reviews).

My veterinarian takes radiographs of hips, elbows and spine, and tests for cardiac problems and patellar luxation. This can be done by your veterinarian or a specialist. The test results and radiographs are sent to the OFA for evaluation. Result certificates are then sent to the owner and recorded with the OFA. The OFA records the results which can be viewed on their website, www.offa.org. This is a great resource for breeders and potential puppy purchasers as you can check the website to confirm the sire and dam's OFA results.

Dogs can be tested at any time. After 2 years of age is recommended and need only be done once. A hip dysplasia radiograph performed and submitted before 2 years of age will still be evaluated by the OFA and given a preliminary status. Preliminary evaluations are as good and as accurate as results after 2 years of age. However, you will want to submit another radiograph after 2 years of age for evaluation and to get an OFA number. I do preliminary tests on dogs I am thinking of breeding so that I can know of any abnormal results in advance.

Results are determined to be normal or abnormal. For instance, the phenotypic evaluation of hips done by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals falls into seven different categories: normal (Excellent, Good, Fair), Borderline, and dysplastic (Mild, Moderate, Severe).

These tests help determine the likelihood of your dog developing or passing on heredity diseases to their offspring. Responsible breeders should always test for heredity diseases in their breed.

Long-winded I know, but I wanted to give a general overview of the OFA and also give some specifics from my own experience. Hope that helps.

I only OFA my dogs when they are just over two years old. If anything is going to show up it will be there. It rules out genetic hip displasia and structural abnormalities.

I dont show my dogs but, back when I used to breed I NEVER bred a dog without the Pennhip or OFA.

Dogs need only be OFAd once. This is usually after they are 2 years old, when they are considered "mature", and their hips have fully developed. Some people do the xrays right after the 2 year birthday, others wait until they are actually planning on breeding the dog (3-4) years.

Dogs are OFAd (or PennHipd) in order to determine whether or not they have Hip Dysplasia, or are prone to Hip Dysplasia. Obviously this is important to anyone considering breeding the dog, as any dog showing a tendency toward Hip Dysplasia should not be bred (as they will very likely pass on their poor hip structure to their offspring).

Everything I know about the testing I have learned from discussions with my vet and by my own research on their website www.offa.org

My dog will be tested in August when he is 3 years old.

He is not going to be studded out, I just want to have him tested beings he is adopted I couldn't get the results of the parents/breeders. I want the test just to know what the future may hold.

Many people don't test their dogs unless they will be breeding them and even then, BYBs and Mills don't have the tests performed on their dam and sire because they just don't care what genetics they are passing down.

A dog can be OFA'd anytime after the age of 24 months, and it is a ONE time thing. The status of the dogs hips will be scored as Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor....Since HD is hereditary, no dog that scores below Good should ever be bred. Elbows can be certified by OFA. as well.

You don't "test for OFA". OFA is an organization that determines whether dogs are affected, or clear, of a host of disorders ranging from orthopedic to cardiac. The age for certifying dogs for these disorders varies, and is based on recommendations by OFA. However one can do preliminary testing at just about any age. There are also cases in which dogs determined to be affected may be re-tested , occasionally even cleared at a later date.

Add: I love TD's from ignorant people! :^D