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Old March 6th, 2011, 12:36 PM
FALLYN FALLYN is offline
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Ofa hip score (searching lines)

Hi everyone when a breeder sends in x-rays to OFA they do not have to let the public view them, so to look up the breeding lines that you look for become a challenge. Breeders can also send in a different dogs x-rays, it has been known to happen alot. If the hip score is bad you will never see that on the OFA datebase, but you would if the breeder or persons were honest. I have a 2 year old German Shepherd that I paid alot of money for. She was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at 5 months old, at 12 months OFA scored her hips as serverly dysplastic. They can be seen on the OFA database for a reason so that people can view these lines. There were other dysplastic pups out of this litter and the breeder is now breeding the litter mate to mine. She has now sold the mother to someone else to breed her aswell, the cycle goes on. So looking on the OFA datebase might not tell you alot. Brooklyn has had her surgery to remove her feroral head to relieve her pain and is doing very well to the point that we do dog tracting, but she is limited to what I can allow her to do.



Fallyn
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Old March 6th, 2011, 02:35 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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It's the same for elbow screenings, too--the breeder (or owner) can specify that if the results show dysplasia, they aren't to be included in the public database...which makes the database a much less than perfect tool. Ethical breeders often have all the results published, both good and bad. How do you tell, though, in the case of all positive results, if a breeder's lines are just that good, or if bad results are being suppressed? Very hard to tell...so results published in the OFA database by a breeder is a plus, but shouldn't be assumed to be the whole story. An ethical breeder will be willing to discuss incidence of dysplasia or disease known in their breeds/lines when asked, however.

Nonbreeding owners can also have results posted in the public database, and since they often have less at stake than the breeder would, they're often more honest about the results. We've made sure to have all the screening results for our dogs published, both good and bad.
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Old April 23rd, 2011, 09:59 AM
Mina Mina is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FALLYN View Post
...when a breeder sends in x-rays to OFA they do not have to let the public view them, so to look up the breeding lines that you look for become a challenge. ... looking on the OFA datebase might not tell you alot.
Fallyn
I'm so sorry to hear about Brooklyn! As is apparent to you by now, your dealer is not one of the (very few) "good ones". We went through something similar with our very first pup, over 35 years ago. It still hurts to this day...

What is not generally known about OFA, is that it was not originally intended to be a public access resource. It was established as a tool and data base for the use of breeders, so that they could (hopefully) improve their lines.

Unfortunately, today OFA is being used as a selling tool, whereby less than scrupulous breeders will parade results as an ultimate guarantee. It's been said that, "if you throw enough sh-t against the wall, something is bound to stick". And even in the worst of litters/lines, there will be individuals who X-ray clear, and who will, unfortunately, be bred from.

We've met quite a few poor breeders over the years and, without asking, and almost without fail, OFA results are amongst the first things proudly whipped out for us to see. On the other hand, the very finest breeder we know, does not allow public viewing of her OFA results. Her dogs are clear, and she goes to exhaustive lengths in checking health. (She is so well-respected, that her litters, which are few and far between, are pre-sold years before they are even conceived.) On principle, because of all of the abuse of the system, she refuses to "post" her results. On the other hand, she is a breeding anomaly.

Hopefully, one day they will develop a DNA-based test for hip dysplasia which will eliminate the "need" for OFA stats; of course, this will not help with other causes (poor/inadequate nutrition, injury, over-exercise, being over-weight etc), but will certainly be a huge step forward. In the interim, it will continue to be difficult for us would-be puppy owners to wade through the breeder quagmire.

I know this hasn't helped much, but best of luck with Brooklyn!!!
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