The OFA is the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, Inc. and is
responsible for maintaining the hip and elbow registries, among
others, for dogs in North America. At the OFA a panel of three
board-certified veterinary radiologists will read your dog's pelvic
radiograph and give the dog a rating of Excellent, Good or Fair hip
structure, all of which are permissible to breed. They will also
examine your dog's elbows via standardized XRay procedures, and rate
him "Clear" of elbow dysplasia. As many of you are probably
aware, the Ontario Veterinary College radiologists will also read hip
and elbow XRays amd will grade them "Clear", but these
ratings are not standardized along OFA guidelines, as the OVC will
grade hips at 18 months of age (versus 24 months for OFA), and they
do not have the grading system(s) of the OFA.
Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD) is an inherited trait involving multiple
gene factors. CHD is a developmental disease, all dogs are apparently
born with normal hips, but, in affected individuals, the radiographic
signs become evident within several months to years. The OFA reports
that the accuracy of diagnosis is approximately 95% at 24 months of
ge. Because OFA data is drawn from breeders submitting radiographs
that have been pre-screened by their own vets, this data is biased
toward normal (i.e. if your vet told you your dog was dysplastic, you
would not likely send the XRay into the OFA, so they receive a
greater percentage of normals then are actually present in the
population). This presents a scary picture in our breed. OFA results
from January 1974 to July 1991 show that 37,497 Rottweilers were
evaluated and that 23.3% were dysplastic!! ...Imagine the numbers who
were not sent in because their own vets diagnosed CHD at the time the
XRay was taken, in addition to the numbers that were never even
radiographed!! I would hazard a guess that probably about 40% of our
breed is affected by this crippling disease!!
The OFA suggests that we, as responsible breeders should only breed
dogs with normal hips to dogs with normal hips. Prospective breeders
and buyers should check OFA numbers with the registry and ask to see
the OFA certificate. If an OFA number canot be verified assume the
dog to be dysplastic until proven otherwise! Preliminary evaluations
can be done as early as 4-5 months of age with 85-90% accuracy.
Please remind your vet that when taking the XRay anesthesia is
recommended, and for bitches the OFA recommends radiographing 3-4
weeks before or after a heat period to prevent any false positives
due to hormonal effects of the estrus cycle. The OFA further states
that there are no environmental factors which cause CHD, there is no
evidence that vitamin C is beneficial in reducing or preventing CHD,
high caloric intake resulting in rapid growth and increased weight
gain may exacerbate dysplastic hips, but will not create hip
dysplasia, running, jumping, slick floors, etc. will not cause hip
dysplasia, and that previous injuries to the legs or hip structure
can be recognized on the XRays and are taken into account when
evaluating hip status.
The OFA elbow registry is for dogs 24 months of age or greater, and
is a standardized evaluation of the elbow joint for ununited anconeal
process, fragmented coronoid process, osteochondrosis, or any
combination thereof which would constitute elbow dysplasia. Over 70
breeds have been evaluated for elbow dysplasia by the OFA, and
positive results have been found in 20 breeds. Rottweilers are
currently ranked fifth on the affected breeds list. As of December
31, 1991, 402 Rottweilers have been evaluated, with 38.8% showing
signs of elbow dysplasia. Again, these results are biased toward
normal, pushing our breed's actual affected percentage up close to
the 50% range!! Certainly something to ponder...whether breeding or buying!
Speaking as a fellow breeder, I cannot disagree with any of the above
mentioned 'scientific' results, but I will admit to you that I take
every precaution possible to prevent CHD and elbow/shoulder problems
in my dogs. As well as breeding only unaffected dogs and buying pups
only from unaffected parents, I also line my whelping box with
indoor/outdoor carpeting and flannel sheets rather then newspaper for
better traction, I try not to house dogs on cement any more then is
absolutely necessary, I carry puppies up and down stairs for as long
as my back can handle it, there are no fat dogs (especially puppies!)
at my house (which my handler keeps complaining to me about!), dogs
are not allowed to jump into the back of the truck (for example)
until after 24 months of age, and no forced exercise is done (i.e.
bicycling) until they are certified. I prelim all my dogs at
approximately one year of age, if they are not CHD free at that age,
I would spay/neuter and place them in a suitable home depending on
the severity of the disease. I radiograph the dog's elbows at 24
months of age and send the radiograph to the OFA for evaluation at
the same time as the hips are done.
I shall give approximate costs (from the OVMA Fee Guide for Small
Animal Procedures 1993) involved in having a dog radiographed and
submitted to the OFA for CHD evaluation.
1) Anesthesia & Reversal: $60.00
2) Radiograph: $47.80
3) One Half Day Hospitalization: $16.90
4) Courier to OFA: $30.00
5) OFA Evaluation Fee: $25.00 (US Funds).
Many vets have a standard fee for radiographs sent to the OFA which
may make this slightly less expensive, but prices will vary. The
elbows can be radiographed at the same time, with the additional
charge of two XRay films. The OFA charges $15.00 to prelimhips or
evaluate elbows and $25.00 to evaluate hips and elbows on one dog
submitted at the same time.
"A stitch in time saves nine" and "Penny wise, pound
foolish" certainly applies here to breeders who complain that
they can't afford to have their dogs hips and/or elbows XRayed prior
to breeding, or that they just get their own vet to read the
radiographs because the OFA is too expensive. I, personally, cannot
afford the loss of respect in the dog community, the emotional and
mental anguish I would suffer by producing dogs with defects that I
could have prevented (or at the very least took every precaution
available to attempt to prevent), and I cannot afford to replace
puppies or refund purchase prices because my dogs are not healthy.
PLEASE PEOPLE, MAKE USE OF THESE REGISTRIES PRIOR TO BUYING OR
BREEDING, FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE BREED (afterall, isn't that what
we are all striving toward??)
Dr. Cathy Priddle
