Please could someone help me understand the hip score. I apologise in advance for perhaps a obvious question, but we are potentially going to look and purchase a chocolate lab pup this evening. When my partner spoke to the breeder on the phone she said the hip score was 7 and 9. Can anyone tell me if that is the right and left hips of the pups or is it the score of the mother and father? Also is this a reasonable score? We want the dog as a family dog and not for breeding! The dog is being advertised on the kennel club website. Many thanks in advance
Hi and welcome to the forum. The scores you have are for each hip of presumably the bitch. The final hip score is the total of the two. 16 in this case. If you double the highest score you would be looking at 18 when currently the breed mean score is 12. So although the hip scores aren't bad they could be better. You need to ask for the scores of the other parent so you have more information to make a decision on. You also need to ask about the eye tests for the patents and also whether both parents have elbow x-rays for elbow dysplasia. These scores should be 0:0. There should be no problem in asking the breeder for the information and for copies of the certificates. If tests haven't been done with certificates available I would look for another breeder and if necessary wait for a pup. Good luck and let us know how you get on.
I can't add to Rosemary's excellent advice. Just wanted to wish you the best of luck finding the right pup
Thank you for your advice. It turned out the hip scores were 7 in total for the dog and 9 for the bitch. I also asked about the other tests and the documents showed they were all clear! So was very pleased and put down the deposit will be collecting when they are nine weeks old in another three weeks!
Herny80 really pleased for you that all the health checks are good. Look forward to seeing some photos of your new puppy. Boy or girl, what colour/ have you decided on a name yet? It's so exciting when a new puppy is expected. if you haven't already go a copy I would highly recommend The Happy Puppy Handbook by Pippa Mattinson - essential reading to prepare for your puppy. There is also Total Recall and new latest book The Labrador Handbook just so you know what you're letting yourself in for
Hip scores sure can be confusing, so it is totally normal to feel confused I agree with Rosemary's advice too. All the health scores are really important, not just hips. Have a read of this article, which gives a really good overview: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/health-screening-for-labrador-diseases/ Briefly, though....the scores of 7 and 9 would mean a score of 7 for the left hip and a score of 9 for the right hip, probably for the mother. The scores indicate how 'loose' the hip joint is, or how well the hip joint is formed. Higher scores mean a looser or less well formed hip joint. Loose joints mean that the 'ball and socket' parts of the hip joint are more likely to wear away, causing arthritis at a young age. You want a well formed, tight hip joint that has minimal wobble or play in it. The maximum score for any one hip is 53 (adding the two hips together would mean a possible maximum of 106). Considering that the scale for one hip runs from 0 (fantastic) to 53 (horribly bad), scores of 7 and 9 could be worse. But they could also be a lot better and are worse than the breed average, as Rosemary said. For me, hips scores of 7 and 9 are too high, even if all the other health scores for that dog are great and even if the male dog has great results. Still, those scores do not mean that a puppy will necessarily have a problem. You have to balance it out in the context of other things like the temperament of the parent dogs, which is also important. Hips scores are 'diagnosed' by x-ray once a dog is 1 year of age. It will not be possible at this stage to really tell what the puppies' hips are like, although a vet exam (manipulation of the joints) may give a bit of an idea. Don't feel any pressure to make a decision tonight, to choose a puppy, or to hand over any cash. A good breeder will not pressure you in any way. If you feel that you need more time to think, to research, or to look at other litters, then definitely take this time. And be mindful that it is hard to say no to a litter of cute puppies!!! But there are plenty of puppies 'in the sea' as it were
Well I just wrote a big post but the website ate it Edit: although now it has reappeared!! Have a read of this article, which gives a good overview of health testing: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/healt...ador-diseases/
Thank you all for your comments and help! I will post some pictures as soon we have the pup. Thanks Oberon but fortunately the scores of 7 and 9 were for both parent dogs one was 4 and 3 and the other was 5 and 4 equating to a total of 7 and 9. MaccieD it's a chocolate boy lab with no name yet.! That's down to the kids to argue over! I am staying well out of that! We were really pleased with the visit yesterday as the mother father and grandmother was present and has been raised as a pet and not just for breeding and seemed to all be very loved!
Herny80 Hey another chocolate . Juno sends big licks to our yet un-named new boy. Only word of caution regarding names is make sure you feel comfortable calling the name out in the garden, out in parks etc., you will use it a lot
That's great I know it looks like I didn't read your earlier post before I posted mine (which would have been rude) but what happened was that I posted before your second post but my post disappeared, and then later it reappeared but in the wrong order, after you had written your second post.... if that makes sense Glad that all seems to have checked out and that you feel comfortable to go ahead with this litter. It is an exciting time and I hope you enjoy getting ready for your new puppy!
