Hi Alfie is coming up to a year (19 March) and we would like to get his hips and elbows scored. We don't particularly have any interest in breeding from him but would like to know if the vet can see any current or potential problems. Has anyone else done this and have any ideas on the potential costs and how to go about it? (can it be done by our local vet for instance?) Thank you
My concern is around giving a dog a general anaesthetic, and it's associated risks, if it is not 100% necessary and a GA is required for hip scoring Also of concern is the potential for your pet insurer to refuse to cover future claims under their 'pre-existing conditions' clause.
All valid concerns. Is it better to know or not to know? Would you undertake human antenatal screening for....Down's Syndrome for instance? Or go for regular health screening for BP, cholesterol, mammograms, smears? Not all screening is good, and you do have to think about the consequence of the results as well as the stress of testing and waiting for results. And in this case, also the risk, small though it be, from a GA.
There is a clinic near Portsmouth who specialise in hip and elbow xraying and they don't use GA but a very mild sedation. Most breeders I know use their services. I have been there myself with one of my dogs. The sedation is very short acting and the dogs are back to normal in a very short period of time. The X-rays are then sent off to the BVA for scoring but the staff at the clinic are extremely experienced an will tell you exactly what they can see on the X-rays. So in theory you could just go and have the X-rays done without getting the official BVA scoring done which will cost extra.
It varies from place to place. I used the clinic near Portsmouth that Heidrun mentioned. Vets are also able to take xrays. If you don't want them properly scored you will save some money. Some places do GA, some sedate. The cost depends on the operating costs of the clinic so they can vary. If I were you I'd probably get 3 or so quotes - local vet, nearest vet who sedated and purpose built clinic. Compare the techniques and the cost and decide from there.
Thanks for that info, heidrun. I will definitely look at them when Luna is of age. As I don't have the option of insurance, that's not a concern for me so I'd rather have the "starting" picture, so to speak.
Benson had his hips and elbows scored at around 2 years old, for me it is peace of mind, so we know what is reasonable for him in terms of exercise, and working. Casper our older dog had Xrays at I think he was 6? We and the vet, knew something wasn't right, indeed it revealed mild/moderate HD and AS (ankylosing spondylosis) of the back. We were able to implement a care plan early for him that hopefully will give him a better quality of life for longer. We also plan the same for Bramble when we think she has finished growing.
