OFA

Last Fall we had Dieter’s hips and elbows x-rayed and certified through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA). We want to breed him this Spring and before we go down that route, we decided the responsible thing to do was to get Dieter OFA certified. 

The x-rays check for hip and elbow dysplasia, which is an abnormal development of the hip or elbow joints that cause degenerative changes. According to the OFA: hip dysplasia is a multiple gene, inherited disease. Environmental factors, like high caloric diet during the rapid growth phase, may exacerbate changes in dysplastic hips but will not create hip dysplasia. There also is no evidence in the scientific literature that supplements (e.g., Vitamin C) will prevent hip dysplasia. Reduced caloric intake and glucosamine products in immature animals genetically predisposed for hip dysplasia may lessen the pathologic changes associated with hip dysplasia.

We took Dieter to our vet—Warrenville Grove Animal Hospital—and they took the hip and elbow x-rays and submitted them to the OFA. Poor Dieter seemed a little dopey when we brought him home, since he had to be knocked out in order for them to position him for the x-rays. We’re so used to Dieter, the busy guy, that it was a little disconcerting to see him just sit there and be sort of low key. He was like a little kid struggling to stay awake, where the eyes just don’t want to cooperate and stay open. 

 

The next day he was his old self again and all we had to do was wait for the results from OFA. Waiting is the hardest part! But finally we got the results. The elbow report showed no evidence of dysplasia and, likewise, the hip results showed no evidence of dysplasia. 

So elbow-wise Dieter is rated “normal” and hip-wise his hip joints were rated “good.”