Assume the Position (actually, don't assume!)

When it comes time for you and your dog to have their OFA hips and elbows done for their health clearances, prior to breeding, one must never assume that the person taking the x-rays is going to have your and your dog's best interests in mind! Someone who is feeling rushed due to patients stacking up in the waiting room or who is short handed may very well have the attitude of "well that's good enough" when "good enough" likely isn't! Then there are the ones that just do not have the experience and technical know how to get that perfect positioning and clarity, or maybe they don't have updated equipment. I have been on the short end of a "good enough" x-ray and no surprise, it wasn't. The vet tech literally said, and I quote: "Oh well, it is just a preliminary x-ray, you are going to take them again at 24 months anyway." Which technically was true. However. Here is why it DOES matter. 1.) I still had to pay for the shoddy x-ray. And in order to have them "redone", I would have to pay for another vet visit/office fee, anesthesia, x-rays, submission fee to OFA, gas to get there and back, and use either a PTO day or a regularly scheduled day off to do it. And frankly I have enough things to do that I really don't care to use those days having to correct someone else's mistakes. The x-rays were "good enough" for OFA to score them, if they weren't then I would have had a leg to stand on in regards to getting them redone without paying for another set-but still would have had to pay for all of the other charges/fees. Another cost was driving to the trainer over an hour away to pick up the dog-taking him out of training for 4 days of which I did not get reimbursed any training fees, plus the cost of time (again another day off) and gas- which at the time was almost $5 a gallon. 2.) This isn't a "painless" process for the dog. Not only did the tech crank on the dog's legs to the point that he was extremely tender / sore that evening and the morning after, but he also got to experience a painful vet visit that he is likely to remember and associate with the practice and the vet tech. 3.) This particular dog is part of a hip study being done by the Univ. of MO in regards to finding newer ways of testing puppies earlier for possible dysplasia markers. Which is why we were doing the prelim's in the first place. Improper positioning of the dog and it's lower score just skewed that study in regards to my dog. And since participating in this study came with some rather high dollar expenses at the beginning of the testing process, I think that accuracy is of the utmost importance! 4.) If this would have been final OFA's at the age of 24 months, this particular dog with those x-rays, and that lower score, would have automatically been cut out of our breeding plans, neutered, and sold as either a hunting dog or a pet. Which would be devastating for many breeding programs/kennels, and it would certainly put ours in a bind and behind by 4+ yrs. Think about how many dogs have been culled due to one person's "bad day" and it is astounding! Due to that remark of "good enough" alone, and not even counting the fact that this tech then took over a month to enter in the information and send the x-rays off to OFA-which was beyond ridiculous no matter how short staffed you are, I found a different clinic for having OFA's done on my dogs. Unfortunately I am having to drive over an hour further and pay 3x as much for that privilege. But as you can see in the photo above, they take great x-rays! The dog in the x-ray is a granddaughter of my last "Firehouselabs" dogs. I am happy to say that I can continue that line of "heritage" field trial lines with her due to the Excellent OFA rating and properly positioned x-ray. She is NOT the dog mentioned in the body of the blog. In short- Ask your vet if they do a LOT of OFA x-rays. Ask about their equipment (everyone should be digital by now!) and also ask them if they keep track of how many dogs that they do come back with a passing rating of good and excellent, along with how many have to be brought back for retakes. You should also get the chance to view the x-rays before they are sent to OFA so learning what to look for in a properly positioned x-ray vs a poor one will hopefully save you some money and an added trip! If you want an easy place to learn about what passes and proper positioning, there are a couple facebook groups that you can join where owners submit images for other members to view and grade and discuss the final score once it has come back from OFA.