hip displaysia
Moderator: chowadmin
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izzitcat
hip displaysia
I would like to know anything anyone can tell me about hip problems in Chows
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carolyn dewrance
- Rank 3
- Posts: 1106
- Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2005 6:20 am
- Location: Cape Town South Africa
- Contact:
hip dysplasia
If you download my book Dogs in my bed you will find quite a lot of information on Hip Dysplasia, I hope it will be able to help you you will find my book in the general discussions.
Carolyn Dewrance
4 Fernwood Close
Richwood
Cape Town 7441
4 Fernwood Close
Richwood
Cape Town 7441
-
carolyn dewrance
- Rank 3
- Posts: 1106
- Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2005 6:20 am
- Location: Cape Town South Africa
- Contact:
hip dysplasia
HIP Dysplasia.
A lot has been spoken on this subject over the years, but how deeply and carefully have we here in South Africa gone into the real issue?
It seems we are faced with a very real problem and I feel it is time we stood together and did something about it. We hear almost daily of another Chow having to be put down for Hip Dysphasia and no matter how we may try to cover up, this problem is going to raise its "ugly" head.
I believe we can learn from the Chow Breeders in The States who realized they had a severe problem with H.D. and decided unanimously after a number of year’s speculation and fighting, to establish a system of O.F.A. Certification. The Dysplasia Control Registry of the OFA was formed with the primary objective of providing individual dog owners with a standardized evaluation of the hip joint status. Consumers started becoming aware that purchasing a puppy from a breeder using only normal breeding stock, while not guaranteeing a normal dog, does increase the probability of obtaining a dog with normal hips. Thus, economic advantages of being a responsible breeder became obvious.
Breeders of Chows in the States have now almost totally eradicated the problem of H.D., by breeding only from Clear dogs, so ensuring that this problem is finally being bred out of our wonderful breed. A breeder I know, only breeds her bitches after the age of eighteen months and only after their hips were certified Clear, She also breeds her bitches to males who are certified the same. I know that even for certain Show status awards; the Chow competing must bare a Certified H.D. Clear Certificate before qualifying for a Supreme Title, such as Supreme Chow of the Year etc.
It is known that sound hips or dysplastic hips can only be diagnosed through a hip x-ray.
The Certificate does not evaluate movement. A dog may have a Clear Hip Rating, but still move terribly due to slipping patella’s, shoulders that are too straight, badly broken over hocks or spinal effects. By the same token, there are severely dysplastic Chows that move very well. Because hip dysplasia, particularly if severe, is feared because it is crippling, it has been wrongly assumed that if the dog is still getting around okay, he is not dysplastic•
This is a very difficult subject at best and I can only refer to various articles I have from overseas and vet's to enlighten us further. It has been established that Hip Dysplasia is largely hereditary and its incidence can be increased or decreased through selective breeding practices. By using only stock with normal hips in a breeding program, generation after generation, it has been proved that the incidence of hip dysplasia can be markedly decreased.
I know that one of the great fears of having our Chows x-rayed was death that has occurred due to Anesthesia. However, it is and has been possible for some time, to have our dogs x-rayed without the use of Anesthesia or chemical restraint. Most of our Chows will relax with tranquillizers alone and these x-ray results have been excellent.
We can have our Chows x-rayed by our Vet's who can give us a good indication of the state of our Chows hips. However, I must stress that he/she is not qualified to certify hips or give certificates.
No matter how good he/she is at reading x-rays, he is not an expert in the field and one cannot advertise one’s dog as "H.D. Free" on his opinion. This is illegal and should not be relied on. We have come across cases where a Vet has said a particular dog’s hips were very good.
However, after visiting The Faculty of Veterinary Science at Onderstepoort, this same dog was certified as a grade 3 hips and not recommended for breeding.
There are those who would use this "contradiction of qualified opinions" as an argument
Against Onderstepoort x-rays, but I must stress, that The Faculty of Veterinary Science is
The only EXPERT in the field of Osteology and Radiology. While we appreciate our Vet's opinion, it cannot be taken as law.
I have been into this subject and have established that Professor Roos, a Veterinary Radiologist
At the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Onderstepoort is the only person who has the necessary qualifications to issue a certificate certifying dogs’ hip joints. One has to obtain a referring letter from one’s Vet to Onderstepoort to have the necessary x-rays taken.
Let me set your mind at ease here immediately. The dogs are given an injection/tranquilizer
Into the vein on arrival. Within minutes they are calm and can be laid on their back for the x-ray. You stay with your dog and assist, if necessary. The dogs do not feel any pain, despite what you may hear from others. Most of us have taught our Chows to lie on their sides for grooming, so it is not very difficult to get them to lie on their backs when sedated.
Your dogs are virtually wide-awake by the time you get to your vehicle and can walk on their own, so it is not a traumatic experience. As for the expense of x-raying and certifying, it’s a whole lot cheaper than replacing puppies or stock, never mind the heartbreak of having to put a pet down. It can still happen that certified stock produce dysplastic pups, but the odds are in your favor, increasing with every generation of certified ancestry.
According to Prof. Roos, the male seems to be the dominant factor carrying hip dysplasia.
When using a stud dog, he must be totally free from any sign of hip dysplasia. In South Africa the grading is done as follow 01234 with 0 being H.D. Free and 4 being the worst possible form of dysplasia. A male who is totally clear may still be put to a bitch having a grading of 2 in one hip and the chances are the puppies should be good. However, he advises this only be done with a bitch whose bloodline is still valuable.
Any male with a Grading of 1 and upward should not be used for breeding and any female
With a grading higher than 2 should not be bred to either, if we want to eradicate this very severe problem.
Dysplasia can be detected by x-ray at an early age if very severe, but the best age to have this x-ray is done before breeding is one year to eighteen months.
I have not written this article to cause uproar, but to bring to our attention where some of our problems lie and to show, as is the case in other countries, if we work together we can beat this crippling disease and work towards the betterment of our breed.
I also wanted to lie aside some of the fallacies heard about x-raying etc and hope that you will come away enlightened. I'm not saying that this is the only problem or most severe problem we have to face, but to me it seems to be rather an important one that we have, perhaps, been trying to overlook. There are NO GUARANTEES in any aspect of dog breeding, but we must choose the safest, most logical route to successful breeding. The future of our breed is at stake!
The New Year awards us all the opportunity to make the most of each day, each new acquaintance, and each exciting new birth of beautiful, promising youngsters. We must use these opportunities to grow, to educate and to share our love and knowledge of the breed.
It is through these efforts that we may gain the satisfaction of having done our share to insure the continued beauty of our breed. Let’s meet the New Year with enthusiasm, dedication and faith ... the future lies securely in our hands...
In loving memory of Cheryl Ann Hurley, who sadly passed away in 2002 from cancer?
Carolyn Dewrance.
A lot has been spoken on this subject over the years, but how deeply and carefully have we here in South Africa gone into the real issue?
It seems we are faced with a very real problem and I feel it is time we stood together and did something about it. We hear almost daily of another Chow having to be put down for Hip Dysphasia and no matter how we may try to cover up, this problem is going to raise its "ugly" head.
I believe we can learn from the Chow Breeders in The States who realized they had a severe problem with H.D. and decided unanimously after a number of year’s speculation and fighting, to establish a system of O.F.A. Certification. The Dysplasia Control Registry of the OFA was formed with the primary objective of providing individual dog owners with a standardized evaluation of the hip joint status. Consumers started becoming aware that purchasing a puppy from a breeder using only normal breeding stock, while not guaranteeing a normal dog, does increase the probability of obtaining a dog with normal hips. Thus, economic advantages of being a responsible breeder became obvious.
Breeders of Chows in the States have now almost totally eradicated the problem of H.D., by breeding only from Clear dogs, so ensuring that this problem is finally being bred out of our wonderful breed. A breeder I know, only breeds her bitches after the age of eighteen months and only after their hips were certified Clear, She also breeds her bitches to males who are certified the same. I know that even for certain Show status awards; the Chow competing must bare a Certified H.D. Clear Certificate before qualifying for a Supreme Title, such as Supreme Chow of the Year etc.
It is known that sound hips or dysplastic hips can only be diagnosed through a hip x-ray.
The Certificate does not evaluate movement. A dog may have a Clear Hip Rating, but still move terribly due to slipping patella’s, shoulders that are too straight, badly broken over hocks or spinal effects. By the same token, there are severely dysplastic Chows that move very well. Because hip dysplasia, particularly if severe, is feared because it is crippling, it has been wrongly assumed that if the dog is still getting around okay, he is not dysplastic•
This is a very difficult subject at best and I can only refer to various articles I have from overseas and vet's to enlighten us further. It has been established that Hip Dysplasia is largely hereditary and its incidence can be increased or decreased through selective breeding practices. By using only stock with normal hips in a breeding program, generation after generation, it has been proved that the incidence of hip dysplasia can be markedly decreased.
I know that one of the great fears of having our Chows x-rayed was death that has occurred due to Anesthesia. However, it is and has been possible for some time, to have our dogs x-rayed without the use of Anesthesia or chemical restraint. Most of our Chows will relax with tranquillizers alone and these x-ray results have been excellent.
We can have our Chows x-rayed by our Vet's who can give us a good indication of the state of our Chows hips. However, I must stress that he/she is not qualified to certify hips or give certificates.
No matter how good he/she is at reading x-rays, he is not an expert in the field and one cannot advertise one’s dog as "H.D. Free" on his opinion. This is illegal and should not be relied on. We have come across cases where a Vet has said a particular dog’s hips were very good.
However, after visiting The Faculty of Veterinary Science at Onderstepoort, this same dog was certified as a grade 3 hips and not recommended for breeding.
There are those who would use this "contradiction of qualified opinions" as an argument
Against Onderstepoort x-rays, but I must stress, that The Faculty of Veterinary Science is
The only EXPERT in the field of Osteology and Radiology. While we appreciate our Vet's opinion, it cannot be taken as law.
I have been into this subject and have established that Professor Roos, a Veterinary Radiologist
At the Faculty of Veterinary Science, Onderstepoort is the only person who has the necessary qualifications to issue a certificate certifying dogs’ hip joints. One has to obtain a referring letter from one’s Vet to Onderstepoort to have the necessary x-rays taken.
Let me set your mind at ease here immediately. The dogs are given an injection/tranquilizer
Into the vein on arrival. Within minutes they are calm and can be laid on their back for the x-ray. You stay with your dog and assist, if necessary. The dogs do not feel any pain, despite what you may hear from others. Most of us have taught our Chows to lie on their sides for grooming, so it is not very difficult to get them to lie on their backs when sedated.
Your dogs are virtually wide-awake by the time you get to your vehicle and can walk on their own, so it is not a traumatic experience. As for the expense of x-raying and certifying, it’s a whole lot cheaper than replacing puppies or stock, never mind the heartbreak of having to put a pet down. It can still happen that certified stock produce dysplastic pups, but the odds are in your favor, increasing with every generation of certified ancestry.
According to Prof. Roos, the male seems to be the dominant factor carrying hip dysplasia.
When using a stud dog, he must be totally free from any sign of hip dysplasia. In South Africa the grading is done as follow 01234 with 0 being H.D. Free and 4 being the worst possible form of dysplasia. A male who is totally clear may still be put to a bitch having a grading of 2 in one hip and the chances are the puppies should be good. However, he advises this only be done with a bitch whose bloodline is still valuable.
Any male with a Grading of 1 and upward should not be used for breeding and any female
With a grading higher than 2 should not be bred to either, if we want to eradicate this very severe problem.
Dysplasia can be detected by x-ray at an early age if very severe, but the best age to have this x-ray is done before breeding is one year to eighteen months.
I have not written this article to cause uproar, but to bring to our attention where some of our problems lie and to show, as is the case in other countries, if we work together we can beat this crippling disease and work towards the betterment of our breed.
I also wanted to lie aside some of the fallacies heard about x-raying etc and hope that you will come away enlightened. I'm not saying that this is the only problem or most severe problem we have to face, but to me it seems to be rather an important one that we have, perhaps, been trying to overlook. There are NO GUARANTEES in any aspect of dog breeding, but we must choose the safest, most logical route to successful breeding. The future of our breed is at stake!
The New Year awards us all the opportunity to make the most of each day, each new acquaintance, and each exciting new birth of beautiful, promising youngsters. We must use these opportunities to grow, to educate and to share our love and knowledge of the breed.
It is through these efforts that we may gain the satisfaction of having done our share to insure the continued beauty of our breed. Let’s meet the New Year with enthusiasm, dedication and faith ... the future lies securely in our hands...
In loving memory of Cheryl Ann Hurley, who sadly passed away in 2002 from cancer?
Carolyn Dewrance.
Carolyn Dewrance
4 Fernwood Close
Richwood
Cape Town 7441
4 Fernwood Close
Richwood
Cape Town 7441
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