# OFA Hips, SV Hips, Huh?



## Fran226 (Nov 8, 2014)

Hello all. I own a male, who just turned 4. I finally had him OFA rated in March of 2014. His hips were rated good, & normal elbows. I decided to apply for an "a" stamp with the SV. They rated his elbows "a1" normal, but, rejected his hip xray, stating it was "asymmetrical, & the extremities were not turned sufficiently". I took the dog to another vet, who was supposedly more familiar with taking SV xrays. The vet examined the dog, sedated him, & finally took the xrays. Afterward, he said I shouldn't submit the xrays to the SV, because the dog's hips didn't look good, & he had a birth defect of the bone. He also said, the dogs hips seemed loose, when he examined him. I walked out of that office in a daze. I don't know what to think. I made an appointment with an orthopedic, & I have contacted the OFA. But, I'm not sure, there's even anything wrong with my dog. Any advice is welcome.


----------



## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

I have heard instances before of dogs passing OFA and failing SV, or passing SV and failing Pennhip, or passing Pennhip and failing OFA . . . etc etc.


----------



## Hineni7 (Nov 8, 2014)

I would have taken back to first vet and showed them what SV wanted as OFA had already approved. Probably wasn't much tweaking needing to be done. But odd that OFA approved hips are then genetically defective by a different vet... Just odd to me


----------



## Kaimeju (Feb 2, 2013)

What was the vet's specialty? Radiologist? Orthopedist?


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Can you post the x-rays? Hard to guess without being able to see.


----------



## Fran226 (Nov 8, 2014)

The vet was a general practitioner. I did not pay for the xrays he took, so, I was not given a copy. From what I remember of the xrays, the dog's body appeared "cocked" to one side in both sets. He stated the dog's xrays could never be symmetrical, because his birth defect prevented him from doing so. Well, he appeared symmetrical in his OFA's! The vet said the OFA missed the birth defect, because they xray the hip from a different angle than the SV. Is this true? Because the dog had to be on his back, rear legs extended & parallel to each other, knees rotated internally, & the pelvis symmetrical for both organizations? The vet that took the OFA's, & the first set of SV's only supports OFA & PennHip now. He will not do a new set of SV hip xrays for me. My dog is seeing an orthopedist in 2 days. New xrays will be taken, along with a complete exam. This will be his second orthopedic evaluation in 8 months. I had him checked out before we started working with him. That's when we did the OFA's, to be sure there were no surprises.


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Did the OFA make a spine notation? A bad TV can make a dog asymmetrical and impossible to position perfectly, but OFA notes that on the certificate (and will still rate the hips).


----------



## vom Eisenherz (Feb 13, 2012)

OFA and SV xrays are the same X-rays...thanfully the SV still has a standard of positioning where OFA will seemingly rate anything they're sent, whether indicative of the dog's true joint status or not. 

If you can't post the x-rays, we can't possibly give you any more information. 

It's probably TV or nothing at all and just another vet who hasn't a clue about joints.


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

^ Agree! 

Why are you having two different orgs rate them and see a specialist? Does the dog have symptoms causing you to worry?


----------



## Fran226 (Nov 8, 2014)

My breeder took an interest in my dog & arranged for him to be trained & shown. They insisted the dog have SV rated hips & elbows. It was their vet, who said my dog's hips were bad. And, I have requested a copy of the xrays. But, they never seem to come. I took my dog to an orthopedist right before Thanksgiving. She cannot find anything wrong with the dog's hips. Ball & socket fit well, they're symmetrical, no arthritic changes, bones look normal. Good muscle support, no subluxation, no discomfort. Overall, good solid hip. It was suggested that if we wanted, we could do a hip xray, while the dog is completely under, getting his teeth cleaned. Or, do a PennHip. This dog is showing no signs of having any hip problem, whatsoever.


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Personally I would not bother. Unless your breeder is planning to breed your dog *in Germany*, the OFA ratings will suffice here for showing and doing breed surveys in this country's breed club (USCA). I don't see the point in paying for *another* set of films, plus it's like $150 fee for the SV ratings, unless the breeder wants to pay for it. The first vet probably positioned wrong and freaked out. In my experience, vets who are not familiar with this sort of thing tend to give very grave diagnoses, calling workable/breedable hips HD often due to their own poor positioning or lack of experience in this specialty.


----------



## Fran226 (Nov 8, 2014)

Thank you Liesje. I appreciate your honesty, & kindness. If I ever get those terrible xrays, I will definitely post them.


----------



## Ashtonshepherds (8 mo ago)

Liesje said:


> Personally I would not bother. Unless your breeder is planning to breed your dog _in Germany_, the OFA ratings will suffice here for showing and doing breed surveys in this country's breed club (USCA). I don't see the point in paying for _another_ set of films, plus it's like $150 fee for the SV ratings, unless the breeder wants to pay for it. The first vet probably positioned wrong and freaked out. In my experience, vets who are not familiar with this sort of thing tend to give very grave diagnoses, calling workable/breedable hips HD often due to their own poor positioning or lack of experience in this specialty.


----------



## Ashtonshepherds (8 mo ago)




----------



## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

Ashtonshepherds said:


> View attachment 587478


thanks for the update, 2014 thread.


----------

