BOUVIER DES FLANDRES HIPS & ELBOWS
HIPS & ELBOWS BOUVIER DES FLANDRES HEALTH - BOUVIER DES FLANDRES HEALTH


Hip and Elbow Dysplasia - This is a problem but will not kill the dog fortunately. Getting hips and elbows checked is a valid way to see if you dog has joint problems. There are two gold standards for checking (Penn HIp) and the (OFA clearance).
HIps and elbows if not right can start to make the dog not want to excersise or live their best life.

 

OFA is a not for profit entity located in Columbia Missouri. First started for hips and elbow clearances it grew to the organization it is now that checks for many different health items that all breeds can contract that cause the dogs to be less than what a person wants to breed.

The OFA will not pass injured hips or hips with chips so Penn hip is your best bet for this process. A unilateral displacement is thought not to be Hereditary but environmental. It is wise to consult with a doctor about your dogs hip conditions and to talk with them if you need clarification on a reading. Penn hip uses an approach that predicts the possibility of arthritis in a dog. It predicts based on the hips at present status.You need to find a vet that offers Penn Hip as it is not as widely utilized as OFA and their system.

There are two ways to do an OFA sedated or to leave the dog awake. It is best to do it sedated since the dog is not fighting the vet who is taking the xrays. Generally any vet can take xrays of the hips and elbows. A good vet can tell you what the hip rating will be. Equally a good vet is equal to the vets that would read your hips for the OFA.

The OFA has three vets read your hips and then rate them the outcome is an average of these readings. Read more about OFA on the page devoted to this health subject.

Reasons for your hips to be less than they can be: Generally a breeder or show person will not road work or excersise a dog till they get their hips read and rated. They want a good reading more importantly you want your dogs hips to grow to their adult state. It is wise to not run your dog often or make them cut corners or allow them to run with adult dogs. Puppies will push themselve beyond normal exertion levels and can cause damage to growing hips.

Equally do not allow puppies or young adults to jump down from heights. Leaping off porchs, steps or out of a high spot in and SUV without help can cause damage. Dogs are just like people they make mistakes. it is wise to use an arm under body to lower them easily to the ground when they are up and want to get down from any furniture or vehicle.

Feed good food and always make sure you watch your dog for injury or signs of pain or them favoring their hips or elbows.

This is generally NOT a breeders fault (while the Mom and Dad who are bred are checked for hip and elbow soundness prior to breeding for the most part) you will find that hips and elbows can come back from generations before these two dogs and if your dog has hip issues, unless the breeder has not cleared the hips, we would not place blame on the breeder. To jump to this conclusion is unnecessary and does no one any good at all.

 

 
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