Yes, I agree with you. I have read many articles and regarding OFA . Did you know that hip dysplasia is a polygenic gene? Even if two parents are OFA their offspring can have hip dysplasia if one carries one gene and the other carries the missing two. OFA is a money making process to fill the pockets of the veterinarians and for the breeder to demand more money for their puppy. I took my dogs to an orthopedic specialist for dogs. We have one boy who was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at the age of three months and both parents were OFA certified. We had our other babies x-rayed when they were five months. One of our babies was only 9 weeks at the time and his films were sent up to Gainesville. Luckily they both had perfect hips. There are many things that make a Rottweiler pre-disposed to hip dysplasia. If you search the web you will find many interesting articles.

 

Thank you for your reply. I must say that what baffles me is the way breeders wave the fact that the mom and dad are OFA'ed as if having this done is on par with an inoculation against HD.

 

$$$$$$$

I know of a breeder who told me he was going to get his girls OFA certified so that he could ask for more money! The orthopedic specialist told us it was all BS! Unfortunately so many people on Rottie boards swear to having a puppy that has OFA parents. There are no guarantees.

 

So are y'all saying you shouldn't buy a dog/pup OFA certified because it's a waste of money, and stick with backyard breeders that don't health test?

 

Ofa full of sh@t

Look nobody is saying to buy a dog from a backyard breeder. What I am saying is that you need to educate what hip dysplasia is and what causes it. If you want so spend your money on a dog that has parents tested then do so. I spoke to experts and it is just a money making scheme. I bought one puppy from OFA parents and he had hip dysplasia. My other two pups I purchased from a breeder who had a male and female that had puppies. My babies are 2 1/2 and I had their hips checked very early, one at five months and the other at 9 weeks. Neither one has a problem with their hips.

 

I would also research the family trees of the parents, looking at the grandparents, were/are they certified? Previous litters? Did any other related dogs develop problems or not pass certification? At least the certification should give a benchmark and possibly a way to track issues.

 

Hip Dysplasia is Polygenic

I don't care how many generations you check. Hip dysplasia us polygenic which means multiple genes are involved in the inheritance of the trait and both the sire and the dam must contribute one or more of the genes that cause the trait to appear in the offspring. Because a trait can skip generations it may be erratic in it's occurrence.

 

OFA is no guarantee that your dog won't have issues. You need to not only check the health clearances on OFA of the potential parents of the litter, but also littermates and other relatives of the dogs.

Rainy1956 - OFA doesn't give a rats a$$ about films done at 5 months and 9 weeks, and you can't either unless the dogs are having hip/leg issues. You can't go by what xrays look like that young - HUGE changes happen during the first two years of a dogs life. You cannot ever guarantee a puppy to be free of dysplasia...but a breeder CAN guarantee the sire and dam of the litter are free of HD or other issues, thus giving a little better chance that your puppy will not have these issues.

I, for one, will never base a purchase of a dog solely on OFA or any other health testing. That is one tiny piece of the puzzle. I want to see the titles the dogs have, their working ability, and if the bitch has had puppies previously, I want to see what those puppies have done in the show ring (conformation and performance). Obviously I want to see health clearances, but that's not the only part.

 

I sedate my dogs to get OFA films because I want the best and most accurate diagnosis, meaning no muscle tension. I want just the way the bones fit.

I dislike Pennhip for many reasons one of them being NO public searchable database and the fact that Pennhip will not confirm a dog has been done

Cornell actually has the best method but they are not actively seeking to promote it because they have no wish to compete with OFA and Pennhip

Now hip evaluations are only as good as the data you are looking at
If stud dog a and brood bitch A both have wonderful hips rated excellent but they have no siblings, 1/2 sibs, cousins, aunts/uncles etc who are in the database just themselves and their parents and grandparents also with excellent hips etc this may be a pedigree with depth of clearances (front to back) and all passing and yet they are passing along a high level of hip dysplasia because you really have no clue what their actual genetics are. You justhave a strictly phenotypical evaluation and it means little and gets you no progress

HOWEVER stud dog B and brood bitch B may both have good hips or even good and fair hips. BUT many if not all of their siblings are OFA'd and are good-excellent. No fails. They have many many cousins, 1/2 sibs, aunts, uncles, etc who are also done and also good or excellent. THIS is a pedigree with both depth and breadth of clearances and THIS is how you make progress!

Rottweilers as a breed have made great progress in 30 years and the rate of HD is far less than it was and the rate of excellents also higher. More progress could be made though if all breeders stuck with following the second example rather than the first example