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davidfitness83
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OFA HIP X-Ray Bully breeds?
My male Tosa was put under heavy sedation for OFA. He was drunk for the whole rest of the day. My female Tosa they tried heavy sedation first, then decided she was too big and put her under general anaesthetic as well. She was also groggy for the rest of the day, and shaking etc. I felt sorry for her. I did have preliminary xrays done on her months before, and that vet put her under right away. She came out to me just fine, you wouldn't know she just went through all that. There's always a tiny chance a dog could die under general anaesthetic. But for breeding purposes, i think it is best that they are put under. And yes, i think the heavy musculature of the mastiff and bull breeds would hinder proper positioning. Poorly positioned legs can make your dog look dysplastic.
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      My wife heard from a vet that was at her office today that the only accurate way to do Hip X-rays on a Bull breed is to put them completely to sleep. She said that apbt/amstaff are extremely strong breeds and may resist the positioning of the legs while getting the shots. I was thinking of sedating him, but now I hear this, what does everyone think?
      • My male Tosa was put under heavy sedation for OFA. He was drunk for the whole rest of the day. My female Tosa they tried heavy sedation first, then decided she was too big and put her under general anaesthetic as well. She was also groggy for the rest of the day, and shaking etc. I felt sorry for her. I did have preliminary xrays done on her months before, and that vet put her under right away. She came out to me just fine, you wouldn't know she just went through all that. There's always a tiny chance a dog could die under general anaesthetic. But for breeding purposes, i think it is best that they are put under. And yes, i think the heavy musculature of the mastiff and bull breeds would hinder proper positioning. Poorly positioned legs can make your dog look dysplastic.

        • D
          thank you for the quick reply my male is not the biggest he is 78 pounds 22 inches tall. We did the drawer test and luxating patella test last week and it took one vet tech to hold him down and my self. Do you think heavy sedation can do the trick for a dog of that size?
          • Is he still limping? OFA isn't a huge fee, but a decent vet can tell you if the xrays look ok. He should be fine with heavy sedation, but I think it's not just size but the heavy musculature in the legs that warrants anaesthetic. In my opinion, if elbows or hips are suspect for causing limping, sedation and and a quick snapshot should do just fine.

            • D
              I am paying 100 for the x-ray + 30 for the OFA fee which is not bad. The clinic told me they would charge me 20 to sedate him. He is not limping anymore and wants to go crazy but I am still resting him. I started him on glucosamine last week and the vet gave him anti-flamatory medicine last saturdaty. The vet did a drawer test and luxating patella test and he did not find anything wrong. Some people are telling me that this test is innacurate and that the dog should have been sedated because he can still tense his leg during the drawer test. Quite frankly there is so much information out there that I dont even know what to believe anymore. The only reason why I am getting his hips done is because I want him to compete in weight pulling but I want to make sure he is sound to start training for it. We have been doing light bodyweight drags but I want to make sure he is fit to do heavier weight.
              • Very good idea to check the joints first before weight pulling. $100 for xrays LOL That is very cheap, don't want to say what i've paid in the past for xrays :( In general, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Dog is moving fine, I wouldn't worry about it. Just like sports injuries with humans, dogs get them too, except they're a lot tougher than we are. An ocassional wee limp for up to a week is to be expected when working them out heavily. As soon as the limp is gone, start them up again slowly. The supplements won't hurt, but no reason to have him on anti-inflammatory meds. The only place i've ever heard of drawer test, is here on this forum, so can't comment on the case of sedative for that.

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                  The vet suggested them but he will be done with them today i believe. I need to video tape him so I can get a critique on his movement and structure. He moves very weird, I don't klnow if it's because he has very little angulation in the rear. When he is tired and decides to walk slow he wabbles it's hard to explain but I need to see if this pattern is caused by his structure. I felt he was doing excellent with the flirtpole now that he lost so all that fat but I am afraid that quick turning will cause a serious injury so I think the best method of conditioning for him will be linear sprints, pulling and handwalk. The flirtpole is an accident waiting to happen :(
                  • Sedation depends on the dog. Different Vets have different techniques. The worst thing is not a false negative, but a false positive, which can happen in well muscled breeds. This is the major critique of OFA technique. With the right sedation or board, one with good muscle relaxation, you shouldn't need to induce and maintain. I have seen relaxed dogs tolerate the procedure without sedation also. Typically, at least a mild sedative is used.

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                      thank you guys I am sending the check today I hope it all goes well we are doing it on the 12th. Bernie's pro weightpull harness is arriving today, I will post pics when I get it :)
                      • [link=http://www.trainpetdog.com/Bernese-Mountain-Dog/about-bernese-mountain-dog.html]Berners[/link] that are moving a lot can be sedated to have a successful diagnostic procedure for the vet to have accurate results.
                        • Wow! I think it depends if your dog is really moving a lot but anyways accuracy is still important.
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