Comment to 'Who health tests here ?'
  • A dog with ill conformed hips is likely to break down earlier than a dog with normal hips. When they're young, arthritis hasn't set in yet. Most people breed dogs between 2 and 5, it's later in life where you see clinical signs. No way really to check 8 week old puppies for HD, it is a disease of development usually takes a few months for it to show up on xrays, or even clinical signs. A dog would have to be a superdog, practically perfect in every other way, to warrant breeding given poor hips. If mated to a dog with normal hips, you might be able to get away with it, can never tell for sure.