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Thrym's Hips & Elbows


Thrym was recently xrayed for his official OFA ratings. Most unfortunately, OFA rated him as dysplastic in both hips and both elbows. This came as a devastating surprise as he xrayed clear for hip and elbow dysplasia at 16 months old. At that time (July 2005) there were no signs of dysplasia in his hips or elbows. Based on these preliminary evaluations (prelims), he sired one litter of 5 males -- the Gangsters.  Usually for breeding we wait until a dog or bitch is age 2-3, but this was a special case as the dam was advancing in age and it might have been her only chance to have the litter. The vast majority of the time, prelims are highly predictive. According to OFA statistics, xrays done between 12-23 months of age are accurate 75-95% of the time, with the higher percentages as you get closer to 24 months. Thrym's case is unusual in that his hips changed dramatically after his prelims, and there were no telltale indicators of trouble ahead. The dam of the Gangster litter has good hips and elbows, as well as a great track record for healthy puppies. Hopefully, the Gangster boys will turn out to be fine. Thrym will now be neutered, of course. This has been a huge disappointment for me, and also for many other bitch owners in America who had hoped to use him in their breeding programs. Thrymmie is a really neat dog! He will continue to be treasured and loved as part of our family, and I thank Asa and Leif Granlund for entrusting a puppy from their exceptional breeding to me. I still have big plans for Thrymmie in tracking and herding, and he is in very good condition.


OFA INFORMATION
A publication by OFA -- www.offa.org/monograph2006web.pdf -- has a section on "The effect of age and the use of preliminary radiographs for early detection of hip dysplasia" (Page 25) that may help explain why Thrym's hips and elbows seemed normal (passing) at 16 months of age on his preliminary evaluations, but were not when repeated at 36 months of age.  The OFA info page has links to more good articles. I also recommend the web site of the International Elbow Working Group. They are considered the authorities on Elbow Dysplasia. IEWG recommends two radiographic views of the elbows, a more accurate evaluation system than OFA. Many veterinary orthopedists and radiologists question the accuracy of OFA's elbow rating system, as it does not take into consideration joint changes due to normal wear and tear, prior injury or trauma, and diet/nutrition effects. Many experts feel OFA's elbow rating system has a statistically significant margin of error, erroneously labeling some changes as hereditary. The only way to definitively diagnose whether or not elbow changes are due to hereditary factors versus external factors is a CT scan. This gold standard of diagnostic methods is out of most people's price range at $1500-$2500, and is usually available only at major veterinary hospitals.


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Kathy Madden
Montage Tervuren
New York, NY USA

madterv@yahoo.com