If you are considering using your dog as a breeding animal, you may be interested in having your pet certified to be free of hip and elbow dysplasia. These painful and debilitating diseases are rapidly and easily reduced in dog populations by a simple screening test. In just a few generations, screened breeding animals result in healthier puppies. Puppies produced by certified breeding dogs are also considered more valuable.

Under sedation, your pet’s hips and elbows are stressed or stretched and radiographed (x-rayed). These radiographs are sent to veterinary colleges around the USA for evaluation by board certified radiologists. A final, averaged opinion is made and registered by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA).  Although any age dog can be evaluated, for certification, the dog should be over two years old and not cycling though estrus (not in heat) before scheduling the exam.

To learn more about hip and elbow dysplasia and other genetic diseases, go to the OFA website.