I have to say I agree with most of what's been discussed in this thread, except for the "I would not bother to have a pet done unless it was limping......" I think it's JUST as important to have pets x-rayed - sure, they will never be used for breeding, but these "pets" may DO things that could hurt them if they're dysplastic and we don't know it. I lived with an undiagnosed moderatly dysplastic Lab til she was five before I discovered (almost by accident, since she was NOT limping) that she WAS dysplastic, and by then, she had a good case of DJD. If I'd known sooner, I wouldn't have played with her the way I did, and I would have expected less from her. Also, I would have been able to treat her arthritis earlier, and she might not have developed such severe DJD.
Another good reason to OFA our "pets" is that we pet people get our dogs from BREEDERS!!! Wouldn't it be better for you to know, for YOUR breeding program, about HD in your lines? OFA tells us it's better to breed fair to fair if 75% of the littermates of both are clear, rather than breeding excellent to excellent, where 75% of the lttermates are dysplastic. Mickey Weyenberg Edmonton, AB, Canada ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author.
