OFA problems.....

[Windancer]

....I realize I am putting myself on the line here....but has anyone had problems with OFA lately..? It seem no matter what I send in, and no matter what my vets opinion, they find something....I have friends having the same problem....example.....2 yr old bitch gets xrayed....vet and associate look at pictures...vet measures 80% in the socket...loves the hips....OFA comes back moderate dysplasia...no djd, just 'moderate'...that is one story of four recently....others are Gr one elbow...etc....I just wondered what is going on with OFA, and if anyone else has noticed anything...They have been called, and told they will do nothing without a new xray.(costly) Will not re look....They do not keep Xrays, and will not talk to your vet...anyone? Or is it just me....

 

[dee]

I just sent in a couple rads the past few months--one came back excellent when I thought it was a no less than good and the one I thought would go fair maaayyyybe good came back fair--so I haven't had any problems with their analysis here of late and the elbow analysis were what I expected. I also always--if it is a film radiograph--send 5.00 to have the films returned to me. I love the digital images, though, as the vet can make you a copy for your records.

 

[ardeagold]

No problems here. Sent in Cole's a few months ago, and because of his left hip being ever so slightly subluxed, the Vet suspected they'd give him a Fair, and that's what they graded him ... Fair.

Elbows came back fine. The Vet, before sending them, said they looked perfect to her...and apparently they concurred. (For the Newfs we use the Holistic Vet for most things, as she's more familiar with Giant Breed dogs).

Perhaps your Vet isn't reading them properly? Our farm Vet (large and small animal) won't guess because he admits that isn't his strongest suit. He takes good films, but when it comes to making judgements about hip grading/problems he prefers not to guess unless there's an obvious issue that no one could miss.

Maybe you want to have them retaken (even by a different Vet) and then resubmit? Or if you don't want to do that, see if your Vet is willing to send them to a specialist to look over?

 

[KatieB]

We sent Mojo's in for pre lims and the hips came back fair when we expected good or excellent. We will have his finals done at a different vet and see what they say....elbows were good which was expected. So no big surprises with their ratings. Murphy came back with 1 grade 1 elbow which was not a surprise and hips came back excellent which was a surprise as we weren't sure. My vet is not very experienced at reading them which is why we will go to someone more experienced for his final films..but there were no surprises really in how they rated them and he passed as expected.

 

[saddust]

For reference...

I sent in prelims on my young girl and they came back excellent... same as the vet had thought...

 

[Windancer]

Thanks all.. for your input...

 

[Pipelineozzy]

My results have been pretty much as I expected too...but had them read by a board certified radiologist here before they went. They did clear an elbow that he wouldn't have though.

 

[2Paws]

For OFA xrays, I take my dogs to a vet practice that specializes in these kind of xrays. Henry's hips were rated excellent from the vet and came back good from OFA. The OFA ratings for his elbows and patellas came back with the same positive readings that my vet gave us. I was told by my vet that sometimes readings are more favorable when submitted towards the end of the month.

 

[Windancer]

I don't know if this will copy in here or not...But here is a letter from a friend per her vet to OFA citing the situation I have been talking about. I am suprised no one else has experienced this....if you can see the exerp, send me a PM






At my vets recommendation, I am re-submitting new x-rays for this newfoundland. When he saw the report, he was stunned because he thought they looked very good the day they were taken. He re-examined the x-rays once he got the OFA report and even with that information and studying the x-rays very closely, he could not see what the committee was faulting in the hips or the left elbow. He said there might be a very minute question about the right elbow but it was miniscule and perhaps could be argued.


He suggested that the new x-rays be examined by an entirely different team and told me to insist on it. This evening on a return visit to his office he asked if I had appealed yet and gave me more information on the situation. My vet is a graduate of Mizzou and very familiar with the OFA process. Since this came up with our dog, he has received several reports from OFA very similar to ours on dogs that he felt were very skeletally sound. Again, he went back to check the x-rays with the notes from OFA and could not see the deficiencies in several dogs that were remitted by OFA. Because he has recently received an abundance of questionable results from OFA, he has contacted several other vets to inquire about what they were receiving back from OFA. These vets all reported the same concerns. They too are receiving what they consider very questionable results from OFA and also go back to re-check their x-rays with the information from OFA and cannot see why the reports are as they are.


In the dog breeding world, there also is a great deal of concern about the sudden number of OFA reports that are negative and do not seem to fit what the x-rays show. Even if OFA has tightened the standards, it doesn't make sense that qualified vets cannot see the faults after reviewing the x-rays looking for exactly what OFA has determined.


I truly hope these concerns will be taken into consideration upon my reapplying for this dog and please do not use anyone to view them that was on the previous committee.

 

[BluwaterNewfs]

What was the response from OFA? Did they respond?

 

[Pipelineozzy]

They should submit to OVC instead...and see what they get for results there.

 

[Windancer]

we are just getting the re xray done next week..I am told these vets just fill in to read xrays to make extra money..which is fine, but if you get the wrong guys , it can be a bad thing.

 

[Windancer]

by the way, we did talk to OFA who said they throw the xrays away and will not re read them, but if you submit new ones you can request different doctors to look at them. I believe there is a group of three...

 

[Pipelineozzy]

Radiographs of animals 24 months of age or older are independently evaluated by three randomly selected, board-certified veterinary radiologists from a pool of 20 to 25 consulting radiologists throughout the USA in private practice and academia. Each radiologist evaluates the animal's hip status considering the breed, sex, and age. There are approximately 9 different anatomic areas of the hip that are evaluated.
In order to read xrays for OFA, they have to be board certified radiologists, not just ordinary vets.

 

[911Newfs]

Radiographs of animals 24 months of age or older are independently evaluated by three randomly selected, board-certified veterinary radiologists from a pool of 20 to 25 consulting radiologists throughout the USA in private practice and academia. Each radiologist evaluates the animal's hip status considering the breed, sex, and age. There are approximately 9 different anatomic areas of the hip that are evaluated.
In order to read xrays for OFA, they have to be board certified radiologists, not just ordinary vets.

In addition, prelims done on dogs between age 12 months and 24 months are only evaluated by one randomly selected vet with OFA.



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[Sun Valley]

Many people in the States think that if your dog/s has an OVC number it's because it wouldn't pass OFA and that's too bad.

I had a bitch that at 20 months old I wanted to breed. She never had been x-rayed as I was hoping she would wait to be bred until after I did her OFA's.

Because she wasn't two yet, I called my Vet to have prelims done on her and then thought how stupid, send them to OVC so I have actual proof for my puppy buyers.. That's what I did and she cleared Hips and Elbows.

I know she would pass OFA without any problems, but I don't feel like spending another $300.00 to have her x-rayed again for OFA.

I actually prefer OVC because it's one person doing the reading and in my opinion less subjective. I think to many people put too much emphasis on OFA ratings.

Lou Ann

 

[dee]

Lou Ann--I did OVC one girl at 22 mos and she cleared both hip/elbow --with the OVC certification she also was able to CHIC. I did receive the rads back from OVC and submitted them to OFA to get their 'rating' (prelim rating, of course) so didn't have spend more $$$ on re-radiographing her. She came back OFA Fair and normal elbows, btw. I knew she would be coming into heat right as she turned 2 yo, thus the reason for radiographing when I did.

 

[Sun Valley]

Dee,

I never even thought to ask OVC to send the x-rays back...but thanks for the tip. I will do that in the future.

Lou Ann

 

[dee]

And--in case you send films into OFA (if your vet is not doing digitals yet like mine)--just send a note stating you want the films returned to you and 5.00 extra bucks and you'll get your rads back from them, too! Always good to have to compare etc.

 

[Sun Valley]

My Vet doesn't do digital x-rays and in fact I have not been pleased with the positioning he's done on some of my girls lately so I am in the process of looking for another Vet who will do x-rays without with anesthesia.

Lou Ann