Question regarding hip scores-help!

[Newfie in Oz]

Just had a question about hip scores, as far as hip scores go, I was just wondering what an unexcebtable hip score in the parent dog would be that might make you reconsider a puppy from them? I hope that made sense...

[ 12-28-2006, 08:04 PM: Message edited by: Newfie in Oz ]

 

[wrknnwf]

You really need to look at more of the family members than just the parents.

A dog with bad hips can still produce a perfectly sound puppy just as a dog with excellent hips can produce a dysplastic one.

Start by looking at the grandparents scores, the siblings of the parents and any pups they have produced in the past. It's a lot of research but it will give you a better picture of what is in those lines. You probably won't be able to get info on all of the dogs but gather what you can. Then you can make a more informed decision.

 

[Newfie in Oz]

Thanks, what is the average for Newfoundlands these days anyway?

 

[Conchshell Newfoundlands]

There are 2 different kinds of hip tests. The OFA and Penn-Hip. The OFA allows you to see all the members of a family who have registered their health tests at their site: http://www.offa.org/
They explain the ratings, which are easy to understand (i.e. excellent, good, fair, and then you get to the differing degrees of problems). The Penn-Hip is not on a consumer-friendly site like this. You would need to ask the owner for a copy of their doccumentation. These tests are expressed as a percentage. You would be wise to stay away from a score of under, maybe 75.
Someplace on this forum is an area devoted to health Clearances research. Poke around there if I haven't been able to help you.
Best of luck!
Mickey

 

[Conchshell Newfoundlands]

Forgive my presumption: I addressed standard tests in the USA. Then after I answered you, I saw you are in Austrailia! There is a whole different system in most European countries!
Mickey

 

[wrknnwf]

Is the dog in question from Australia? I think different countries have different ways of testing/scoring but I'm not positive.

Anyone know?

 

[Codes]

Here's a wonderful link that explains each countries scoring system: http://www.rhodesian-ridgeback.nu/page/hdad1.html

 

[wrknnwf]

To answer the question on averages...

According to the OFA: 12093 Newfs have been evaluated since 1974. Of these only 7.2% have excellent hips and 25.7 are dysplastic. There are no results for how many are good or fair so you can only assume that the majority of Newfs are not dysplastic at the time of evaluation.

Of 142 breeds for which trends have been charted, Newfs are the 20th (worst) affected breed. Of course, the problem with looking at these numbers is that as the database grows with more and more submissions, the numbers can change dramatically. Newfs are fairly well represented but some of the breeds listed had very few submissions in comparison while others had a great deal more.

Edited to add:
And while I'm on the subject, I highly encourage EVERYONE including pet owners to have their dog evaluated for hips/elbows and other diseases common to Newfs and then entered into the open database regardless of the results. The information is invaluable to breeders, puppy buyers and people in the medical field. See CHIC Requirements for Newfoundlands for a list of the tests that are commonly performed.

[ 12-29-2006, 08:30 AM: Message edited by: wrkndogs ]

 

[codered]

Hi Newfie In Oz,
The average hip score for a Newf in Oz is around 21
I would think very hard myself, if offered a puppy from a parent that is higher than 21 total (both hips added together)
That said, there are a LOT of Newfs in Australia with perfect or near perfect hips.