Ok, so I hear some people don't think that hip scoring is that helpful.

It is true that you can mate two dogs with good low hip scores and still get pups with bad scores. If this is true, what help does hip scoring give? Is it just that it cuts down on the number of pups born with bad hip scores by taking dogs with bad hip scores out of the gene pool or what? It can't eradicate the problem in any way though can it?

The ISDS don't insist on hip scoring like they do the CEA/PRA eye tests do they? Do you reckon they'd start to insist if hip dysplasia became a real problem in ISDS lines and what do you think about them not insisting on it now?

Also, hip scoring can be hard to get done if you have an unregistered dog but if that dog is a good one and you'd like to breed, what do you do?

Having a dog with HD from parents & siblings with good hips, i think im quite Quailified to answer this.

No Flynns parents Hip scores didnt stop him having HD

But by having him Hip scored has stopped me using him. I could not risk putting him to a bitch & having more dogs suffer like him. Ive been asked at least 8 time about using him, & each time it breaks my heart.

All of mine are registered on the Working Reg & theres no troble getting them Scored with the bva, Any XB or unreg dog can be reg on there & therefore scored.

Thanks for the info Michelle.

How old was Flynn when he first showed symptoms of HD? It must have been awful to find out, especially that he's such a good dog otherwise and could have contributed good things to the breed.

I agree with Michelle on this - I have a dog with HD, but from non health checked parents (I had no idea about health checks at the time - perhaps the general public should be made more aware of them??)

I think the point with hip scoring is that if the parents, grandparents etc all have good scores, then it decreases the risk of producing a puppy or puppies with HD. I do know someone who has recently had a 12 month old dog hip scored and found to have HD, and the dog was bred from very very good lines, with ancestry on both sides having excellent hip scores - not a HD dog in sight - sometimes it just happens, so there are no guarantees.

As to it being difficult to get non-pedigree dogs hip scored, I don't understand this. Bob's not pedigree, but has been done. The vets asked for his KC pedigree, and the receptionist was a bit confused when I said he didn't have one. I explained, and I took in his working register certificate for them. I guess it's just a question of them being able to fill in their paperwork.

I really think the ISDS and the KC should insist on any health checks available being done before registering any litters. This should put a stop to hereditary diseases/conditions being passed down, and ought to help with HD as well.

Also, as I said above, I don't think the general public have any idea of what health checks are available, and need educating.

I didn't know anything about hip scoring or anything like that. Scooby is a brilliant dog but he's not KC registered or registered of any kind so is this going to be a problem to get hip scored?

I think as Carol said the general public need educating on this because alot of people dont know.

6 months headwallbash We than had xrays & had scoring ones again when he was 12months. They were 21-21 = 42, i dread to think how bad theyd be now!

If you get him put on the activites reg, you will get a KC number then it will be no probs, but some vets are abit thick about the act reg.

Ive been told they will score non reg dogs, not sure how this works, do the vets put them down as non reg?

I wonder whether it's to do with proving the identity of the dog as being the one who's hips have been done.

Just being microchipped or something should be suffice and use that.

how do i add him to the activities register? He's microchipped with Petlog which was done at my vets. How is hip scoring done?

download a form from the KC website, think up some posh names & send it off, costs about £12 or so.

The xrays are done at a vets under GA or sedation, & then the xray plates are sent off the the BVA who "score" them. Takes up to 6 weeks.
Your vet will arrange to send them off etc!

I've no idea whether or not they HAVE to be on a KC register (breed or activity) but the best thing is probablly to talk to your vets, who will be able to advise you.
I think the registration number is needed for identification purposes, and has to be recorded on the X-Ray. Have a look at the guide for dog owners on the BVA website. It's interesting that on the list of breed mean scores, BCs are grouped with WSDs, so presumably this means that dogs registered on the activity register as WSD (ie non-pedigree) are included in their statistics??

BVA website:
http://www.bva.co.uk/canine_health_schemes/Hip_Scheme.aspx

Thank you i will take a look for the form on the KC website and i'll also look at the BVA website and i'll also talk to my vets