At what age should i have my GSD pup screened for HD?

I am on this plan at local Petsmart. The plan is $99 down and $20 a month and includes all vaccines, dewormings, and office visits. it also includes a 10% discount on other stuff not included in the plan.

The plan also includes your choice of HD screening or Spay/neuter.

For a pup i think it is a good deal. The vet says th HD screen will be when the pup is a year old. Now I know the OFA wont certify untill the dog is 2 yrs but wouldnt you want to know something b4 it is too late?

What i mean by that is...if you wait till a year to find out your dog isnt physically able to work, didnt you just waste all the time and money for a broke dog??

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Petsmart plans are a joke. Should've just bought regular Pet insurance if you had wanted it, could've saved some money. Can prelim hips after 6 months of age. So you could do it now, just would have to redo at 24 months for certification.

We prelim all our pups that we keep for ourselves at about 5 1/2 to 6 months old, and then OFA certify at 2 years.

*we don't prelim elbows this early as the growth plates don't close til 8 months old or later*

Seeing as how I don't believe in vaccinating and worming every month, I think the petsmart plan is a waste of money and could be detrimental to your dogs health in the long run.

I would recommend you read this book What Vets Don't Tell You About Vaccines

Prelim's are valuable for breeders especially, to evaluate potential breeding stock before a lot of time, money and hopes are invested. When I got my Dobie bitch Raven, I had not planned to breed her until she was SAR certified, so I didn't bother with prelims... I was devastated to find out at three years of age that she had mild HD. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> I vowed from then on that I would prelim... The downside on prelim's is that they get very expensive, expecially if you are working around a bitch and her heat cycles... for instance, I would have liked to prelim my Giant bitch Cora at 12 months, when I personally (and many agree) that the finals will most likely reflect the prelim results. Cora had not yet come into her first heat, so I put it off rather than x-ray and run directly into her heat cycle. (Heat cycles can have dramatic influence on the laxity sp? of the hip joints) She had her first heat at 14 months, so wait 6-8 weeks AFTER her heat is finished and now she's 17 months old! Add another 4-6 weeks onto that for the results (I'm in Canada, OFA takes awhile) and she's damn close to 2 years! Bottom line... Cora will be x-rayed after she turns 2 years and about 6 weeks after she's had a heat!
I guess it comes down to how much you want to spend when?
Personally if your dog is going to be too crippled by HD to work, it's going to show up before you even x-ray! Raven's diagnosis was Mild, she would not be part of any breeding program, however she has never been clinical, and enjoy many years of SAR work, and is still in excellent shape at eight!
If you don't plan to breed, and your dog is in good physical condition, I would wait and spend the money at 2 years. If cutting your losses is more important, by all means, prelim! It could save you the heartache I had with Raven.
Hope this helps.
Tammy.

What I will probably do is do the prelim at 6 mos. that is included... do you think the petsmart vet is qualified to see anything that could be a problem later? then at 2 yrs I'll have him certified... or should i wait for him to be 1 yr?

They can take an xray, but not all vets are qualified to take or even know how to properly position a dog for xrays for hips. If you want an excellent vet you need to contact Highland Pet Hospital in Lakeland, Dr. Beverly Brimacomb. 90% of her practice is for breeders, reproductive issues, and hip/elbow xrays. Costs I think $25 for hip prelims with OFA, I think she was charging $68 for the prelims and she doesn't sedate unless necessary. She hasn't been wrong on any of my dogs yet. If you don't see her, then TRY (good luck) to find a vet that has done extensive hip xrays over the years. I've had vets tell me they know how, sedate the dog where it takes days for them to be completely normal again, just for the results to come back completely different than what the vet stated.