I sent in prelim xrays on my 13 month old GSD. OFA sent back the results of mild dysplasia showing subluxation in the right hip. My breeder would like me to have a Penn hip evaluation preformed as she stated OFA has many errors in their finding. Penn hip is very costly. The Chief of Veterinarian Services at OFA stated to me that this is very costly and he stated to me that simply my shepherd is dysplastic in her right hip and Penn hip will tell me the same. We were planning to breed her and was wondering if anyone has had a similar situation and/or advice as to if they think Penn hip evaluation would be the thing to do. Also is there anything we can do to better her condition. I was told by my breeder that diet may have played a part in her condition. We currently feed Nutro kibbles.

 Quote: Michele Daigle

I sent in prelim xrays on my 13 month old GSD. OFA sent back the results of mild dysplasia showing subluxation in the right hip. My breeder would like me to have a Penn hip evaluation preformed as she stated OFA has many errors in their finding. Penn hip is very costly. The Chief of Veterinarian Services at OFA stated to me that this is very costly and he stated to me that simply my shepherd is dysplastic in her right hip and Penn hip will tell me the same. We were planning to breed her and was wondering if anyone has had a similar situation and/or advice as to if they think Penn hip evaluation would be the thing to do. Also is there anything we can do to better her condition. I was told by my breeder that diet may have played a part in her condition. We currently feed Nutro kibbles.

I know that the HD-knowledgeable folks will see this and respond, but I have a question.

What had made you plan to breed her? I mean, completely aside from this sad news that you just got (and I'm very sorry, BTW), what had made the dog seem to be breeding material; what did you see in her, at only 13 months, that was triggering plans to breed her?

You are not even considering breeding her now, right?

P.S. Welcome to the board, though, even with sad news.


There are steps you can take to minimize the effect that HD has on the dog, but not to change the fact of HD, if it is a fact.

Keeping the dog both thin and strong are hugely important for helping to minimize the impact of HD on the dog's quality of life. A good diet is always important. So is protecting the joints from jarring exercise, slippery running surfaces, etc. You'll want to do everything that you can do to minimize the OA changes that are triggered by HD.

I purchased her for breeding from a well known kennel and told the breeder this is the purpose for my purchase. She cost well over $2000.00. And the breeder is saying I voided the warranty contract by not feeding raw diet and I caused this problem and Penn hip might show different results so I could breed her. I have no intentions of breeding her unless I have some definitive answers and maybe follow up with another opinion.

Thank you for welcoming me to the board and your sympathy is very kind and appreciated. I have enjoyed reading the forums and am glad to be here!

 Quote: Michele Daigle

Thank you for welcoming me to the board and your sympathy is very kind and appreciated. I have enjoyed reading the forums and am glad to be here!

My sympathy is very sincere. HD is the last thing any of us wants to hear.

As far as the breeding .... I don't understand. You bought her as a puppy with the plan to breed her? How could she be deemed worthy of breeding then?

Her bloodline is outstanding and her confirmation and bone structure is nice. Her temperament is wonderful. I can tell you she comes from nice lines on both sides of her pedigree.

I was doing a prelim on her at 1 year as requested by the breeder and planning on waiting til she was 2 to breed her. And unfortunately this plan is looking grim for us.

Michele, sorry things have worked out this way. It's unfortunate for anyone who is jumping into raising dogs to have one of their foundation animals not make the grade. Worse yet is a breeder who knowingly sells a new person a puppy with these intentions and no real guarantees, which is sadly commonplace

First off you must be sure within a shadow in your mind that your dog had it's test performed correctly. http://leerburg.com/pdf/hipplacementforxrays.pdf I'd just send her in normal OFA paperwork for hips and elbows when she turns 2 and see where the chips fall. Personally I don't start fishing for tests on dogs that work in my favor, either they make the grade or they don't.

Second, if your dog doesn't make the grade. Don't breed her. There are enough GSDs in this world that a lack of pups on her part will not doom the breed. Very simply there is no genetic marker known at this point to tell us if your dog's HD is caused by diet, exercise, or genetics. We just know what the dog is you have in front of you which right now appears to be an issue. Is bad hips really something you want to pass on to a puppy buyer considering the numbers of puppies you can produce in a single GSD litter?

Finally and the bigger lesson is to go over your contract for your dog. NEVER sign a term on a contract you aren't prepared to deal with. This includes dietary requirements, breeding requirements, conditional guarantees, and co ownerships. You need to be willing to live with these terms or be willing to walk away from them.

Thanks Melissa for you direct and honest answer. I have no intentions of breeding this particular shepherd.I do not operate like that. I would not want to pass on the same heartaches to someone else nor would I want to have more puppies running around with possibly the same issue. The problem with this breeder and the contract was this. First we received the pup. Then came the contract. Then came her AKC papers only after the contract was signed. Otherwise I would have walked away. We had a puppy in hand that we were all attached to and honestly could not afford at the time to send her back (shipping)and take a loss on the deposit. This happened during a time when we had a hurricane hit here in our state and our monies were exhausted due to extra expenses from the storm. After telling the breeder that her ethics concerning the way she sells the pup, then sends the contract, then sends the AKC paper to me was unethical she proceeded to attack me, my small kennel and the way I raise my shepherds saying I should get out of the business, and that I was inexperienced. This has caused me to have a bad taste towards purchasing another shepherd via internet from a supposedly well known breeder. I am not here to slam this breeder, nor am I here to name names, only to gather advice. I have never purchased a shepherd that had hip dyplasia and had to experience this. I love and care for my sheps as my children and this was truly heartbreaking to hear the news. I only have 4 shepherds total and all are in great health and only this one has hip issues. I will take your advice on this matter and heed it, and have read the article link you sent. The only thing I guess I am confused about is this. I sent her prelims in to OFA already for grading. Will they change their findings at age two if I send them in and the findings are different due to a possible misalignment?