97 Tips for Raising Labs
Following are approximately 97 questions readers of BigYellowDog.com submitted in recent years. They were answered by a licensed veterinarian on the site as a general service to all Lab owners. This information is for general reference only. Always consult your veterinarian for any questions about your Lab's health. We hope this information is somewhat helpful. At this time, we are not accepting any more questions.
Question
I hear a lot about hip and eye certification. Can you tell me what this involves and what exactly I should test? Thank you!
Answer
If there is a veterinary school or university in your area, please check with them for complete information. But in general, for hips, you would check to see if the parents are what we call OFA certified which stands for Orthopedic Foundation Association. They rate hips on a basis of Poor, Fair, Good. Dogs with poor or fair diagnosis should not truly be bred, which I'm sure happens all too often. And this rating is to determine how the hip joint sets in the socket of the pelvis and determines if a dog is prediposed to hip dysplasia, which is a hereditary condition. And on eyes, there are numerous conditions that are checked for. If there is a speciality vet clinic or vet school in your area, they usually do this kind of testing. Alternatively, your regular veterinarian can send radiographs to the foundation to be graded. Dogs need to be two years old to be certified.
