eye & hip cert.

[machohorn]

My lab is approaching 1 year old. When is a good time to get this certification done? Has anyone did these and who would you recomend. also price involved, Thanks

[PerchPounder]

I believe they need to be 2 before you can have there eyes checked.

[machohorn]

I was hoping it was 2, I did no want to miss out on getting it done. if anyone else has information please pass it along, thanks

[Ralph Wiggum]

I think you need to wait till 2 for any certifications.

[311Hemi]

CERF (Canine Eye Registration Foundation ) can be done at any age and has to be updated every 12 months.

OFA (hips/elbows) cannot be done until 2 years of age.

If your doing this for breeding you should also do EIC (labs), CNM (labs), and PRA.

[machohorn]

Hemi, where I go to get this? I live in Monticello. is there a place up that way?

[duckbuster]

Dr. Olivera (misspelled) in St. Louis Park is the most common for eyes. The puppy I just picked up a couple of weeks ago had the eyes done up in Andover.

I had my older dogs hips done by Dr. Rice in Stillwater. He does not put the dog under when he does the hips.

Hemi hit all the markers if you are breeding.

GOOD LUCK

[Leaddog]

I would NOT recommend the monti vet!

I believe after one year is sufficient to check for cateracs and hips.

I drive to Norwood/YA but use Annandale as a backup. A friend uses the guy in Elk River. I'll find out who when have time.

[LABS4ME]

You can check the hips out at any age... but they can only be certified after 24 months of age. That is undisputable and the precedent set by the OFA because they want to insure without doubt that the dog is done growing skeletally. Mant trialers and other competitive dog owners will screen a dog at 12 months prior to investing more money into the dog to get a feel of what the hips look like... but there is still an approx. 10% chance they will change between 1 and 2 years of age. If thye would pass with a good or excellent at 12 months, odds are they will still be that at 24 months. But if they would be a fair or maybe not a 'solid' good, I would hesitate to guess what they will be at 24 months.

Eyes can be checked at any age past 7 weeks. The best age is 12-16 weeks. Certain folds can be hidden in adult dogs and not show up... prior to 7 weeks, the puppies eyes are still too cloudy to get a good look at the back of the eye. They are looking for more than cataracs. Retinal displasia is very common in many sporting breeds, retinal atrophy is another not so uncommon ailment.

I use Dr. Olivero for my eye screenings and Dr. Smith in Burnsville for hips and elbows. She is on the board of OFA and knows what they will be looking for in your x-rays and should be able to give you a spot on reading of the films pror to recieving your dog's classification.

Good Luck!

Ken

[machohorn]

Whats the approx cost for eye check and then for the hips? The economy is tough now but seeing as I have about a year to go hopefully things will be better or I better start saving, And No I WLL NOT go to Monti! The only thing I go there for are shots. and even then I double check them.

[Bryce]

CNM = $67 for just the test + whatever your vet gets to take the sample. EIC = $65 + vet + charge to register(about $10 I believe). Don't have a bill for CERF but I seem to remember about $25 for the vistit and about $10 to register. Been awhile for hips. Vet visit + set of xrays + registration.... may be able to get by for $125 or so?

Obviously, you can lower the vet costs by combining CNM, EIC, and hips with a routine check up.

[FCspringer]

Olivero, or Laraka is very good to in coon rapids area for CERF.This can actualy be done as early as 6 weeks. The cost for the cerf exam is about 50$. OFA depends on the vet. Many of them are good at it And I have seen it range from 100-200$ and has to be done after two. Pen Hip can be done much earlier in life.But like Labs said I do a preliminary on my dogs for the guarentee thing and don't want to stick a bunch of $ into a dog training that has health issues that are guarenteed. The University of Missouri does the PRA and PFK tests both for 70$, plus if you have a curent CERF exam sent with you can take off 10$. This is a great test as it is DNA and is weeding out that problem in your breeding. I test the eyes for CERF several times. And the PFK and PRA test can be done any time after birth, it is a blood test. and is simple. When I had My Spaniels tested for PRA, "Progresive retinal Atrophy",( the dog gets blinder as they age, sometimes just cloudy, sometimes completely blind)There had been like 1100 tested and 42% were afected, 38% carriers and 20% clear. I believe these tests should all be done Pluss like labs said the eic or what ever for labs and any other test for what ever breed of dog they Suggest. It is the responsible thing for a breeder to do.If everybody did this it wouldn't take too many years for a bunch of these problems to start to disapear. Yes it is disheartning to take a dog that you think is an awsome dog in to get a test done and it comes up bad and should not be bred, but we don't want the pups to end up worse or the same problem. This is a great post and I am glad to see this stuff and comend you for checking into it. It will also be helpfull to you should you breed your dog and the general public becomes aware of what to look for in a well thought out breeding. Healthy dogs.