Hi All,

When is the best time to get Nando's hips & elbows scored? He is 10 months now (a GSD) How much does the hip/elbow scoring cost on average?

Josh

It can't be done before 12 months of age, and sooner is better than later for a good score. Off the top of my head, the BVA fee is £75 if hip and elbows are scored at the same time (£50 each if done separately), but the cost of the x-rays will depend on what your vet charges.

The best time depends a little bit on why you want to hip score him. If its for the purpose of evaluating the quality of his hips and elbows, then its best to wait until he is fully mature so you get a true picture of the finished dog at mature weight with peak muscle development. If you want to get the lowest score possible some might advise doing it around 12 to 18 months.
Your vet with charge you for the general anesthetic or sedation plus the xray costs. Then you pay the fee to the BVA separately.

Hi, I have been quoted approx £400 to hip score a 12 months old 37.5 kg Gsd.Think thats over the top as they said that he could be larger by the time I had it done .

Back in 2004 I paid £170 at my own vet for Hip scoring.  At a specialist in Hereford I paid £125.25 in January 2010, both prices include BVA charge.

A friend wants to get her 3 year old bitch scored and as mien is 15 months we are going to combine our visits and are getting them done on the 10th of May so will be able to update current charges at this vets in Kington.

It is preferable to use an Orthopaedic specialist to get good quality x-rays.

I have found the scores I get since using the specialist a couple of points better than previously (even though the scores I had before were average, I had found other people's litter-mates scoring better when expert vets used).

As for age at scoring good hips will hold up with age, but poor ones will deteriorate. 

Two litter-mates I bred were scored at just over a year and at 4+ years and both came back with almost identical scores (in the details), with just one aspect on one hip a point higher.

There are a number of Vet practises and human radiologists that do a lot of hip x-rays and get good even plates, and at more reasonable cost than the average city vet.

Thanks for info Brainless,Is it the done thing to go elsewhere for hip-scoring then,I dont wont to upset my normal vet,but really cannot afford the price quoted.I live quite near the royal vets college ,will phone them for a price .

A lot of people score as young as possible so soon after the 12 month mark.  This is because they worry about knocks and injuries effecting the score as they age.  If you post whereabouts you are, you could get a recommended vet.  Some vets are good at getting a good x-ray, some are not! When scoring, I always ask for a particular vet and he always guessing the right score when he checks the x-rays. 

I am in Hertfordshire .

with a GSD you are well advised to wait for maturity to get the 'best' hip score as growth can affect how the joints look until they're fully formed... so ring around for a better price (I'd be expecting to pay about £250 for my GSDs) but go for someone who is well practiced in taking the x-ray, offers sedation rather than full anaesthetic and who sends in digital copies rather than printed ones :-) 

As a 7 week old pup,my vet said that he thought Dexters hips were loose ?.Is this a thing that I should worry about ?

Isn't it a bit like 'cheating' (for want of a better word) to do it at the earliest available opportunity? Will it not give an unaccurate hipscore and therefore have the potential to put a bit of a skew on the breed average etc? I want to score him so I have a good idea of how good his hips and elbows are with a view to try working trials or similar. I also want it just for my own piece of mind really.

I can understand the need to do it fairly early as I've heard knocks and accidents can affect a hipscore, but a few others on another forum have suggested doing it as soon as he's eligible.

I'm on the Wirral, which is the North West. Locally there is the University of Liverpool Veternarian hospital, and the one at Leahurst too. I might give them a call to see if they have a specialist there.

Just noticed where you are. I always go to Malpas where they sedate. The cost are cheaper that your own Vets and he is a specialist in hips and elbows. PM me if you want the name and phone number. Just editing to say that I believe that Leahurst would probably be more expensive as I know the chemo for my dog was far more expensive than my own Vet.

Thanks! Sounds great!

> Isn't it a bit like 'cheating' (for want of a better word) to do it at the earliest available opportunity?

It can't be done under 12 months as in UK we only get one go at scoring.  In the USA they cannot have official scores until 2 years (by which age you may well have wanted to use your dog for breeding) but can have preliminary scores from 12 months.

the problem is then that the bad scores under 2 years are not resubmitted for official scoring and that does skew the picture, but just as often I hear of vets telling people not to submit plates as they don't look good, that is very wrong.

Good hips will be good, no matter the age, and in fact with slow growing breeds it may actually pay to wait until maturity at 2.

I usually have my girls done around 18 months - 2 years, so they are back in time for breedign adn also prefer to do them mid season cycle (bitches statistically score a littel worse so it does make you wonder if stage in their cycle might influence laxity).

I am having a 15 month old scored, only because I am teaming up with travel with a friend with an older one being scored.

Its currently £210 for hips and elbows to be done by Marilyn in Eastleigh, i'm going next month.

Ah- I see! I think I will wait until he is after 18 months for sure. Alison has recommended a vets for me which wouldn't be too far to drive for a one-off trip at all. I am not in contact with any of his litter mates but closer to the time, I will probably phone his breeder to see if any of his litter mates are planning on being scored, too as I'm sure his breeder will be very interested in knowing the score.

I took mine to Marilyn, brilliant, done under sedation, they walked in and walked out 5 mins later, no after effects whatsoever. and the quality of the xrays was excellent. My vet told me you wouldnt get a good pic unless they were fully out because the hip wouldnt be relaxed enough. Would go for sedation every time. (and theres a lovely garden centre nearby for lunch and a river walk!!)

Marilyn all the time for me with hips and elbows Even with the cost of the car  ferry  much cheaper and you get to keep your x rays ( where is the garden centre pls Jenny)