Hello, i had my boxer bitch hip scored today which has left me with a dilema. She is due in season anytime now and is booked in with the stud dog. Her right hip is fine, but the left has a few problems which the vet reckons will score quite high (possibly 15-19 he is guessing) do i mate her anyway and hope for the best when the results arrive ?? or put off mating her until her next season, which would mean puppies at christmas, her heart tested 0, i'm really stuck here, i would appricate your help, as the results take 3 weeks to come back.

Personally I would leave it this time and mate her during her next season at the earliest. If Christmas isn't good for you then why not postpone breeding until this time next year.

You've taken the time to have her hip scored so I'd wait until the results are in before you even think about breeding from her.

Fiona

I think you should leave it too, but having said that I have known vets be very wrong about hip scores lets hope yours is. all the bet Jackie H

Ask your vet to send a note in the the plates explaining that you would like a fast result. Depending on the next screening you could have the results in a week or two anyway

Good luck

Christine

He did say he could be wrong, and it might come back as as a 5 ! he was only guessing. He did say I could go ahead anyway and if there's a problem we will deal with it, my dogs parents weren't hip scored and nor is the stud i intend to use , do other boxer breeders bother ?? I am feeling a bit annoyed ! i recently heard about a boxer breeder in my area that has been breeding from a white boxer bitch ! ! how unfair that i am trying to do everything properly and people like that get away with it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

forgot to say would i be really irresponsible to breed from her if she was slightly over the mean score for boxers which is 16 ?? how inherited is hip displaysia ?? I haven't heard of any cases of hip dysplasia (in boxers) in the 5 years ive been working in the veterinary profession ?? I know that it also involves exercise/diet etc and my bitch does jump around on her back legs a bit could this have worsened her hips ?? would she pass that on to the pups ?

Sounds like you already answered your own breeder ethical dilema. You said you do not appreciate that there is a lady breeding from a white boxer bitch and she is wrong and shouldn't get away with doing that, and the same goes with bad hip scoring.You bothered to have the test done because you wanted to do the right thing ethically for your breed, so you should follow through with your good intentions and wait for the results.Maybe they could rush them for you as suggested above, or maybe your girl will be good enough to hold off on her heat until results come in(pray!). You set yourself on a good path. Stay there, just because someone else gets away with unethical practices doesn't mean you should join her.I commend your efforts to do the best for your chosen breed, hang in there!

I should seriously consider waiting & using only a scored dog

If you dont & your bitch scores high then any problem with the puppies could leave you open to legal action.

You should contact Malcolm Willis the genetics expert if you want a professional opinion

My first thought is, if you are asking this question then you have already made up your mind to wait. I know I have "dithered" like this and waited. A couple of things though, firstly you say your vet is not sure, and he is right. It is up to the experts on the panel to score a dogs hips. Two examples, I sent off a hip xray for scoring, my vet at that time said the hips looked perfect, the score was not good when it came back. My friend sent off her dog's x-ray plates, even though her vet warned her it would be very bad, it came back below the breed average!
The dog's hips are only one part of the dog, you should always consider the whole dog, health, hips, eyes, hearing etc, and importantly temperament.

I also sent of some plates for scoring which the vet described as mediocre. He even told me not to bother getting them scored as I would be very disappointed with the results. They came back as a 1:0!

Lisa

I am very lucky that the lady who scores my dogs is a radiographer and she has seen hundreds of xray plates and always told the the score before it came back from the KC and has always been right.
I am very dubious of vets that do hip scoring as if the hips are not placed properly then a bad score can result{I have a friend who went to her vet to be told the bitches score was appaling she then had them done again by some-else more experienced and sent them to the KC and got a score of 12 less than the breed average!!!!}
They KC only sit every 3 weeks so it can take 5 weeks to get them back especially if you have just missed a sitting then you have to wait for the post.
As for injuries causing bad results I had know of dogs who had injuries and then got a higher score on that side!!
YES over exercise can damage young puppies hips I hope you get everything sorted out with your bitch and good luck with the results

hello ! Thanks for all your replies, her results came through today ! and she scored 11 (average 16) so i am well chuffed ! she is also hanging on with her season so i will mate her as soon as she is ready!! thankyou again everyone !

Well done thats great news :)

congrats! Let us know how the breeding comes along.

Very pleased for you, it is a specialist job scoring hip x-rays and I do wish vet would not give their views, it could lead to the plates not going forward or worse. Still in your case all has proved well, hope your bitch gives you a lovely healthy litter. JH

Congratulations! Good luck with your forthcoming litter

Christine

After having gone to this trouble I do sincerely hope you have chosen a different Stud dog, one that is Hip Scored! After all if you should produce puppies that say do have Hip Dysplasia, it is you that is likely to be held liable for not taking all reasonable steps (using only scored parents) to limit the likelihood of producing unsound hips! The owners are very unlikely to complain to the Stud dog owner!

If you contact one of the breed Clubs they may be able to help you find a suitable stud of the bloodlines that interest you!

Also they should both be heart tested (can't remember if you had said if this had been done?)

yes she is heart tested (0) and so is the stud, but not hipscored i am finding not a lot of boxers are hip scored ? there are not many entries in the breed supplements for boxers(under hipscoring), i suppose some people don't bother ?? i am going to ask around anyway. thanks for all your nice replies ! i will let you know what happens ! it is nice to know i can ask you guys whenever I have a prob. cheers !