Is it recommended to get your dog hip scored if you show him but at present don't have any plans to use him at stud or would it be a waste of time and money as well as putting him through an unnecessary GA ?

Ta Muchly :-)

There are a number reasons you might want to get your dog hip scored. The first and most obvious is for breeding purposes. If you are showing your dog and is is winning a fair bit, then you will get stud enquiries, so why not be prepared?
Another reason is to get the dog hip scored is the more dogs scored the more realistic the average score for the breed will be. If every dog was scored whether a pet dog, a show dog or working dog , then all the breeds would have a much clearer idea of the breed's average score.
As a breeder I like my puppy owners to get their dogs hip and eye tested, it gives me an idea of how my lines are healthwise.
As an owner I hip and eye test all my dogs even those I don't use for breeding, as I am interested in the scores/results of each dog, and it gives me an idea of what problems I may or may not have to watch out for.
As to having a general anesthetic, there are vets around the country who do hip scoring using a mild sedative.

Hi Claire.

Polly has covered all that I would have said. I was also worried sick about the GA when I got Bears hips scored. Pad mentioned that a milder anaesthetic could be used, and I asked my vet about it.It was slightly more expensive, but Bear recovered much quicker. If you decide to go ahead, talk over your options with your vet :-)

Leigh

Claire, there are vets around that will hip score without a GA. I understand that Gill Averis is one of them.

Lynn

I agree it is important to your breed that as many as possible are scored. Quite often the only dog from a litter that may be shown is the one kept back by the breeder, all the rest go to pet homes and if they are not scored the breeder will not know if the dam and sire have puppies with good hips. some breeders will even offer some cash back when they receive a copy of the hip score certificate so keen are they to know how their stock are doing. On the subject of GA and sedatives I have been told that a sedative is more risky than a GA because a GA can be reversed quickly if the dog get into problems but a sedative can not be reversed at all. Jackie H

Thanks for the info :-)

My understanding was that you got a more accurate score if the dog was completely knocked out because you could position the legs better ??

I would most definately talk to my breeder and vet about it first but I just wondered what other people thought. I don't want people thinking I'm getting him hip scored for no good reason and of course I don't want to put him through any veterinary procedure if there's no point - he is a scaredy cat when it comes to the vets anyway :rolleyes:

There is a lady in southhapton who hips scores at a VERY resonable price and has always quessed the score within 1 on each side she will tell you if they are good enough to send to the BVA.
Any dog that si going to be used for breeding MUST be hip scored{if it is required from the breed} as I see so many goldie pups bred from people who have not had the bitch hip scored cos she was 'just a pet' and the new owners think that excuse is fine.