Can anyone tell me in layman's terms exactly what these tests involve and what are the benefits of having them done weighed against any risks? I understand that Sparky will need to have his eyes tested again when he is 2, as he is a Border Collie, but what about other tests (this is on the understanding that at this stage I have no intention of breeding)? Is there a medical reason for hip scoring dogs anyway, besides assessing whether they are suitable to breed from - does it have anything to do with seeing if they can manage with activities such as agility/flyball/WT? If his score is outside the accepted range, does it help us in taking any preventative action to try to avoid further deterioration? Sorry if I sound a bit dim on this, but the only info I seem to be found is really technical stuff.
Hope someone can clear it up for me.
Thanks
Tracy
PS Just posted this and found another post on elbow scoring! Another one to think about???

Basically, if a breed is known to be susceptible to certain conditions, these should be checked for. Hip-scoring is vital if your dog is destined to be very active, because bad hips could easily rule that out. Eye-checks - if your dog is likely to lose vision, it's important to know! And if it's deaf, your training methods will have to be completely different.

That's whether or not you intend to breed.
:)

Makes no difference if your going to breed or not, it`s a matter of whether you want to know or not, the likely health of your dog in the future & what steps you can take to minimise any degenerative diseases they may have. Different breeds have different diseases, if you want to know if your dog has any or may be susceptible to any of them in the future then have them tested, if you don`t want to know then don`t. It`s that simple. :)

Christine, Spain.

As others have said, there are good reasons why you might want to health test your dog whether you intend to breed or not. Just to know that your dog has restricted vision or hearing can help you to cope with the problems this can cause.

Another good reason is that if you inform your breeder it helps him or her build up a better picture of the puppies the Dam and Sire are throwing. All the better for the long term health of the breed. We can all do our bit to help the future in this way.

Regards, John

Thanks everyone, I think you've answered my question. The thing that bothered me was whether or not dogs are put under general anaesthetic (for the hip scoring in particular), as I've heard that this can be dangerous (then again, maybe I've just watched too many TV programmes). As you say though, JG, forewarned is forearmed, and so many people seem to have these tests that I assume any risk is minimal?
I've found a bit more info on when to hip score on the board now, and as we want Sparky to get involved in agility/flyball later on I think this is going to be vital.
Cheers
Tracy

Hi Tracy,
Yes, dogs are anaesthetised for the hip-scoring x-ray, and adult dogs generally need mild sedation for the hearing test (not small puppies, or if the adult dog is very calm). John would know about the eye-tests, though.
:)

There is no anaesthetic required for the eye test, just eye drops to dilate the pupils. I'm told they do sting a little (When used on humans, my mother has had them) but dogs dont seem too concerned by them.

Best wishes, John

Thanks,
We have a while to go yet before the next tests, but it does help to have more idea of what is involved. I just didn't want to put Sparky through them (especially the hip score) if there was no real benefit in doing so, but have made up my mind to do so now.
I've spent more time worrying over him than I did over my kids - when they fell over it was "Give it a rub and you'll be fine", when Sparky was nipped by another dog last week it was "Quick, phone the vet!" ;)

Just a little bit more info on hip scoring.I know of a lady who had a dog with a terrible hip score,like about 35/40 and she bred from that dog!!!BUT when pups were age they all hip scored under 10,my friend had bought one of the pups without checking parents score and it wasn't until she was speaking to breeder about a year later that she discovered this,so it makes you think,sandra.