How do I get my dog hip scored?

You arrange it with your vet. You will need to take in your KC registration document, the vet will knock your dog out (can't spell the proper word, lol) and take xrays. these are then sent to the British Veterinary Association panel for scoring. You pay your vets fee, and the BVA fee. the results will take 3 to 6 weeks to come back. In my area (Bristol) the total cost is about £150, My friend has just had her boy done, and it was £75 9country vet).

If you live in the south of England there is very good lady near Eastleigh , Hampshire that does it without anaesthetic and for around £50, but you have to book in advance as obviously she is very busy! If you e-mail me I will give you the details.

Jane

I live near Leeds.. So I don't know if that would be useful to me.. But thankyou everyone for your advice :)

How does she manage to do it without anaesthic (I can't spell it either Brainless) Ja:)kie

Probably sedation, often with ACP. Some breeds have bad reactions to this sedative, and most would be better with a modern, knock out drug (coward over spelling that word Jackie, LOL), like Isoflorene, which is one that has an antidote to bring them round. I have found that they have come round very quickly after the reversal jab, and walked them home, or to the bus!

you should not be saying that on here Jane, it's against KC orders!

What's against KC orders?

hipscoring under sedation only

Hi Jane.
To understand the reasoning you need to go back to the time when ex-ray machines first came into the veterinary surgery. The usual thing in those days was to get the vet nurse or assistant to hold the dog, animal or whatever in position while the ex-ray was taken. The problem then was that it was possible for the assistant to absorb radiation from quite a few ex-rays EVERY WORKING DAY! Obviously this could very soon lead to a massive overdose. With this in mind the RVC issued orders to vets listing a code of conduct to be followed. (If you ever get a chance to go to the Veterinary College have a look at the Equestrian surgery. They use poles some 15ft long to keep the assistants out of the immediate area!)

It appears that now, (And I guess to comply with the code of practise) that they will not accept for scoring, plates taken whilst the dog is being held. I know it happens and I don’t know how they could tell but that’s the rules.

Regards, John

I'm not going to breed from Holly, but I do want to get her hips scored so I can pass the info back to her breeder.

Would having her hips scored under sedation provide accurate plates or would I be better to have my local vet do it under a g.a.?

Thanks,

Fiona
x x x

I would rather have the dog anaestheticed than put under sedation. An anaesthetic can be reversed if needed whereas a dog under sedation can not. At least that is what several vets have told me. I have a member of the eye testing pannel near me who does not use eye drops when checking the dogs eyes he says that the pupils dilate when he hold the head and looks at the eye but have not found any other who will check the eye without drops. Still as he is a member of the pannel one asumes his results are OK and I must say the dogs prefer it. Ja:)kie (who cant spell either)

Hi Jackie, Dr Keith Barnett does the testing with & without the drops depending on where he is doing the testing. In a room with not much light he doesn`t & in bright light he does.
Christine2

Thanks Christine, when I first mentioned it a few people were incredulous and I was worried in case the examination was faulty, it's nice to know that my chap is not the only one. Ja:)kie

Hi Jackie, don`t thank me thank Keith! I knew despite reassurances from vet, something was wrong with my bonnies eyes & when I finally managed to get her examined my worst fears were confirmed. He said "PRA".Straight off no hesitation.And his diagnosis WAS & STILL IS CORRECT regardless of the DNA test done by HEALTHGENE giving her a PRA certificate *CLEAR* WHICH WAS TOTALLY WRONG.
She still has some sight at the mo & can still retrieve her dummy from the pool but this will be her last summer for retrieving .
He will use drops if there is a lot of light & lets face it over here its blue skys & brilliant sunshine everywhere, but in a *darkened* room he uses nothing & Ive seen him do it. Experience is what counts in most things.
Christine2

Sorry to hear about your dog, hopefully there is no pain and I understand dogs cope very well will sight loss. The chap I go to puts them on the table, takes their head in his hand and says a loud HI then looks in the eye, he says the suprise factor seems to work and thats OK by me. But I had always worried in case the job was not being done properly, now I've heard of someone else doing it I feel better. Ja:)kie