# cost of hip certification.......



## tracey schneider (May 7, 2008)

what are others paying? For sedation xrays and the send in?
We just called our vet and it has doubled in the last two years.....now the going rate is 215-260...[-( ......is that in the right range?

t

ps I LOVE these smilies =D> ...........still cant get the hand clapping to work though


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## Jerry Lyda (Apr 4, 2006)

I had one done a last year and it was $135.00 and he sent it to the OFA.


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## Chris Wild (Jan 30, 2008)

Seems to vary widely not just from location to location, but vet to vet.
At our vet we pay about $150 for hips and elbows (not including OFA fees).
A couple other vets in the area charge $300-$400 for the same thing... and they aren't nearly as good at getting proper positioning on x-rays or interpreting what the x-rays show, or knowledgeable about dysplasia in general, compared to our $150 guy.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

It depends on several factors, especially if they do pre-anesthesia blood work. Especially if a dog is on a raw/homeprepared diet, I'd get a full blood panel every year so you can tweak it if necessary. Plus you can catch a ton of stuff (diabetes, renal failure, infections, allergies) with a full blood panel for future investigation.

What it also boils down to is not just cost, but their skill in doing it correctly. That's hard to put a price on.


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## tracey schneider (May 7, 2008)

yes i agree in the skill department but this is just a country vet and im guess he doesnt get many requests for it........could be wrong lol.

here is a question...........how do you go about finding a good vet for xrays..........what questions to ask etc. as we will obviously be looking into other vets for our ofas now.

t


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

hopefully your country vet can refer you to another one w/expertise in x-raying hips; that's what my country vet did when Brix needed x-rays.

other than that, well, i have no other helpful information. i'm sure a lot of other ppl here will be more helpful.


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

I didn't use any sedation when I had Jak's x-rays done. It cost $180 for the three films (hips & elbows) and sending it in to OFA. I also got the original films mailed back to me from OFA.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

$200.00 hips and elbows, no sedation, great positioning, they sent to OFA (came back good hips/normal elbows)


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## tracey schneider (May 7, 2008)

Did some calling around. Actually our reproductive "specialist" vet is pretty resonable. 125 for everything plus another 40 for sedation......... 

This vet said she prefers no sedation but that has me concerned......if its even possible lol. How are the xrays coming out without it?

t


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## Chris Wild (Jan 30, 2008)

IMO, better to go with no sedation if you can. Avoid unnecessary drugs for the dog, and also sedating the dog causes more laxity in the joints than would be there when awake. But ultimately it's up to the dog. A lot of dogs aren't going to lie quietly on their backs on a steel table while being manhandled by some strangers and having their legs pulled to and fro. So sedation may be needed to ensure the dog cooperates and that positioning on the x-rays is correct. Improper positioning is a huge problem when it comes to x-rays, so you do what you have to in order to make sure you get good films. Without good positioning you're wasting your money and, worse yet, it can make good hips look bad.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

I've always gone to vets who xray without anesthesia, but this is also sort of their specialty. The positioning has always been great and they are able to get it done, even on very difficult dogs. I forgot to say the $200. also included the xray copies for the SV.


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## Kristen Cabe (Mar 27, 2006)

tracey delin said:


> This vet said she prefers no sedation but that has me concerned......if its even possible lol. How are the xrays coming out without it?


Jak's came out OFA good for hips, and normal elbows. You'll have to excuse the poor quality of the pics; I had to hold them up to a sheet over the window to take the pics. :lol:


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## tracey schneider (May 7, 2008)

susan tuck said:


> The positioning has always been great and they are able to get it done, even on very difficult dogs.


 
VERY INTERESTING..........THANKS!!!

t


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## Trish Campbell (Nov 28, 2006)

Always worth the price if it's a vet who is skilled at doing OFA"s-that to me is the most important factor for selecting someone to x-ray the dog...I paid $150 for hips/elbows, no sedation, in and out in less than 10 minutes. This vet worked for OFA. Everyone in and around my area goes to him, breeders, working dog people....He shoots the films, pulls them up on the computer and you look at them right in the exam room. He and his vet tech are so efficient..plus he tells you what he feels you'll get from OFA and he tends to very accurate


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

The reason I prefer no anesthesia or sedation is I have heard a lot of people say exactly what Chris said about sedation possibly causing more joint laxity.


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## tracey schneider (May 7, 2008)

yes i would prefer no sedation but more for health reasons, its always a scary thing to me esp. knowing someone who lost a dog for a simple sedation.

With that said, I am also curious how a working dog handles someone tossing it on its back and manhandling it. Are you guys present in the room as this is going on? I really dont want ANYONE taking one of my working dogs and FORCING it to submit............that bothers me.

I think I would prefer a mild sedation to either no or full.

t


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## Mike Scheiber (Feb 17, 2008)

I'm heading out the door for a 2:30 Xray I'll give price and details when I get back


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

Hey, if the dog is healthy it might be it's only sedation - I've had two myself and I'm still alive and kicking. I think the fact that the dog has to be sedated, is overrated. More important is to know how the dog stands healthwise - what sort of dog sport??? Those who don't have their dogs checked out and still do dog sports involving schutzdienst and jumps are in my mind cruel.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Working dogs usually handle it just fine. You have to remember the dog is muzzled, ususally the vets have a couple very strong assistants, and it's all done very quickly. Some vets allow the owner in the room some don't. Actually, many dogs are much better behaved without their owners present.


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## Mike Scheiber (Feb 17, 2008)

Mike Scheiber said:


> I'm heading out the door for a 2:30 Xray I'll give price and details when I get back


$242.00 hip and elbow Xray vet fee $40.00 to OFA $282.00 +tax
Former OFA vet hips are mid to high good said they will be rated good, elbows normal. 
No surprise I did prelims


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## Trish Campbell (Nov 28, 2006)

Mike Scheiber said:


> $242.00 hip and elbow Xray vet fee $40.00 to OFA $282.00 +tax
> Former OFA vet hips are mid to high good said they will be rated good, elbows normal.
> No surprise I did prelims


Cool! 

I like no sedation myself- I also think it may cause some laxity also...I'm in the room holding the dog-mine are working dogs and have been ok.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

susan tuck said:


> The reason I prefer no anesthesia or sedation is I have heard a lot of people say exactly what Chris said about sedation possibly causing more joint laxity.


Would there be a lot of difference between, say, valium-type sedation and general anesthesia (for this point only, I mean)?


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## Mike Scheiber (Feb 17, 2008)

Trish Campbell said:


> Cool!
> 
> I like no sedation myself- I also think it may cause some laxity also...I'm in the room holding the dog-mine are working dogs and have been ok.


The vet gave him a little blast of some Jesus juice just a little something to relax;-)
Oh nice avatar by the way


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## Trish Campbell (Nov 28, 2006)

Mike Scheiber said:


> The vet gave him a little blast of some Jesus juice just a little something to relax;-)
> Oh nice avatar by the way


You like that? 

Connie, I know my vet will give some dogs a mild sedative if they have that much of problem being put on their backs.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

susan tuck said:


> Working dogs usually handle it just fine. You have to remember the dog is muzzled, ususally the vets have a couple very strong assistants, and it's all done very quickly. Some vets allow the owner in the room some don't. Actually, many dogs are much better behaved without their owners present.


My certified therapy dog tried to attack one of the techs who was restraining her head for a blood draw for a heart worm test when I wasn't there. Ruh roh...then again, with her history of FCE, I bet something hurt her big time.

Re: the laxity with sedation. I'm not sure why it would as you're looking at how the head of the femur interacts with the acetabular surface and I would suspect (keeping in mind I'm not an anatomy superstar!) that the muscles relaxing wouldn't have a huge effect. However, I will be sure to ask that when I have radiology in a couple blocks!


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

I have also heard sedation can cause more laxity, xraying a female to soon after a heat cycle can also. OFA is supposed to take any sedation into account when looking at the xrays. That's why there is a section on the form the vet fills out regarding if sedation was used, and what type. I'd still prefer to do them without sedation though, if it has any effect on the final results. I've been using my main vet for xrays though and the dogs need to be knocked out. They have a hard enough time just getting xrays that are good enough to send to OFA with the dog out, I'd hate to see what happened if the dog was awake. Maybe that's why I've been seeing a lot of "fair" lately LOL I love my vet, but he freely admits he's more of a pet vet then a breeder vet, and doesn't do a lot of OFA xrays. It took 4 sets of xrays with Kira before they got one positioned close enough to correct to send to OFA.


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

Forgot to answer the cost question, I think last time I had xrays done it was around 280, I'll have to double check. I have some more dogs that need to be xrayed so I'm sure I'll have more accurate figures soon.


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## Daniel Cox (Apr 17, 2006)

It cost me just over $150 for hips and elbow x-rays here in KY and then $70 to submit them to USA to send to the SV, I also believe there will be another fee for the elbows once they get to Germany. I had to supply them with my credit card number. So the grand total for everything will be $260-270. 

I am still waiting for the results from the SV. I should have the results in the next month.


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## Lynsey Fuegner (Apr 11, 2007)

I went today for a preliminary hip and elbow x-ray...I went to a vet (not my regular) who came highly recommended for hips and elbow x-rays. Though I wasn't happy with the vet's "bedside manner" for lack of a better word (it's a long story in itself) the price for hips, elbows and a Valium type sedative was $112. The OFA fee is $35 on top of that.


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## Jamielee Nelson (Apr 24, 2008)

Connie Sutherland said:


> Would there be a lot of difference between, say, valium-type sedation and general anesthesia (for this point only, I mean)?


My male stresses like none other when we take him near a hopsital. So the only way I can get a calm and workable dog is to give him 25mg of Ace. It works within 30 minutes and lasts 1/2 the day. 
He just walks around like he's drunk and doesn't give them vet too hard of a time. 
I always go for the ace rather then the total sedation if I can.

(To get a bottle of Ace about 30 25mg is like 20.00 and well worth it to keep it in stock IMO. Specially since 4th of July is coming up!)


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