[LH]

Are dogs always x-rayed under anaestesia in the US? Sedation not an alternative?

 

[okvet]

for OFA? I do all my OFAs under light sedation unless the dog is having a another procedure done at the same time that requires a general anesthesia. There are vets that will do OFAs without any anesthesia or sedation.

 

[LH]

for OFA? I do all my OFAs under light sedation unless the dog is having a another procedure done at the same time that requires a general anesthesia. There are vets that will do OFAs without any anesthesia or sedation.

Thanks!

 

[Misty Marsh]

Sedation, as I've been told that it helps for better positioning and does not negatively effect rating's as far as laxity. If you go to the OFA site I think that they have examples of how a rating can go from boderline HD to good through proper positioning.

 

[EdA]

There are vets that will do OFAs without any anesthesia or sedation.

That would be me.

Light sedation when necessary to get a quality radiograph which is rare in most sporting dogs, especially retrievers 8)

 

[Steve Bean]

All of mine have been done without sedation, as have most of my friends' dogs.

 

[Ken Archer]

I have one vet here in San Antonio that I only use for OFA xrays. He uses anesthesia and all I've received from him were Excellents. I'm not about to argue with his methods. On the last one, he shot 4 films until he got the position exactly the way he wanted it.

 

[ErinsEdge]

All of mine have been done without anesthesia or sedation and I have more excellents than goods. It's the expertise of the radiographer that's most important, and in my personal experience, the ones that have been malpositioned have all been those anesthetized. My guarantee requires a second opinion and every time the rating has improved to good or excellent.

 

[John Gassner]

OFA can be done with or without. We choose to go without any sedation. Penn Hip requires the dog being "knocked out".


John

 

[labdoc]

....., the ones that have been malpositioned have all been those anesthetized.

:roll: :roll:

Obviously operator error!!! In general sedation can't have any bearing on malpositioning. I sedate almost all dogs and get good positioning AND good results. It's a never ending controversy. Pick what you want and go with the vet that does it. Doubtful that the debate will ever change anyone's mind.

 

[Misty Marsh]

All I know is trying to get my choco girl on her back and positioned "just so" would be impossible without sedation :roll:

 

[twall]

Disclaimer: I've never x-rayed a dog or any other animal. But, I have x-rayed thousands of humans. I'm impressed when I see well positioned animal x-rays. The radiographer is doing what they are trained to do. With people it is easy to get sloppy. You tell them to do x, y or z and make the exposure. If the patient didn't comply it is usually explained as decreased range of motion due to condition. When you have a deaf or intubated patient then you rely on your skills to produce the ordered image.

Those that regularly produce good/excellent images do not do it by mistake. And, there is always more than one way to skin a cat. But, you can't turn a sow's ear into a silk purse.

Tom

 

[ErinsEdge]

....., the ones that have been malpositioned have all been those anesthetized.

:roll: :roll:

Obviously operator error!!! In general sedation can't have any bearing on malpositioning. I sedate almost all dogs and get good positioning AND good results. It's a never ending controversy. Pick what you want and go with the vet that does it. Doubtful that the debate will ever change anyone's mind.

It's the expertise of the radiographer that's most important, and in my personal experience, the ones that have been malpositioned have all been those anesthetized.

The comment in bold was put there first for a reason and should be quoted in its entirety :roll: :roll: all you want, but yes, those that have to sedate only ARE touchy about the subject. I'm just happy I have a vet that has probably done 40+ OFA's for me and not had to sedate, and I can guarantee I would not believe it could be done on some of my dogs. I have had between 10-15 puppies I did not have to replace because of malpositioning. Makes me very proactive on promoting second opinions from very experienced vets. Expertise, teamwork, and over 30 years experience.

 

[labdoc]

One interesting point I will give to "non-sedaters" is that due to muscle relaxation that occurs with sedation, at least in theory, the joint should be tighter appearing in an unsedated animal. I have never cared enought to evaluate for myself if one can observe this variation in the same animal comparing awake versus sedated, though. Since OFA asks whether sedated or not one would expect the radiologists to compare based on the level of sedation if there is any noticeable effect. From a veterinarian's(and hopefully breeder's) diagnostic standpoint, I would prefer to see the maximum laxity on my films to have a better idea if dysplasia really exists. If one's goal is pass at all costs, you should also be running a radiolucent strap around the hips to force the head deeper into the acetabulum, the exact opposite of what PennHip does. I AM NOT suggesting anyone here would stoop to this unethical step! I guess my point is I would rather have a sedated "good" versus a non-sedated "good" if one could eliminate human error in evaluation. Just food for thought.

 

[ErinsEdge]

I've heard the same theory as to kind of stacking the odds to get a better rating. I haven't done the same dog both ways unless there was a malpositioning and the rating of course improved, but what I do know is now having 5 generations, the excellents begat excellents begat excellents and so on whether anesthesized or not with progeny not owned by me.

 

[Steve Bean]

.......OR MAYBE........without sedation MORE force is required to internally rotate and stabilize the dog and MAYBE this equates to actually more distraction of the hip to overcome the dog's pull.........

 

[labdoc]

Thanks Steve. I will have to remember that for future arguments..errr discussions. I won't mention the whole chinese finger cuff discussion about rotation of the limbs causing less distraction. Truthfully I believe that the effects of all of this is academic and matters little in the rating of hips. It's all in positioning and exposure and isn't all that difficult to do correctly if one is precise and careful in positioning the dog.