Knowing if your dog has an underlying health condition before an emergency situation arises can mean the difference between life and death. Many dogs that carry disease in their genetic makeup go undetected until a minor surgery or other symptoms begin to present themselves
At Woodlawn Veterinary Hospital, we offer testing for a number of chronic diseases:
- Von Willebrand’s Disease
- Hip Dysplasia
- Heart Disease
- Degenerative Myelopathy
Some animals show no signs of disease but are carriers of a genetic problem. If these dogs reproduce, they can pass the disease on to their offspring. For this reason, we strongly recommend testing for disease before breeding your dogs. Please call us to schedule a health screening test today.
OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) Certification:
We can x-ray your dog’s hips for hip dysplasia at 2 years of age. We will forward these radiographs to the OFA, where board-certified radiologists will evaluate and grade your dog’s hips for OFA certification. Correct positioning of your dog is essential for proper radiographic evaluation, so a general anesthetic is required to make the procedure less stressful for him or her.
PennHIP Method:
We can x-ray your dog’s hips using the PennHIP method for evaluating hip dysplasia in dogs, which can be performed much earlier (at 16 weeks of age) than OFA certification. Requiring a general anesthetic, it involves x-raying your dog’s hips in three different positions to measure how loose the joints are and determine the presence or likelihood of osteoarthritis. If you are a breeder, consider using this test to help you select good breeding candidates at a younger age. If your dog competes athletically, consider using this technique to evaluate the future soundness of your dogs or puppies.
Please call us to discuss your dog’s risk of developing hip dysplasia, to schedule a health screening, or to discuss treatment options.