It is very important for Australian Labradoodle breeders to test their breeding dogs for hip dysplasia. Both the Poodle and Labrador Retriever are breeds which have trouble with hips and elbows. Some breeders test for only one or the other, but theses tests do not test for the same things.
At Ashford Manor we test for both of these things. Because they test for different things, it is good to check both. As a responsible breeder of the Australian Labradoodle it is my job to make sure that all of my breeding dogs are qualified in the wide variety of areas for breeding. There is definitely a place for both of these tests and we will continue to do both. The Penn Hip can be performed as early as 16 weeks of age, while the OFA can be done at this age it is only a preliminary and it is highly recommended to retest at 2 years of age.
Penn Hip checks the elasticity of the hips by radiographs and a computer, while OFA checks by radiographs, radiologists, and a 7 point system. Penn Hip uses a scale to rate each dog, OFA is trying to change their program so that it is more consistent. Currently what they do is take all the dogs films which had come in and compare them and some breeds have very tight hips while others are loose. This can gives a false view of the different breeds.
Unfortunately, the same results can be turned in and have different scores each time. Also, if a dog is tested at different times the results can be different because of the placement of the hips. Wow, if this isn’t enough to make your head spin!
For more great information about OFA versus Penn Hip Testing check out this website.
For a link to the OFA website, Click Here
For a link to learn more about Penn Hip
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