OFA Hip Results and Why They Matter
Added 2025-09-15 12:00:07 +0000 UTCDenver's preliminary OFA Hip results came in and he passed with a rating of "Good" which is great news. You can find out more about the OFA rating scale and what each rating means here.
What does this mean for Denver and I?
1) I'll be able to pursue training guide work and leading tasks to show you the process and for my own disability use. I will likely begin some foundational training late spring or summer of 2026 if I feel he's ready.
2) one tiny step closer to the potential of being able to breed him in the very distant future if I choose to do so. (see video for more on all the things that would need to fall into place before that is even a consideration).
Here's the link to the OFA website where you can look up the requirements for CHIC number by breed: https://ofa.org/chic-programs/browse-by-breed/?breed=LR
Happy Training Ya'll!
Comments
Hey Anna! I believe I talk about barking in September's Q&A so I would definitely check it out. I would listen specifically for management strategies based on what you mentioned here. Hopefully there's a couple good ideas you can use!
Laura DeMaio Roy
2025-09-22 16:37:44 +0000 UTCI'm so sorry Ruth <3 But also better to find out now to try and figure out what's best for him going forward and how you can support him! Hoping for better news in upcoming checks!
Laura DeMaio Roy
2025-09-22 16:29:13 +0000 UTCI was so glad to see your good news! Two weeks ago we took our 16-month-old service dog in training in for a precautionary hip check to make sure he was developing well. The results were not so positive...one healthy hip and the other moderately underdeveloped. We didn't get a whole lot of clarity from our vet about what that meant, and we don't observe signs of pain, but his gate is a bit narrow sometimes. We're evaluating our next steps to decide whether it is ethical to continue training him for service.
Ruth McDonough
2025-09-20 17:45:55 +0000 UTCThat’s great news - kiwi will be doing hips, elbows etc along with genetic testing as it’s not expensive and I want to know out of curiosity. I do have a question my pet dog Kakashi (pom) is 12 he’s taken a decline in health and I have to reduce his barking when cars drive by or people walk past my house for his health as he has DCM and collapsed trachea he’s never been food motivated or easy to train I also have to train him to tolerate a puffer Any ideas from anyone is greatly appreciated. Also he is on a zero exercise tolerance until the end of the month
Anna O'Hare
2025-09-18 01:14:35 +0000 UTCYes! I’ve had Denver embarked as well, and will have everything else done at 2 years so they’ll be official :) I think the more you know about the health of the dog, the better!
Laura DeMaio Roy
2025-09-16 01:27:16 +0000 UTCI have heard CHIC pronounced "chick" like a baby bird, for the most part. 😄 When my guy turned 2 I had his hips, patellas, elbows, cardiac function, thyroid, and eyes all evaluated, and also ran his DNA through Embark for something like 200 genetic test results. The peace of mind is so worth it, even if I never end up breeding him. ❤️ I also really enjoy being nosy on the OFA website-- you can plug in you dog's (or your dog's parent's) registered name or registration number (or CHIC number!) and see their relatives and THEIR test results. 😉
Milissa
2025-09-16 01:24:41 +0000 UTCSo "fair" as a rating is also passing. It would just be more of a consideration when breeding (ideally breeding fair to a good or excellent). But regarding a dog with dysplastic hips doing canicross or bike-joring? I personally wouldn't but that would be something I would be discussing with a specialist in that area (not your typical general practice vet). It also probably matters the severity of the HD, as that could limit activities outside of pulling sports.
Laura DeMaio Roy
2025-09-15 18:02:28 +0000 UTCWonderful! Thank you for sharing this process as Denver grows and matures!
Cathy
2025-09-15 17:56:47 +0000 UTCThanks for sharing how this is done. Look forward to all the other wonderful things you are able to share as you keep training Denver. Good BOY!
Debra Wilbourne
2025-09-15 14:18:29 +0000 UTCFabulous news❤️! Question (that I would also ofc discuss with my vet if the situation ever came up) if a dog comes back with something worse than excellent/good and isn’t suitable for guiding work due to that, does canicross and similar sports count into the same category of things that shouldn’t be done with that dog? New to dogsports (and dogs) but it feels like the obvious answer would be yes, can’t do any sort of pulling at all🧐
Sissel von Schoultz
2025-09-15 13:31:32 +0000 UTCGreat news!
Kate Farrell
2025-09-15 13:29:36 +0000 UTCThat's amazing! Congratulations! I love how he is growing up, a perfect mix of traits! <3
Alexo Gritsipis
2025-09-15 13:12:30 +0000 UTCYay for Denver!
Kya
2025-09-15 13:05:45 +0000 UTCExcellent!!
Marka Danielle Rodgers
2025-09-15 12:07:59 +0000 UTC
