In a message dated 12/29/2002 2:38:22 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> I'm wondering what is the reccommended age for hip x-rays. My berner pup > turned 8 months on xmas day! I don't think there's one 'right' answer to that question....much depends on your reason for xraying. For breeding purposes, I like final xrays to be done at 2 years but would probably accept preliminaries at 18 months if they're rated good or excellent. Breeders who re-home hopefuls that don't turn out will often do preliminary xrays at 12 months so they can place them sooner rather than later if they don't clear. Then re-xray at 2 years for final clearance. If the xrays are being done on a companion dog and are primarily for information purposes, I'm a bit more flexible. I don't think films shot at 6 months (common age for neutering) are terribly helpful. That said, the breeder may want information on the litter sooner rather than later. In my stud contract I give a range of 12-26 months for hip, elbow, and eye evaluations in order to accomodate whichever is the breeder's preference for her litter. You'll find statistics on percent of change at different ages on the OFA website, www.offa.org > Also- this is a non-berner related question- my great dane who lives with my > parents, is 8 and showing some discomfort getting up and down. I'd like to > give him chrodoitin and glucosamine, and am having a friend bring it from > the US in a few days, but am unsure about the reccommended daily dosage for > a giant sized dog. I use Cosequin DS. Their dosing for dogs over 100 lbs is 4 per day (2 AM and 2 PM) for the first 4-6 weeks, then 2/day for maintenance. Each Cosequin DS tablet contains (500 mg) glucosamine HCI 99% (400 mg) sodium chondroitin sulfate Plus manganese ascorbate -Sherri Venditti
