On Wed, 11 Jun 2003 08:51:00 -0700 (PDT) Rita <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Our baby girl, Jewel just turned two on June 1 and she's scheduled > tomorrow for OFA xrays. I understand her breeder wants to evaluate > her breeding decisions and I support the open sharing of knowledge. > > But as a pet owner, what does this information mean to me? In the > absence of symptoms, what guidelines should I use to determine how > to > limit (or increase) her activities based on the OFA ratings? Should > I > use these ratings to decide the necessity of supplimenting her diet > with glucosamine?
Rita and Tim having your pet pup xrayed for OFA tells you much. If Jewel were to not be clear and asymptomatic you would know that keeping her weight down and encouraging moderate routine exercise should help to lengthen her quality of life. Yes a glucosamine/chondroitin sulfate supplement is not a bad idea either. While nothing may absolutely eliminate arthrosis doing what you can to minimize it is always a good idea. Of course each dog will progress in an individual manner so to say what is moderate exercise is based upon the individual dog's comfort zone. I have seen pet owners who have not xrayed their dogs and it isn't until the dog is older and quite arthritic that they discover the problem. Many times comfort could have been maintained had they been able to take earlier precautions. Susan Ablon Gweebarra BMD Balch Springs, Tx http://www.pageweb.com/gwebara
