# PennHIP results are in, and I couldn't be happier!



## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
Mousse ranks in the top 90th percentile for his breed. This is awesome news, I am so happy about that. What I like about PennHIP over OFA is they do require turning in poor results, so percentiles are actually accurate, whereas OFA does not require reporting the results, and many breeders who get poor results, will not report it. 
I love my Mousse.


----------



## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

Congrats! That is wonderful!

Conversely, on the OFA vs PennHip argument, many owners do not know how to interpret PennHip readings. SO, a crappy breeder can use PennHip to throw off the average buyer. IE - A very lax score of say, .50 PennHip, means nothing to the average buyer while OFA grades are a little bit easier to comprehend. All of that aside, Mousse has wonderful results and I think that PennHip is a wonderful tool in the hands of a great breeder. Major congrats for being in the 90th percentile of his breed!

All in all, I think that OFA and PennHip both have their strengths and weaknesses and, honestly, cannot be compared as they are very different measures. I will likely never do PennHip on Tiger as I have been advised that the vets in my area are extremely inexperienced in the procedure and that OFA would be much safer. Most poodle breeders use OFA and I very rarely see PennHip done, so it is not something that will be an issue. I would consider it if I were to find an experienced vet.


----------



## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

BrownieM said:


> Congrats! That is wonderful!
> 
> Conversely, on the OFA vs PennHip argument, many owners do not know how to interpret PennHip readings. SO, a crappy breeder can use PennHip to throw off the average buyer. IE - A very lax score of say, .50 PennHip, means nothing to the average buyer while OFA grades are a little bit easier to comprehend. All of that aside, Mousse has wonderful results and I think that PennHip is a wonderful tool in the hands of a great breeder. Major congrats for being in the 90th percentile of his breed!
> 
> All in all, I think that OFA and PennHip both have their strengths and weaknesses and, honestly, cannot be compared as they are very different measures. I will likely never do PennHip on Tiger as I have been advised that the vets in my area are extremely inexperienced in the procedure and that OFA would be much safer. Most poodle breeders use OFA and I very rarely see PennHip done, so it is not something that will be an issue. I would consider it if I were to find an experienced vet.


Thank you!! 
Yes, the OFA vs. PennHIP debate is one that I think requires a lot of reading and asking questions before you can really decide. I may or may not still do OFA on top of PennHIP, but haven't decided if it is worth it yet. I was for sure going to if his results were borderline, but I feel pretty confident in where he stands.
I think the main point that made me go with PennHIP over OFA is that OFA is entirely someone's opinion looking at the x ray.Granted that is an educated opinion, but there is still room for error. I did a lot of talking with my vet (who breeds English Bull Terriers) about the pros and cons of each route, and I think my deciding factor was a study on OFA done, taking images of 100 dogs, and getting scores. Then, sending in the same exact images of the same dogs (exact copies, not later x rays) in 6 months later, and only a small portion of them got the same rating the second time around. I can ask for details on this study if anyone is interested, as it was only discussed in my appointment when I asked him (my vet) why he would opt for PennHIP over OFA. It was one of the few deciding factors for me, but I certainly don't "look down" on anyone who does OFA instead. It is a well-respected screening and a great tool for breeders. I really like my vet, and I enjoy our conversations on health testing and selecting pairs and whatnot. He's a very well respected vet both locally and on a larger scale, I'm really lucky to have such a great resource locally who is very experienced in pretty much ALL things breeding. For anyone considering PennHIP, I'd recommend finding an experienced, educated vet and not just any certified vet you can find. 

I agree on the ease of understanding of results. The Poor-Fair-Good-Excellent type "results" are a lot easier for puppy buyers to interpret and understand. I expect to have to explain a lot to potential homes not only why I opted for PennHIP, but what it means, and how I use the results. I like that is seems to be more mathematical than someone's opinion, but I do with they could also integrate a "dumbed down" score as well that would be easier for your average "I just want a healthy, sound puppy" buyer out there. Especially with PennHIP not being as common as OFA, and that it is just growing in popularity recently, I would think it would be to everyone's advantage. 


Oh Boy, I'm rambling again, aren't I? LOL


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

yay......that is awesome news.....


----------



## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Congrats! That's awesome news!!


----------



## Scarlett_O' (May 19, 2011)

YAY!!!!:biggrin:

AWESOME, this is WONDERFUL news!:happy:


----------



## danecolor (Nov 22, 2010)

how wonderful, i am so excited for you and Mousse! :biggrin:


----------



## Janet At Nutro (Mar 11, 2011)

Yay for Mousse!


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I'm so excited that Mousse has really fantastic hips! YAY :wink:

Now I just need to get Zuri in for health testing. She had preliminary hips done about a month ago and all looked good! Just need to find a Pennhip certified vet in the area...Or come to Orem for a quick trip :thumb:


----------



## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Are you guys still going to breed your danes? Are all your females intact, Natalie?


----------



## DoglovingSenior (Jun 26, 2011)

YEA for Moussie! Great scores! It is such a good feeling to get those great results back. I have only done OFA but if there were more dogs in my future,, I would probably use PennHip.


----------



## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

Yay for good scores!!!

I actually would even like to do the rescue girls, just because they work and are very active. Its just not in the budget right now. Probably OFA, but I think both can be useful. With an experienced vet of course!


----------



## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

Thank you thank you thank you for all he congrats and encouragement!! It's nice to share my excitement with people that "get it." My mom's reaction yesterday: "You payed $400 for a piece of paper?" DOH! 



Caty M said:


> Are you guys still going to breed your danes? Are all your females intact, Natalie?


That question is of course pending quite a few things. 
First, they all need acceptable results for OFA heart and thyroid, as well as PennHIP. 
Then, they need to develop into what a Dane should act and look like. While health and temperament are the most important aspects to us, conformation is STRONGLY regarded and also a very important element as well. 
All of my danes are in tact at the moment, not all of Natalie's are. Freya and Zuri are the only ones with all their parts over there.


----------

