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Originally Posted by bjh  This is great information but still confusing to me about the testing. I have been told that you should do a blood panel on your puppies at 12 weeks and if it shows any abnormalities then do a bile acid test.....is this wrong?
When you get the LP's checked on puppies or adults are the vets doing x-ray or just feeling of the knee? |
There are many methods in identifying LS.....Blood tests will identify various initial problems, alerting the Vet to conduct further tests. I know that when I have my pups puppy teeth extracted (usually about 5 months), I always request a blood panel....(holding my breath that abnormalities don't show up)
On puppies false readings can occur on Bile Acids due to a multitude of reasons, but mostly food....Royal Canin food can produce a false reading.
One must remember that pups do have lose knees during their growth period. Initial checking for LP is done manually....experienced vets can identify the grade....but, x-rays can better identify the problem in detail. One must remember LP can be produced by injury (allowing our pets to jump up and down) as well as genetically. LP is a problem that has existed in toy dogs due to their skeletal structure. Breeders are more cognisant of the problem and breeding more selectively to breed LP out. OFA testing is recommended at the age of 2.