# need help understanding clearances, please



## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

I would research the other dogs in the line and see how their hips were rated, as well as the male. I wouldn't want to see a fair bred to another fair, but a fair to a good or excellent wouldn't have me as concerned.


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## Bender (Dec 30, 2008)

Hips are rated by the OFA as being Excellent, Good, Fair, or displastic. In other words her hips aren't displastic, but they aren't as good as they can possibly be. However... if you look at k9data, both parents are good, as well as two siblings, and many of the dogs in the pedigree. One grandparent (Dewmist Davenport) is an excellent as well. 

Hips are a tricky one, clearances HELP, but it also depends on what you do with the puppy. If you take a young puppy/dog jogging, on long hikes, let him jump off of things and up into trucks etc... then you can injure the hips and have problems. Same with diet. You can have parents with excellent hips and still end up with issues, so be sure to be careful with a young, growing dog.

I know a daughter of Dewmist Davenport (Davey) and she is a very sweet girl, I'd take her in a second if I'd get away with it. 

The other thing to look at is who she is being bred to and what the hips are on that pedigree - you can do that on k9data as well. 

Lana


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## Ash (Sep 11, 2007)

I would simply ask if hips are a concern of hers in the line. If the Dam and Sire have their clearances then she has done what she supposed to. Keep in mind two dogs with excellent hips can produce a dysplastic one. These are preventative measures but nothing is certain with breeding.


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## vsh01 (Aug 19, 2009)

Wow - thanks so much for the quick and helpful interpretation of the clearances. Here's the sire's data too.
*Can CH Shaynedoro Tanglewood OO Seven 
JH WC
**“Bond"
*(Import from Canada)

Sire: Can CH Cheek to Cheek Steve MacQueen
Dam: Shaynedoro Life at the Top
DOB: 8-8-04
Breeder: Carole Brechbill
Owner: Joanne Cava
K9data # 162895
Hips: OFA Good GR-90220G24M-PI
Elbows: OFA Normal GR-EL13944M24-PI
Heart Clearance: OFA GR-CA9913/14M/P-PI
Eye Clearance: CERF- GR-32240/2008--54

We are so ready for a puppy and would do ANYTHING on our end to make sure that his life is long and happy, want to try to make sure that we do our research to give him the best chance possible since they become our family's heart!


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## Sucker For Gold (Jan 13, 2009)

vsh01 said:


> We are so ready for a puppy and would do ANYTHING on our end to make sure that his life is long and happy, want to try to make sure that we do our research to give him the best chance possible since they become our family's heart!


As a side note, since you are looking at hips, one of the best things you can do after your new puppy comes home is to put him/her on the slow growth plan.

http://www.jrsgoldenangels.com/slowgrow.html

The purpose of the slowed growth rate is to permit the healthiest possible development of bones and joints.


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## Rhythm (Apr 29, 2009)

On the subject of clearances, what about heart clearances. I believe it is best to get a cardiologist clearance, not a practitioner clearance. Anyone have thoughts on that?

You can tell who cleared the dog by the letters in the OFA clearance.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Yes-you want a cardiologist or board certified clearance, not just a practitioner.


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## Rhythm (Apr 29, 2009)

I agree. I think some times it is misleading for the general public looking for clearances. Any vet can "clear" a dog. It is important to understand how to read all those letters.


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## bfisher99 (Feb 11, 2012)

Rhythm said:


> I agree. I think some times it is misleading for the general public looking for clearances. Any vet can "clear" a dog. It is important to understand how to read all those letters.


Can you give a breakdown on how to interpret the letters of the clearances

Hip clearance:OFA GR-95436G24M-VPIEye clearance:CERF GR-44976/2011Heart clearance:OFA GR-CA16808/33M/C-VPIElbow clearance:OFA GR-EL17816M24-VPI


this is one of the parents of a litter I am considering... but even a general explanation on how to read them so I can interpret other golden's clearances... thanks


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## hvgoldens4 (Nov 25, 2009)

vsh01 said:


> Hello-
> I would appreciate any help in understanding the following info about a tanglewood golden dam. From the wonderful resource here, I understand that Tanglewood Goldens has an impeccable reputation. Is it of concern that the mother's hips are listed in "fair" condition?
> *Tanglewood First N Foremost*
> *"Willow"*
> ...


 
Fair hips are normal hips. Hips are rated as good, fair and excellent when they are normal and mild, moderate and severe when they are dysplastic.

Unless you cannot find parents who have clearances or another issue like that, there is no reason to pass on a litter because one or both parents are rated fair on their hips. The differences between the "normal" ratings for the OFA are very small. 

People tend to get hung up on actual ratings and think that if you breed 2 excellents together, that is the best route. Unfortunately, because hips are polygenetic in nature, things are not that straight forward. I know of many breeders who have bred two excellents together and gotten dysplastic puppies. This did happen to a very well known golden breeder who is now retired-she had 3 dysplastic puppies in a litter between 2 excellent parents. I also know of many cases that two fairs were bred together and they produced good puppies. So, it is more important that the clearances are done and are "normal" rather than what the actual rating is.

Good luck!


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## hvgoldens4 (Nov 25, 2009)

bfisher99 said:


> Can you give a breakdown on how to interpret the letters of the clearances
> 
> Hip clearance:OFA GR-95436G24M-VPIEye clearance:CERF GR-44976/2011Heart clearance:OFA GR-CA16808/33M/C-VPIElbow clearance:OFA GR-EL17816M24-VPI
> 
> ...


 
I am going to try to take answer of a couple questions in one post so a little patience.  

A heart clearnance should be done by a cardiologist. It can also be done by a specialist(better than a GP) or a regular vet(not good at all). The GRCA's COE says they must be done by a cardiologist to adhere to the COE. Yes, you can tell by the rating who did the heart clearance. There will be a "C" in the rating-at the end before permanant ID info if a caridologist did the heart clearance. There will be an "S" for specialist-and you will find some older heart clearances that were done by specialist as this was changed by the GRCA around the year 2000. A "P" will be there for a practioner, which is a general vet.

I like to explain it to people like this....would you want your family doctor to be doing open heart surgery for you or would you want a referral to a cardioligist to be checked?? Unfortunately, some murmurs can be hard to detect and unless the vet has had the training in detecting these murmurs, soft murmurs can and do get passed by a practioner vet. There are also other kinds of murmurs that are totally innocent and a caridologist will have the equipment(an echocardiogram) to check to make sure that this is not a problem. 

If a breeder then breeds two affected dogs(with soft murmurs that the GP vet didn't pick up on or worse yet, there is no clearance) the families who have those puppies and the dogs themselves are the ones who pay the price. Sub-aortic stenosis, which is the main heart problem that afflicts goldens can be a killer. It can be present in milder forms and the dog can live a normal, healthy life where it will pass in old age of other causes other than SAS but these animals should never be a part of a breeding program. However, I have also gotten far too many phone calls over the years from families who got a dog from the paper, or a BYB who let their dog out in the back yard and when they called the dog back in, the dog was dead. Of course, this is utterly heartbreaking for them because these dogs are usually 3-6 years old when this happens and it can be prevented by the breeders doing the proper heart clearances. 

OK now onto the explaination of the clearances......

Hip clearance:OFA GR-95436G24M-VPI
GR= Golden Retriever 
95436= means that tha dog was the 95,436 to have their hips examined and passed by the OFA 
G= means the rating is GOOD (E for excellent and F for fair)
24= means that the dog was 24 months old when the xrays were done
M= means the dog is a male
VPI= means that the dogs permanent identification(tattoo or chip) has been verified and this dog is who the person presenting it says it is. 

Eye clearance:CERF GR-44976/2011
GR= golden retriever
44976= the 44,976 to have passing eyes in goldens
2011= was the year that the clearance was done


Heart clearance:OFA GR-CA16808/33M/C-VPI
GR= golden retriever
CA= Cardiac clearance
16808= 16,808 golden to have their heart cleared and submitted to the OFA
33=the dog was 33 mos old when the clearance was done
M= the dog is male
C= the clearance was done by a cardiologist(S=specialist and P=practioner)
VPI=the permanent ID on this dog has been verified


Elbow clearance:OFA GR-EL17816M24-VPI
GR= golden retriever
EL=elbow clearance
17816= 17,816 dog to have their elbows submitted and found normal by the OFA
M=dog is male
24=clearance was done at 24 mos old
VPI=permanent ID has been verified

So, there you have all 4 clearances on the dog in question. A dog will only get a CERF number or an OFA number when they PASS the clearance. Dogs who do not pass the clearances will not reecieve a number.

Phew!


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## annef (Feb 23, 2008)

I can help further back on Cheek to Cheek Steve Macqueen. His dam is Roxelana had B hips in France and lived until she was nearly 15. In her litter the youngest one died at 10 and she was the oldest, at least 2 made 14. Roxelana's Mother had a BVA hip score of 21 (1 above breed average at that time) and her sire was also 21. Her dam was 7 and think her sire was about 16 but haven't the paperwork in front of me to tell me. Roxelan's dam was also heart tested by a cardiologist. I personally know these dogs 7 generations behind Roxelana and have line bred very closely on one litter to them with no problems I hope that helps Annef


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## sterregold (Dec 9, 2009)

annef said:


> I can help further back on Cheek to Cheek Steve Macqueen. His dam is Roxelana had B hips in France and lived until she was nearly 15. In her litter the youngest one died at 10 and she was the oldest, at least 2 made 14. Roxelana's Mother had a BVA hip score of 21 (1 above breed average at that time) and her sire was also 21. Her dam was 7 and think her sire was about 16 but haven't the paperwork in front of me to tell me. Roxelan's dam was also heart tested by a cardiologist. I personally know these dogs 7 generations behind Roxelana and have line bred very closely on one litter to them with no problems I hope that helps Annef


This history is why Carole imported Nevada to Canada! He won the GRCC National Specialty in 2007. I had a litter sired by him in 2008--absolutely lovely temperments.


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## goldenlover17 (Jan 25, 2012)

I have a question on the OFA #, it was mentioned that they only get that if they get cleared. If a breeder provides a cardiologist letter stating that the dog is cleared (although has murmur), but the dog doesn't have an OFA clearance number, would that be of concern? I've emailed the breeder asking why the dog doesn't have an OFA number if she was cleared, but just curious if it's something to be concerned about. I've been assuming that the cardiologist letter is all that I really need...thanks!


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## bfisher99 (Feb 11, 2012)

hvgoldens4 said:


> I am going to try to take answer of a couple questions in one post so a little patience.
> 
> A heart clearnance should be done by a cardiologist. It can also be done by a specialist(better than a GP) or a regular vet(not good at all). The GRCA's COE says they must be done by a cardiologist to adhere to the COE. Yes, you can tell by the rating who did the heart clearance. There will be a "C" in the rating-at the end before permanant ID info if a caridologist did the heart clearance. There will be an "S" for specialist-and you will find some older heart clearances that were done by specialist as this was changed by the GRCA around the year 2000. A "P" will be there for a practioner, which is a general vet.
> 
> ...


Thank you sooo much for that great explanation... I am an RN so I totally agree with the mandatory Cardiologist clearance...in comparison to a regular vet clearance etc...


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## annef (Feb 23, 2008)

I hope they haven't all inherited the thieving gene!! Food is never safe with that breeding around. Annef


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## hvgoldens4 (Nov 25, 2009)

goldenlover17 said:


> I have a question on the OFA #, it was mentioned that they only get that if they get cleared. If a breeder provides a cardiologist letter stating that the dog is cleared (although has murmur), but the dog doesn't have an OFA clearance number, would that be of concern? I've emailed the breeder asking why the dog doesn't have an OFA number if she was cleared, but just curious if it's something to be concerned about. I've been assuming that the cardiologist letter is all that I really need...thanks!


 
If a breeder has a letter from a cardiologist stating that the dog does not have SAS or is cleared for breeding, that is acceptable.

As to the question as to why the dog doesn't have an OFA number if it is clear....the breeder must submit the form with the proper fee to the OFA for the dog to be given an OFA number for a heart clearance.

There are paper forms that are printed off from the OFA site that are taken to the examination for the dog. The cardiologist will fill out that paper. That paper is then sent in to the OFA with the proper fee and the OFA then issue's the dog a number(if the results are normal) and records the information in the database.

It is a similar situation with CERF. When a dog is taken for an eye exam, there is a special bubble form that must be used. The optho records the results of the exam on the bubble form. That form is then sent to CERF with the appropriate fee. The dog is given a number, if the results are normal and the information is recorded in the database. The information is sent to the OFA for recording about once a month so there can be a lag between the two. 

This is a little different than with hips and elbows as the xrays are sent directly to the OFA to be evaluated and after they are evaluated, the dog is passed or failed, if passed, they are given a number and information is recorded.


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## golden_eclipse (Apr 1, 2011)

The GRCA added to their COE this year, that the heart and eyes should be included in an online data-base. Although that occurred in May-2011, and breeders have a long history of keeping reports in hand (hard copy version), so it will take a while for the switch to be made.


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## AK01 (Oct 14, 2016)

hvgoldens4 said:


> I am going to try to take answer of a couple questions in one post so a little patience.
> 
> A heart clearnance should be done by a cardiologist. It can also be done by a specialist(better than a GP) or a regular vet(not good at all). The GRCA's COE says they must be done by a cardiologist to adhere to the COE. Yes, you can tell by the rating who did the heart clearance. There will be a "C" in the rating-at the end before permanant ID info if a caridologist did the heart clearance. There will be an "S" for specialist-and you will find some older heart clearances that were done by specialist as this was changed by the GRCA around the year 2000. A "P" will be there for a practioner, which is a general vet.
> 
> ...


I know its 2016, but I wanted to thank you for this post. Definitely has helped me learning how to read the clearances. Hope it can help anyone else out there.

Cheers!


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## bethlehemgolden (Aug 2, 2014)

Here is what I did to help myself understand them.


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## cindyo (Nov 1, 2017)

And now it is 2017 almost 2018, and I too want to thank you for this post. I have searched the web for information on how to read and this is the most concise info I have found in learning how to read the clearances. The only question I still have is how often do the tests need to be done. The following is what I think I have found:

For Hips and Elbows, the tests are done at 24 months or later but only need to be done once to determine if clear. Correct?
For Eyes the test should be done every 12 months so if the date is older than 12 months it is a flag. Correct?
For Heart test done over the age of 12 months but I still don't know if once is sufficient or should tests be submitted more than once?

Thanks and have a great day!


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## ArchersMom (May 22, 2013)

cindyo said:


> And now it is 2017 almost 2018, and I too want to thank you for this post. I have searched the web for information on how to read and this is the most concise info I have found in learning how to read the clearances. The only question I still have is how often do the tests need to be done. The following is what I think I have found:
> 
> For Hips and Elbows, the tests are done at 24 months or later but only need to be done once to determine if clear. Correct?
> For Eyes the test should be done every 12 months so if the date is older than 12 months it is a flag. Correct?
> ...



You're correct. Hips and elbows done once after 24 months, heart once after 12 months, eyes should be done every 12 months to check for changes.


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## LJack (Aug 10, 2012)

These might help.


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