Hip! Hip! Hooray!

We got great news in the mail yesterday from OFA, which stands for Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. Katie and Louie recently had their hips and elbows x-rayed and their patellas checked by a vet. The results were submitted to OFA where they were reviewed by three certified radiologists. The results were the same for both Newfs: elbows and patellas normal, hips GOOD!

After a dog turns two it's a good idea to get these checks done especially if the dog will be involved in weight bearing activities such as drafting like Katie and Louie are. We always thought Katie and Louie moved well and looked healthy, but it feels really good to have medical confirmation of this.

Nature and nurture both play a big role in breeding and raising healthy dogs. As always, we are extremely grateful to Katie and Louie's breeders, Bill and Bonnie Bennett, for their dedication to improving the Newfoundland breed. They provided the "nature" part of the equation by carefully screening their Newfs before breeding them. They also provided the "nurture" side of the equation for the critical first 10 weeks of the pups' lives. After that it was up to us to make sure we kept the rapidly growing puppies on non-slip surfaces to reduce the possibility of joint injury. We also made sure to limit the length of our walks, minimize their use of the stairs, prevent the pups from jumping out of the car or off the grooming table and feed the suppliments recommended by Bonnie & Bill. The group effort paid off! We feel so fortunate to have two healthy and extremely sweet Newfs in our family.

Katie takes a "nap" while she gets her x-rays.