I've finally done it, the build up has been so scary but today Beti has been for her health tests. The vet team were fantastic and though Malan denied it, I think they had a pact to help me through the day. I was able to take Beti in and stay with her until she was out for the count. Malan and Rhys did the X-rays whilst Beth stayed chatting with me in the corridor. I was even offered tea and toast! I can't thank them enough for helping me through the day. Beti was just fab, kissing Beth as she drifted off for a quick sleep.
To my untrained eye her hips look really good. I'll be disappointed if it's not single figures. Sadly as discussed in this blog in 2023/24 there is an abnormality on her right elbow. The severity is way beyond my understanding. I can see/understand a good elbow and a horrendous one equally, but something in between is over my head. I can see a small crack, to me, I think a mild UAP, but I'm really not sure and have no idea what it will score.
Elbows score differently to hips. Mild is 1, severe is 3. Breeding from a 1 is acceptable, but from 3 is really unacceptable. I'm not sure on 2, I guess we have to look at the over all picture. If both elbows score 1 then the overall score is 1, if one elbow is 2 and the other is 3 then the total score is 3. The overall score is the score of the highest elbow, unlike hips were 2 and 3 make 5. I've been so lucky to date, I've never had anything but 0 elbows in my breeding line, that's why I have no idea if this elbow will score 1 or 3 or something in between.
So what for the future? Well from a showing point of view, worse case scenario a score of 2 or 3 will mean no breed survey, no regionals, best case scenario a score of 1 and life goes on as it is. At the end of the day, Beti being well and unaffected by what we see is paramount, after all she's not been lame for a year so here's hoping things continue that way. What ever the result, life at home will carry on as normal, I'll carry on showing her, walking her and loving her, just no regionals and no litter, disappointing but not the end of the world.
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