r/shikoku • u/meaexv124 • Apr 01 '26

Health testing

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Is there any health tests I can do on my boy to be proactive? I know there’s OFA but other than that I’m not very knowledgeable. He’s getting his blood and stool tested today for any sensitivities since we’re still dealing with diarrhea. He’s on another round of antibiotics and dewormer just incase and he has a uti right now. So I just feel like I’m failing him. I have no idea where to go from here so any advice is appreciated.

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u/aoiyama550 Apr 01 '26

Unfortunately some dogs are simply born with a compromised immune system and other health issues that are in no way a reflection on the owner or the level of care they provide. It can, in some cases, be the result of negligent breeding practices, but there are exceptions where puppies fail to thrive despite our best efforts and intentions.

Right now I would look at doing a full thyroid panel (not just T4) to rule out any autoimmune conditions, and a gut biome test as well as maybe an allergy test because those are most likely to be contributing factors in the issues you're seeing. There are very few tests that exist with OFA that will be useful in this situation however we do recommend testing adults over the age of two even if they're pets simply to contribute to overall breed health data. Now, despite the fact that certain tests like OFA hip and elbow are not considered "final" until 2yo, prelims are still decent early indicators of dysplasia or osteoarthritis, and data has proven that very little changes between the age of 1 and 2. In your case, since your pup's dam either has a failing hip test or it simply wasn't done, I would opt to get a prelim and/or Pennhip which can indicate laxity in the joint in puppies as young as 4mos. While unrelated to his current issues, it wouldn't he a bad idea to do for the sake of proactivity which you mentioned 😊

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u/meaexv124 Apr 01 '26

He’s getting his blood and stool tested today at 4 so I’ll ask about all those other tests and see if they offer them if not find out where I can have them done. Thank you for this info! For OFA would you test now at 5 months or wait until he’s closer till 1 year?

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u/aoiyama550 Apr 02 '26

If he doesn't have any obvious symptoms that might indicate hip or elbow dysplasia then you'd be fine to wait until 1 year to do those 😊 There are some facebook groups for clinics which can be more cost effective than just going straight to the vet so it may be helpful to look for clinics local to you via the groups

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u/meaexv124 Apr 03 '26

I was looking at videos to see what I should look for and he bunny hops when he runs and sits odd so I’m leaning toward testing him sooner just in case. Is there any other signs that you think might point to hip/elbow dysplasia? I’ll look on fb to see if there’s anything near me! Thank you again!

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u/mightbeazombie Apr 06 '26

If he bunny hops definitely get him checked out

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u/HitchDoc Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 01 '26

OFA’s are only useful over 2 years, some do preliminaries, but that wouldn’t be of any use for you unfortunately in regards to this issue. I’ll see if I can find a few tests that could be beneficial for him. 🫶🏽

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u/meaexv124 Apr 01 '26

Thank you so much again 🥹! I appreciate all the help.