Vets and Hips.

[PucciNPoni]

I treat my local vets as GPs and go to a specialist vet at the first sign of a more complicated problem. It doesn't mean that my local vets are useless, just that it's difficult to know everything there is to know in such a wide field.

Exactlly !

It's not only difficult, but I should daresay impossible. Especially when you consider that your average small animal practice will see not just dogs and cats, but rabbits, ferrets, gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, birds and lord knows what else. They all have different requirements. Then you have all manner of routine and not so routine ailments to diagnose and treat.

 

[MurphysMinder]

Spook, I don't quite understand your post. HD has not become common place, responsible breeders have been x raying for it since the 1960s (possibly even earlier, I just know of dogs done in the 60s) . People who aren't particularly involved in dogs may be more aware of it now, like so many things information is far more readily available thanks to internet etc.
I suspect as PuccinPoni says, the increase of irresponsible breeders may not have helped, as just one example, labradoodles are a result of crossing 2 breeds which should be x rayed and scored before breeding, I suspect the majority of people breeding the cross don't do that.

I am lucky that the vets I use, have expertise in many things between them . I have been referred twice to specialists by them (didn't need to ask they suggested it), and in both instances the specialist only confirmed what the vet had told me.