DanBar Ranch
A hip disease characterized by excessive laxity in the joint (the ball moves too much within its socket) or excessive shallowness of the hip socket joint which in time leads to painful arthritis. Dog can become crippled as early as 6 months of age in severe cases but may not affect the dog noticeably until middle age.
There is NO WAY to know if a dog has hip dysplasia without x-ray examination. "Breeders" who tell you otherwise, or try to convince you that they "know" their dogs are HD free without x-ray examination are simply scamming you.
Health Testing: HIP DYSPLASIA
Hip dysplasia (HD) is a complex condition where the hip joints of a growing puppy develop abnormally. The primary reason for this abnormal development is hip joint laxity i.e., the joint is too loose; leading to the two articulating parts of the joint of the pelvis – the femoral head and the acetabulum (which form the ball-and-socket of the joint) - moving abnormally relative to one another; the femoral head subluxating (partly dislocating) from the acetabulum. This leads to abnormal stresses and strains on the joint and leads to inflammation and degeneration of the joint tissues. Ultimately, permanent osteoarthritis develops in the joints. These changes produce pain and disability for the dog which may show up in a number of ways, such as lameness, abnormal gait (movement), stiffness, reluctance to get up and move and difficulty in running and playing.
Both genetic and environmental factors play a part in the development of hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia (HD) has a major welfare impact for many dogs with the condition. Though it may initially cause intermittent disease, hip dysplasia develops into a persistent condition causing chronic joint pain and progressive disability due to joint deformation. Chronic joint pain can be severe and debilitating and may need long-term medication to control. Control of the secondary osteoarthritis can be difficult and euthanasia is common.
Above: hip sockets showing severe HD. Below, Huni's hips, showing good structure.
TESTING AVAILABLE FOR HIP DYSPLASIA
There are two main tests which can determine the presence and severity of HD in dogs. The first is the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) x-ray screening, the second is the PennHip procedure.
Here at DanBar Ranch I use the tried and true OFA screening process. Dogs are sedated, x-rayed and films sent to the OFA. Three expert orthopedic veterinarians read all films and then decide on a rating of "Excellent", "Good" and "Fair". If a dog does not "pass OFA" its hips will be rated as "Borderline", "Mild", "Moderate" and "Severe".
The OFA will give out a final "official" rating only after the dog is 24 months of age. However, it will read films of younger dogs and these are called "prelims". The OFA states on its website that the correlation between the rating of a prelim being the same as the final reading is better than 95%.
I'm not a fan of PennHip for the simple reason it rates hip health not by a healthy orthopedic standard, but based on the hip health of each breed. For instance, in breeds with extremely bad hip health, such as cane corso, a dog can be rated as "in the top 20%" of the breed - and still have unhealthy hips!
CAIRNS: I have been seeing more hip dysplasia in cairns. I am one of very few breeders who screens for it - which sadly puts the breed at risk for letting HD get a foothold in the breed. DOBERMANS: HD is common, and presents a real issue for these large working breeds. Every effort needs to be made to breed away from it.
