When you purchase a purebred puppy you should expect that a reputable breeder has done certain health screenings on the parents of that dog.  In fact, you should expect that health screenings have been done on several generations of dogs in your puppy’s pedigree.  This is the first of a series of posts about health screenings of inherited diseases in dogs.

The types of screenings that are recommended for each breed varies.  The Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) maintains of list of recommended screenings for those breeds that participate in the program.  Not all breeds participate in this program, but for those that do, it is a good place to start.  This is the page for Chessies.

A particular health screening may be recommended, but if there is a low occurrence of that disease in a particular breed or lineage of dogs, the breeder may elect not to do it.  A prospective breeding dog is more than any particular health screening so a better approach is to consider the entire dog, including health, proper temperament, conformation and important breed characteristics.

That being said, one of the most common health issues facing many breeds and mixes is Hip Dysplasia.

What Is Hip Dysplasia?

Very simply, hip dysplasia is an inherited condition which results in the malformation if the hip joint.  According to the Orthopedic Foundation For Animals (OFA):

Hip Dysplasia is a terrible genetic disease because of the various degrees of arthritis (also called degenerative joint disease, arthrosis, osteoarthrosis) it can eventually produce, leading to pain and debilitation.

Any dog can suffer from hip dysplasia.  It is not a disease limited to purebred dogs.  However, certain purebred dogs are predisposed to developing the disease.  The Orthopedic Foundation For Animals maintains a list of trends based on screenings.  Out of 168 breeds, Chesapeakes rank 31st which means that as a breed, they can be prone to hip dysplasia.  The entire list is here.

Without getting too technical, hip dysplasia is a ploygenic disease which means that many genes cause the condition.  At this time the specific genes are not known, but dogs that have the genes that predispose them to the disease will eventually develop it.  Environmental factors such as weight, exercise, and exposure to cold weather may contribute to the severity of the disease, but those things alone will not cause it.

How Do Breeders Screen For Hip Dysplasia?

Breeding dogs are x-rayed after the age of two and the x-rays are evaluated and graded by a panel of three radiologists from the Orthopedic Foundation For Animals.  If a dog has enough of the genes that cause hip dysplasia, then the dog will have dysplastic hips which will be visible on the x-ray.  This is called phenotypic evaluation or where the effects of the genes are studied rather than the presence (or absence) of the genes themselves.

Storm's OFA Hip Grade is "Excellent"
Storm’s OFA Hip Grade is “Excellent”

There are other organizations that evaluate hip x-rays, but the OFA is the one most of the breeders that I know use.

What Are The Hip Grades?

X-Rays that are normal are graded Excellent, Good or Fair and the dog is assigned a OFA number.  The difference in grade is due to slight differences in the formation of the hip joints, but they are all normal hips.

X-rays that are abnormal are graded Borderline, Mild, Moderate or Severe and are not assigned a number.  Mild, Moderate, and Severe hip scores indicate a dysplastic (malformed) hip.  The Borderline grade is given where there is no clear consensus between the radiologists as to whether the hip is normal or dysplastic.  X-rays may be resubmitted at a later date, and if there are no changes, the dog may receive a passing grade which is usually “Fair” and will receive an OFA number.

This is an example of Storm’s x-ray that was submitted to the OFA.  There are other examples of x-rays at each grade level and a detailed explanation of the grading on the OFA site, here.

This Is A Copy Of Storm's X-Ray.  It Was Graded "Excellent".
This Is A Copy Of Storm’s X-Ray Which Was Graded “Excellent”

What Are The OFA’s Recommendations Regarding Hip Grades?

Quoting from the OFA:

Hip dysplasia appears to be perpetuated by breeder imposed breeding practices, but when breeders and their breed clubs recognize HD as a problem and establish reduction of HD as a priority, improvement of the hip status can be accomplished without jeopardizing other desirable traits. Prospective buyers should check pedigrees and/or verify health issues with the breeder. If suitable documentation is not available, assume the worst until proven otherwise.

Do not ignore the dog with a fair hip evaluation. The dog is still within normal limits. For example; a dog with fair hips but with a strong hip background and over 75% of its brothers and sisters being normal is a good breeding prospect. A dog with excellent hips, but with a weak family background and less than 75% of its brothers and sisters being normal is a poor breeding prospect.

OFA’s Recommended Breeding Principals

  • Breed normals to normals
  • Breed normals with normal ancestry
  • Breed normals from litters (brothers/sisters) with a low incidence of HD
  • Select a sire that produces a low incidence of HD
  • Replace dogs with dogs that are better than the breed average

(Underlining and bolding, mine.)

Thunder's OFA Hip Grade is "Good"
Thunder’s OFA Hip Grade is “Good”

How Should A Puppy Buyer Use This Information?

I quoted the above paragraphs directly from the OFA site because I think it is important, especially the part that I underlined and put in bold.

Most reputable breeders will provide the OFA number up front.  However, if a breeder tells you that their breeding dogs will have their hips screened by the OFA but they do not provide documentation or a OFA number, be suspicious.  The dogs may be screened, but just because they were screened, it does not mean that they received a normal grade.

It is also a good idea to review the pedigrees of the puppy’s parents to see whether they come from dogs with passing hips.  Do the parents’ brothers and sisters have passing hip scores?  As the OFA explains, a dog with a grade of Fair that comes with a strong background of normal dogs may be preferable to a dog with a grade of Excellent that comes from a background of dysplastic dogs.

No breeder can guarantee that they will never produce a dysplastic dog, but by diligent screening and selective breeding, it is hoped that the incidence can be greatly reduced.

Freighter Had His Hip X-Rays Taken At The Beginning Of December.  His OFA Hip Grade Is "Excellent".
Freighter Had His Hip X-Rays Taken At The Beginning Of December. His OFA Hip Grade Is “Excellent”.

I have attempted to summarize the basics of screening for hip dysplasia.  If you are thinking of getting a breed of dog that is prone to this disease, I urge you to do further research so that you have an idea of what questions you might ask a potential breeder.  A good place to start is with the OFA site.  They also have a search function where you can search for a particular dog by AKC registered name or number to review its health page.

Click here for Thunder’s OFA Page

Click here for Storm’s OFA Page

Click here for Freighter’s OFA Page

If you are interested in deciphering the OFA numbers, here is a link to the Key.

32 thoughts on “Canine Health Screening–Hips

  1. Great post and really important reading for prospective owners. As you stated, good breeders have all of this information available to you, and use it when making breeding decisions. I’m looking forward to the rest of your series.

  2. HD is such a nasty thing, we are thankful to have our hips be in good shape. Even with the arthritis, my sister Katie had her hips checked and they were awesome at age 11. It is sad but there are so many breeders our there that either don’t have a clue or are trying to sell “bad” dogs. You need to be so careful!

  3. We agree HD is awful and we have seen it in many bigger dog breeds. Good advice and yes a reputable breeder would have all the information to hand. Sadly there are many bad breeders out there. Have a terrific Tuesday.
    Best wishes Molly

  4. I would encourage everyone who is looking for a purebred puppy (or an intentional mix like a Labradoodle) to read this information. We lost a shelter-rescue Rottie to HD when he was eleven months old. When puppy under a year old can barely get up off the floor, things are very, very bad.

  5. This is obviously something that back yard breeders do not take into consideration.

    Is it possible for a breeder to say their dog has OFA clearances, but the clearances aren’t what they should be? Can a breeder still breed a dog with bad hips? I wonder how many people really know what to check for when buying a pure bred dog?

    I love this series and can’t wait to learn more!

    1. Hi Jodi…you can see the OFA ratings of a dog on the AKC website if the dog is registered with AKC, it will also be on the the official AKC pedigree for the parents of the puppy. The test is usually recommended to be done at around 2years of age. You may need to create an account (free) on the AKC website but you can then search all the dogs in the pedigree and see the ofa ratings

  6. Ruby, a rescue, is dealing with untreated elbow dysplasia. She’s a trooper, but it’s very painful. One thing that I’ll always be grateful for is that the breeder whom we got Bart and Gizmo from had kids. There were twin 9 year old boys and an older girl. The puppies grew up being carried around by the kids and snuggled and petted. With rotties, this kid – friendly attitude is a real plus. I just don’t have to be afraid. Cautious and in charge, of course, but not freaked out! Great post. Thanks!

  7. Well done explaining Hip Dysplasia and OFA, love the action pictures to go along with it. Can’t wait for the rest of the series. Pinned to my animal health pintrest board. 🙂

  8. PS Looking forward to the rest of this series!!

    And, want to clarify something….I knew very little about HD when we got both Callie and Shadow in 2004, so I didn’t know to ask for the OFA reports on either one. However, we’ve been managing their arthritis for years and it doesn’t seem to be getting any worse.

  9. Informative post! I thought HD was a “big dog” disease for the most part but I see Norfolk Terriers and other small-medium dogs high on the list as well. Though small dog people seem to worry more about luxating patellas. I always panic whenever I think Mr. N might be limping (he usually has something in his paw).

  10. Hi Y’all!

    Great information. I learned some things. One is that Hawk had his OFA done when the breeder decided to sell him, but he was only 14 months old. We had him neutered, so I suppose it doesn’t matter. He’ll either be okay or not. Once he made the trip back home with me, I wouldn’t have sent him back anyway.

    BrownDog’s Human

  11. Thank You for getting this information out! As Frieghter and Thunder’s breeder I am SO SO PROUD of them as great dogs and of their clearances.Give that “perfect pup” and his granddad a hug 🙂

  12. We’re back from the holidays and trying to do a little catch-up. Great info here, good for every dog owner to know.

  13. Great information – thanks for sharing. When we breed our Lab Sally, we were very careful about her OFA certifications as well as the sire’s. While Sally’s parents were cleared for hip dysplsia, she developed elbow dysplasia. Since Jack & Maggie are rescues, I have no idea – keeping my fingers crossed. Going to bookmark this for future reference.

  14. Since Newfs are such large breed dogs a lot of weight is on the hips. We went with a breeder who tests all her dogs and only breeds the ones with sound hips. All her OFA ratings are posted it was very important to me. Really good information 🙂

  15. You’ve put together an awesome reference here! My new go-to for info on hip screening.
    I know Moses’ breeder did this and had the info for a few generations back, but I can’t remember the ratings anymore. In any case, it was a good sign we’d chosen a responsible breeder.

    1. I am not sure the actual rating is as important as the fact that the dogs pass. It is great that you found a breeder who was so careful about hip clearances. The bad breeders get the attention, but there are also good ones out there who try to make sound breeding choices.

  16. LOVE this! I’ve heard a lot of good things about OFA and am very grateful such an organization exists.

  17. Such great information! I looked up both of Duke’s breeds on that list and they are both in the top 100. We don’t know anything about his parents or bloodline but I wonder if I should have his hips checked next time we’re at the vet to see if this is something that might be a problem for him.

  18. Such excellent and important information. Thank you. Unfortunately, we knew very, very little about hip dysplasia before Harper Lee came into our lives. At a little less than a year old, she was diagnosed with hip and elbow dysplasia, and now we know more than we ever wanted to know. While dysplasia is absolutely horrible, and there is no way to tell what the future will hold for a dysplastic dog, I think it’s important to note that there are surgical and non-surgical treatments. From the moment of her diagnosis, Harper Lee has been in a physical therapy program at the LSU vet school. She started doing twice weekly rehab on a water treadmill and now, four years later, she is down to just every other week and the improvement we have seen is remarkable. We walk her every day to keep her muscles strong and her weight down (fortunately she is naturally thin), and she takes daily Dasuquin and fish oil tablets. Our regular vet has done laser treatment on one of her elbows once, and we are pleased to know that laser is also an option for future treatment. Sorry this comment is kind of long–and of course preventing dysplasia through testing and responsible breeding is ideal–but I just want people to know that if you do find yourself sitting in the veterinarian’s office and hearing this horrible diagnosis as you hold your dog in your arms, it is not then end of the world. We don’t know what the future holds for Harper Lee, but we wouldn’t have known that if her diagnosis had been completely different four years ago. We do know that we love her very much–bad hips and elbows and all–and we will do everything we can to ensure that each and every day of her life–long or short–will be filled with joy.

    1. Thanks so much for your comment. I am glad Miss Harper Lee is having good results with her treatment. My purpose in doing this series is to get the word out about what people should consider when buying a dog, but even with health testing done on parents and ancestors, it is still possible that a dog may end up being dysplastic. In breeding nothing is ever a certainty. As you say at least there are good treatments. 🙂

      I am doing a follow-up on my series tomorrow and will definitely refer readers back to your comment. Thanks again. 🙂

      1. I am really looking forward to the posts in this series. We would like to get a little sister for Harper Lee later this year, and I know you’ll help to make me a much more informed puppy hunter!

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