Category: PennHip vs OFA

hip dysplasia, identification, treatment, research, and breeding
Hip Check:In the battle against canine hip dysplasia, identification, treatment, research, and careful breeding selection are the weapons of choice.
First printed in the July 2002 issue of the AKC Gazetteby Jerold S Bell, DVM, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine

For affected dogs, hip dysplasia can be a debilitating and painful disease. It has been one of the fancy’s great challenges to combat and treat this hereditary developmental disorder, whose signs can include hip-joint pain, hind-limb weakness, lameness, exercise intolerance, degenerative joint disease, and arthritis. The disorder can include several abnormalities of the hip joints, such as joint laxity, anatomical abnormalities, and a predisposition to arthritis. While hip dysplasia is commonly perceived to be a disorder of larger dogs, it also occurs in small breeds, mixed-breed dogs, and even cats. The Pug, for example, has a significant frequency of affected dogs, while the Siberian Husky has a relatively low frequency of dysplasia. Continue reading hip dysplasia, identification, treatment, research, and breeding

Canine Hip Dysplasia May Be Underreported,

According To Penn Vet Comparative Study
04 Sep 2010

A study comparing a University of Pennsylvania method for evaluating a dog’s susceptibility to hip dysplasia to the traditional American method has shown that 80 percent of dogs judged to be normal by the traditional method are actually at risk for developing osteoarthritis and hip dysplasia, according to the Penn method. Continue reading Canine Hip Dysplasia May Be Underreported,

Intro to PennHip 2

The PennHIP method is a novel way to assess, measure and interpret hip joint laxity. It consists of three separate radiographs: the distraction view, the compression view and the hip extended view.

It is the amount of displacement of the femoral head from the acetabulum during distraction radiography that has been termed passive hip laxity and that has been shown to be directly related to the probability that a hip will develop degenerative joint disease characteristic of hip dysplasia. Continue reading Intro to PennHip 2