PennHIP TECHNIQUE TO BE USED AT SOUTHPAWS FOR EARLY DETECTION OF HIP DYSPLASIA

Hip dysplasia is a common heritable orthopaedic disease primarily affecting large breed dogs. The disease causes pain and can adversely affect the quality of the affected dog's performance and life. There is no treatment for the disease apart from corrective or salvage procedures. The main approach towards the elimination of the disease has been through selective breeding. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals has established a set of radiographic guidelines to help identify dogs with hip dysplasia so that affected animals could be removed from the breeding pool of dogs. Despite years of genetic manipulation based on OFA guidelines, hip dysplasia remains a prevalent condition. This may, in part, be related to the limitations of the OFA system of hip evaluation: dogs will not be certified as hip dysplasia-free until two years of age, a time by which many nonprofessional breeders have already bred their dogs, and the hip extended view used in the OFA method tends to under represent the amount of hip laxity present.

Because of these limitations, a new radiographic method - the PennHIP method - has been developed to try to better assess the susceptibility of a dog to developing signs associated with hip dysplasia at an age more practical for breeding considerations.

The PennHIP method involves the direct measurement of the amount of hip laxity present in a dog. Hip laxity has been shown to be the major factor predicting a dog's susceptibility for developing hip dysplasia. From the measurement of the amount of hip laxity present, the dog can be categorized as to the likelihood of it developing hip dysplasia. The method is purely objective (no subjective component involved), is repeatable, is comparable from one dog to another and from one breed to another, and can be done with good accuracy in dogs as young as six months of age. The procedure involves a short acting reversible anesthetic followed by distraction radiographs to determine hip laxity. The dog's susceptibility to developing hip dysplasia is determined based on the amount of hip distraction present and standards established for the particular breed of dog being evaluated. This allows the veterinarian and owner to make an informed decision about the suitability of using that animal in any breeding program.

The PennHIP method of evaluating hip laxity is currently limited to selected veterinary centers whose veterinarians have been trained in the method and are equipped with the instrumentation necessary for the procedure. Dr Dan Brehm has complete the certification requirements and is currently performing PennHIP radiographic evaluations. If you have clients that may be interested in this procedure, or if you wish to learn more, please contact Dr. Brehm.

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