Newtown Veterinary Hospital, LLC

OFA and PennHIP


 

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OFA  -  The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals
 
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) first developed in the early 1960's involves a simple radiograph taken with the patient lying on their back, legs extended and knees rotated inward. Because we know that looseness of the hip joint is a major factor in the development of arthritis it is IMPERATIVE that this procedure be done under general anesthesia so that the dog's muscles are relaxed. We can screen for arthritis with dogs awake or just sedated but in order for the radiographs to have any real value when submitted for certification the animal must be under anesthesia. With digital radiography this is a VERY short procedure. If you have concerns about anesthesia please refer to our anesthesia information in the surgical section of our website. Many breed clubs recommend that elbows be certified as well as hips and these x-rays can easily be taken at the same time as the hip x-rays.

OFA radiographs are submitted to the OFA who has every radiograph reviewed by three board certified radiologists. this is their effort to minimize variation in this subjective evaluation of the hips. The radiologist will look for signs of arthritis, conformation or shape of the hip joint, looseness in the joint and how deep the sockets are. Patients are graded as having CHD (mild, moderate or sever), being borderline or being clear (fair, good and excellent). We can often give you some idea where your pet will rate prior to submitting the radiographs.
 

PennHIP  -  The Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program
 
The Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program (PennHIP) was initiated in the late 1980's. Because we know that there is a clear link between hip looseness and the development of arthritis in the hips, Dr. Smith wanted to develop a method that specifically measured how loose the hips are. He also wanted to develop a method that OBJECTIVELY evaluate dog's hips. Under general anesthesia the animal is placed on their back but rather than stretch the hips out, they are left in a near standing position. Two radiographs are taken, one with the hips being pushed as deeply into the socket as possible and one, using a patented distraction devise, that pushes the hips as far out of the socket as possible. From these views, your pet receives a score on a scale between 0 and 1 that is calculated from an exact measurement of the movement of the hips out of the socket. This method is more technically difficult and the doctor performing the technique needs to be certified to do so. We are not able to do the measurements here at NVH so ALL radiographs taken using this method MUST be submitted to PennHIP, no exceptions!

PennHIP is not a pass fail system as the OFA is. It is intended to give the owner/breeder more information so that they can make an educated decision about who to include in their breeding program and can help them decide who to breed to in order to try to improve the genetics of their litters. Over the past 20 years PennHIP has collected information about breed averages. We know that dogs under 0.3 will not have hip dysplasia. Any animal over 0.3 is at some risk but may or may not be clinically affected depending on all the environmental and developmental factors that influence the hips. The higher the number the higher the risk of arthritis and pain. The goal is to consistently breed dogs below their breed average so that over time the average should get closer and closer to 0.3! Research has shown that the average hip scores for a litter of puppies is very close to the average score of the two parents. That means you can get puppies with better hips than both mom and dad and puppies with worse hips than both mom and dad so make your decisions VERY carefully.

last edited 11/06/2009
 
 
Newtown Veterinary Hospital, LLC
107 Penns Trail
Newtown, PA 18940
Phone (215) 968-3895
Fax (215) 579-2650
Monday-Friday 8AM-8PM
Saturday 8AM-4PM
 
 
Serving the needs of pet owners in Newtown, Yardley, Langhorne, Upper Makefield, Lower Makefield, Levittown, Bristol, Bensalem, Fairless Hills, Jamison, Southampton, Doylestown, New Hope, Bucks County, Richboro, Feasterville, Chalfont, Churchville, Warrington, Croydon, Ivyland, Easton, Fallsington, Buckingham, Morrisville, Trenton