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Canine Hip Dysplasia
Canine Hip Dysplasia, or CHD, or Hip Dysplasia, is a terrrible genetic malady found in all breeds of large dogs. Very simply, the hip bones and the leg bones do not fit together correctly. Dogs may be very mildly afflicted, and the owner has no idea that his dog has anything wrong with it, or it can run the gamut to very young dogs being in constant pain, and crippled to the point that they cannot stand or move without crying out.
Ethical breeders test their dogs for CHD before breeding them, because breeding dysplastic dogs leads to more dysplastic dogs. No one can guarantee that a puppy will not have CHD, but by selectively breeding dogs with correct hips to other dogs with correct hips, the incidence of this crippler of beloved pets can be lessened.
Here in the US, there are two tests that can be used to check dogs for hip dysplasia. Both involve x-raying (radiographing) a dog's hips. One of the tests is performed by Canine Orthopedists carefully checking x-rays of a dogs hips, and assigning a number and a grade to the dog's hips or failing them. This is the test from the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. They send the owner a certificate stating the number and grade assigned to the dog's hips--either excellent, good or fair, all of which pass, or a reading of mild or severe dysplasia in one or both hips. The other test was developed by the University of Pennsylvania, and called PennHIP. The dog's hips are x-rayed by veterinarians specially trained to take the type of x-rays needed for this test. The films are read and measured against the hips of all the other dogs of the same breed that have been tested by this method, and a score is given based on the hip joint's laxity.
The above is a very simplified outline of these tests. Please visit their websites to learn more about these important tests, and read about CHD on the RRCUS homepage!
I do not endorse one testing method over the other, but I do believe that all dogs that an owner wishes to breed should be tested, and should only be bred if they pass.
Prospective buyers should ask about hip dysplasia when interviewing a breeder. If the breeder says that CHD does not run in his line, or that testing for CHD is not important for pets, this is not the breeder you wish to buy a puppy from! Ethical breeders will be only too happy to show you their dogs' certifications, and explain why testing is important for both pet and show dogs. Whether you plan to have a happy, loving companion, or wish to enter your dog in shows and perhaps, someday, breed, you want a dog that is able to go for a walk with you, and will not cost you thousands of dollars in medication or surgery before his life ends.
