OFA Hip Registry

The purposes of the registry are: to provide a standardized evaluation for hip dysplasia and to serve as a data base for control of hip dysplasia through selective breeding. To date the OFA maintains the world's largest data base on hip conformation.

What is Hip Dysplasia

Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD) is an inherited trait involving multiple gene pairs which results in a spectrum of radiographic conformations. CHD is a developmental disease. All dogs apparently are born with normal hips but in affected individuals the radiographic signs of CHD can become evident within several months to several years. Therefore, the accuracy of diagnosis increases with age to about 95% at 24 months of age.

OFA preliminary evaluations (dogs evaluated between 4 and 23 months of age) are about 90% accurate when compared to repeat studies at 2 years of age.

How prevalent is it?

The incidence of dysplasia in a given breed is unknown. The majority of dogs evaluated by the OFA are submitted by breeder clientele concerned with controlling CHD. Therefore the OFA data, while biased toward normal due to prior screening by referring veterinarians, can serve as a benchmark for the frequency of CHD in the breeding population (Table 1). The incidence of CHD is breed dependent and improvement depends on responsible breeding practices. It has been dem- onstrated that the frequency of CHD can be reduced by responsible selective breeding practices (Table 2).

Recommended Breeding Principles

1. Breed normals to normals.
2. Breed normals with normal ancestry.
3. Breed normals from litters with a low incidence of CHD.
4. Select a sire that produces a low incidence of CHD.
5. Replace dogs with dogs that are better than the breed average.

AVMA Positioning Required

The OFA requires a ventrodorsal radiograph with the pelvis symmetrical, femurs parallel to one another and approximately parallel to the table, and with the patella on the midline. The radiographic technique should be sufficient so that the trabecular bone pattern and the dorsal rim of the acetabulum can be seen.

Radiographic Criteria

All radiographs are screened for positioning and technique upon arrival. If the radiograph is not diagnostic it is returned to the referring veterinarian.

Acceptable radiographs are then evaluated independently by 3 board certified veterinary radiologists and a consensus derived.

The hips are evaluated for subluxation, shallow acetabulum, femoral head/neck remodeling, acetabular rim/edge changes, and degenerative joint diseases.

With the introduction of optical archiving and remote viewing from magnetic media the average report time is now 15 days with 87% of the evaluations finishing in less than 20 days.

Categories

Excellent, Good, Fair = Normal: Receive OFA numbers.

Borderline = Recommend repeat study in 6-8 months.

Mild, Moderate, Severe = Dysplastic

Normal hips on individuals 24 months or older are assigned a breed registry number and will periodically be reported to the parent breed club and AKC.

Abnormal findings are reported only to the owner of record and referring veterinarian.

Suggestions

1. DO YOUR HOMEWORK: Prospective buyers should check pedigrees for OFA numbers prior to purchasing a dog. If an OFA number cannot be verified assume the dog to be dysplastic until proven otherwise.
2. PRELIMINARY EVALUATIONS: Can be performed as early as 4-5 months of age and OFA evaluations are about 90% accurate when compared to follow-ups at 24 months of age.
3. ANESTHESIA: Is not required by the OFA but is recommended.
4. HORMONAL EFFECT: Some female dogs show subluxation when radiographed around an estrus cycle which is not apparent when re-radiographed in anestrus. The OFA recommends radiographing 3-4 weeks before or after a heat period or 3-4 weeks after weaning a litter of pups.
5. FILM COPIES: Due to optical archiving the OFA can no longer supply copies of films. If a copy is necessary ask your veterinarian to insert 2 films in the cassette prior to making the exposure. This will require about a 15% in- crease in the kVp to make an exact duplicate of the radiograph sent to OFA.
6. OFA NUMBER INTERPRETATION:
   EPTlOOG24M-T
   EPT = Breed code (Pointer)
   100 = Ascending numerical order of normal individuals assigned a breed registry number G = Phenotypic evaluation (good) 24 = Age in months when evaluation was done M = Sex of individual (male) T = Tattooed
7. REGISTRATION PAPERS: It is suggested a photocopy of the registry papers accompany radiographic submissions.

Correction of Anecdotal Misinformation

1. There are no environmental factors which cause CHD.
2. There is no evidence in the scientific literature that megadoses of vitamin C or any other supplement is beneficial in reducing the effects or preventing CHD.
3. High caloric intake resulting in rapid growth and increase weight gain may exacerbate changes in dysplastic hips but will not create hip dysplasia.
4. Exercise, running, jumping up and down, and slick floors will not cause hip dysplasia.
5. Prior injuries to the femurs and/or pelvis may be detected radiographically and are taken into account when evaluating hip status.

Table 1

BREED RISK FOR CANINE HIP DYSPLASIA BREEDS WITH OVER 100 EVALUATIONS
FROM JANUARY 1974 TO JANUARY 1996

BREED                    EVALUATIONS  %EXCELLENT  %DYSPLASTIC
 1. Bulldog                      153     0.0      68.6
 2. Otterhound                   138     0.0      55.1
 3. Clumber Spaniel              140     2.1      52.8
 4. St. Bernard                 1387     3.7      48.1
 5. Boykin Spaniel               696     0.3      47.9
 6. Newfoundland                6891     5.0      28.3
 7. Staffordshire Terrier        664     1.2      27.8
 8. Bullmastiff                 1768     2.7      27.7
 9. Bloodhound                  1378     1.7      26.9
10. Fila Brasileiro              228     5.3      26.3
11. Field Spaniel                238     4.2      23.5
12. Chesapeake Bay Retriever    5920     8.3      23.1
13. Golden Retriever           62760     2.5      22.2
14. Chow Chow                   3363     5.5      22.1
15. Kuvasz                       994     7.4      22.1
16. Gordon Setter               3546     6.0      21.9
17. Mastiff                     2654     5.4      21.9
18. Rottweiler                 62435     6.8      21.7
19. Giant Schnauzer             2549     6.8      21.5
20. Norwegian Elkhound          2479     5.5      21.4
21. Old English Sheepdog        7972     9.4      21.2
22. Bernese Mountain Dog        4394     7.0      20.5
23. German Shepherd            50667     2.9      20.4
24. English Setter              4852     5.4      19.9
25. Spinone                      129    14.0      19.4
26. Beagle                       114     0.9      18.5
27. Welsh Springer Spaniel       647     8.5      18.3
28. Welsh Corgi Pembroke        3293     1.8      17.7
29. Shih Tzu                     325     1.8      17.5
30. Bouvier Des Flandres        4021     4.9      17.5
31. Brittany                    8486     6.2      17.3
32. English Springer Spaniel    6165     6.5      17.0
33. Briard                       894     9.2      16.9
34. Irish Water Spaniel          540     9.3      16.9
35. Greater Swiss Mountain Dog   256     5.9      16.8 
36. Portuguese Water Dog        1793     8.8      16.2
37. Black & Tan Coonhound        354     6.2      16.1
38. Welsh Corgi Cardigan         316     4.1      15.5
39. Chinese Shar Pei            6439     7.9      15.2
40. Akita                       9644    13.3      15.2
41. Curly Coated Retriever       467     6.2      14.9
42. Poodle                      7810     8.3      14.6
43. Airedale Terrier            2468     6.6      14.3
44. Australian Cattle Dog        959     2.3      14.2
45. Komondor                     627     9.3      13.9
46. Pudel Pointer                139    12.9      13.7
47. Labrador Retriever         74478    13.8      13.5
48. Irish Setter                7160     6.4      13.3
49. Anatolian Shepherd           546    13.7      13.0
50. Boxer                       1370     2.6      12.9
51. Border Collie               1972     8.8      12.9
52. Great Dane                  5230     9.5      12.7
53. Alaskan Malamute            8858    14.2      12.7
54. Samoyed                    10054     8.5      12.2
55. Akbash Dog                   248    19.4      12.1
56. Leonberger                   214    17.8      12.1
57. Tibetan Mastiff              282     5.7      11.4
58. Puli                        1183    14.2      10.7
59. Cavalier King CharlesSpaniel 857     4.3      10.5
60. Nova Scotia Ducktolling Ret  251     9.2      10.4
61. English Pointer              491    11.4      10.0
62. Great Pyrenees              3083    12.4       9.8
63. German Wirehaired Pointer   1681    14.2       9.8
64. Standard Schnauzer          2149     6.8       9.7
65. Weimaraner                  5069    16.8       9.6
66. American Water Spaniel       275     4.7       9.5
67. Keny Blue Terrier            566    10.4       8.8
68. Shiba Inu                    566    13.4       8.7
69. Vizsla                      4722    13.3       8.2
70. Bearded Collie              2046    12.2       7.6
71. Rhodesian Ridgeback         4319    18.5       7.6
72. Cocker Spaniel              4597     9.7       7.5
73. Lhasa Apso                   610    11.0       7.4
74. Keeshond                    2392     7.2       7.3
75. Wirehaired Pointing Griffon  564    19.1       7.1
76. Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen 113     2.7       7.1
77. Tibetan Terrier             1545    27.1       7.0
78. Doberman Pinscher           7230    15.5       6.6
79. Belgian Malinois             591    14.9       6.5
80. Australian Shepherd Dog     9712    12.1       6.5
81. Irish Wolfhound              790    20.6       5.2
82. American Eskimo Dog          175     6.3       6.2
83. German Shorthaired Pointer  5723    20.9       6.1
84. Bichon Frise                 910     8.6       5.9
85. English Cocker Spaniel      3163    13.7       5.9
86. Afghan Hound                4391    26.6       5.6
87. Shetland Sheepdog           5339    26.9       5.4
88. Dalmatian                   1732     8.3       5.4
89. Flat Coated Retriever       1971    14.5       5.1
90. Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier 2787    14.0       4.7
91. Greyhound                    106    35.8       4.6
92. Belgian Tervuren            2400    19.4       4.4
93. Border Terrier               541    15.0       3.9
94. Fionish Spitz                183    20.2       3.8
95. Basenji                      373    22.8       3.5
96. Collie                      1237    19.2       3.4
97. Belgian Sheepdog            1920    30.3       2.8
98. Canaan                       173    17.3       2.4
99. Siberian Husky             10666    30.0       2.3
100. Pharaoh Hound               144    13.9       2.1
101. Saluki                      187    40.6       2.1
102. Borzoi                      538    29.2       1.7
103. Ibizan Hound                138    39.1       1.4

Table 2

BREED RISK FOR CANINE HIP DYSPLASIA BREEDS WITH OVER 100 EVALUATIONS
FROM JANUARY 1974 TO JANUARY 1995

BREED                    EVALUATIONS  %EXCELLENT  %DYSPLASTIC
 1. Bulldog                      132     0.0      67.5
 2. Otterhound                   125     0.0      55.2
 3. Clumber Spaniel              124     2.4      52.4
 4. Boykin Spaniel               641     0.3      49.6
 5. St. Bernard                 1307     3.7      48.0
 6. Staffordshire Terrier        566     0.9      29.3
 7. Bullmastiff                 1500     2.5      29.0
 8. Newfoundland                6416     4.8      29.0
 9. Bloodhound                  1310     1.5      26.9
10. Fila Brasileiro              197     3.6      26.9
11. Field Spaniel                213     3.8      24.4
12. Chesapeake Bay Retriever    5464     7.9      23.6
13. Golden Retriever           58120     2.3      22.6
14. Kuvasz                       913     6.8      22.5
15. Chow Chow                   3173     5.3      22.4
16. Gordon Setter               3361     5.8      22.3
17. Rottweiler                 57158     6.5      22.0
18. Mastiff                     2219     5.2      22.0
19. Giant Schnauzer             2424     6.5      21.8
20. Norwegian Elkhound          2364     5.2      21.8
21. Bernese Mountain Dog        3925     6.1      21.6
22. Old English Sheepdog        7749     9.3      21.5 
23. German Shepherd Dog        46089     2.8      20.8
24. English Setter              4492     5.0      20.6
25. Beagle                       103     1.0      20.4
26. Welsh Springer Spaniel       589     9.0      18.9
27. Shih Tzu                     252     2.0      18.3
28. Welsh Corgi Pembroke        2891     1.7      18.2
29. Bouvier Des Flandres        3704     4.6      18.l
30. Brittany                    7865     6.2      17.7
3I. English Springer Spaniel    5676     6.5      17.5
32. Briard                       818     9.8      17.1
33. Black & Tan Coonhound        396     6.5      16.9
34. Irish Water Spaniel          491     8.4      16.8
35. Portuguese Water Dog        1540     8.2      16.4
36. Greater Swiss Mountain Dog   203     5.9      16.2 
37. Curly Coated Retriever       431     5.1      15.8
38. Pudel Pointer                120    10.0      15.8
39. Akita                       8871    12.7      15.7
40. Welsh Corgi Cardigan         258     4.3      15.5
41. Chinese Shar Pei            6022     7.9      15.5
42. Poodle                      7170     8.1      15.O
43. Airedale Terrier            2270     6.1      15.0
44. Australian Cattle Dog        812     2.3      14.5
45. Anatoiian Shepherd           451    13.5      14.0
46. Labrador Retriever         66358    11.2      13.8
47. Akbash Dog                   198    17.7      13.7
48. Boxer                       1176     2.5      13.7
49. Komondor                     601     9.3      13.7
50. Irish Setter                6853     6.1      11.6
51. Border Collie               1680     8.7      13.4
52. Great Dane                  4879     9.2      13.0
53. Alaskan Malamute            8405    14.1      12.8
54. Samoyed                     9590     8.2      12.4
55. Tibetan Mastiff    I         242     5.4      12.4
56. Leonberger                   167    18.0      12.0
57. English Pointer              432    11.3      11.1
58. Puli                        1129    14.2      10.9
59. Cavalier King CharlesSpaniel 732     4.1      10.4
60. Weimaraner                  4606    15.9      10.4
61. American Water Spaniel       245     3.3      10.2
62. Shiba Inu                    435    12.6      10.1
63. Nova Scotia Ducktolling Ret  200     9.0      10.0
64. Standard Schnauzer          2011     6.8      10.0
65. Great Pyrenees              2861    11.8      10.0
66. German Wirehaired Pointer   1538    14.1       9.3
67. Keny Blue Terrier            521    10.7       8.9
68. Vizsla                      4374    13.3       8.5
69. Rhodesian Ridgeback         3920    18.2       8.3
70. Bearded Collie              1879    11.9       7.9
71. Keeshond                    2224     6.8       7.7
72. Cocker Spaniel              4124     9.7       7.5
73. Lhasa Apso                   579    10.9       7.5
74. Tibetan Terrier             1413    27.0       7.5
75. Wirehaired Pointing Griffon  516    19.6       7.2
76. Belgian Malinois             522    13.6       6.9
77. Doberman Pinscher           6656    15.2       6.8
78. Australian Shepherd Dog     8659    11.7       6.7
79. German Shorthaired Pointer  5119    20.4       6.3
80. Bichon Frise                 792     9.2       6.0
81. English Cocker Spaniel      2931    13.7       6.0
82. Irish Wolfhound              721    20.7       5.9
83. Dalmatian                   1553     8.2       5.8
84. Shetland Sheepdog           4427    26.6       5.6
85. Afghan Hound                4242    26.0       5.6
86. Flat Coated Retriever       1768    13.9       5.3
87. American Eskimo Dog          137     7.3       5.1
88. Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier 2574    13.8       4.8
89. Belgian Tervuren            2234    18.6       4.4
90. Basenji                      273    22.7       3.7
91. Border Terrier               464    14.0       3.7
92. Fionish Spitz                161    20.5       3.7
93. Collie                      1137    18.5       3.2
94. Belgian Sheepdog            1799    29.7       2.9
95. Pharaoh Hound                121    11.6       2.5
96. Canaan                       162    17.9       2.4
97. Siberian Husky             10119    19.5       2.3
98. Saluki                       181    40.9       2.3
99. Borzoi                       526    29.3       1.7
100.Ibizan Hound                 129    39.5       1.6

Suggested Reading

• Corley E.A.. Keller G.G.: Hip Dysplasia: A Guide for Dog Breedes & Owners. OFA, 2nd Edition. 1989.
• Corley E.A.. Keller G.G.: Hip Dysplasia: A Progress Report and Update. OFA, Supplement, 1993.
• Rendano V.T., Ryan G.: Canine Hip Dysplasia Evaluation. Vet. Rad. Vol. 25,No.6. 1985.p. 170-186.
• Morgan. J.P.. Stephens M.: Radiographic Diagnosis and Control of Canine Hip Dysplasia. Iowa State Press. Ames, Iowa. 1985.
• Lanting F.L.: Canine Hip Dysplasia and Other Orthopedic Problems. Alpine Publications, Inc. 1901 S. Garfield. Loveland. CO 1981.

Table 2

PROGRESS IN SELECTED BREEDS WITH 500 OR MORE INDIVIDUALS EVALUATED

                        BORN BETWEEN      BORN IN
                        1972-1980         1991-1992

BREED                    %EXCEL  %DYSPL    %EXCEL  %DYSPL
Airedale Terrier          4.4    14.6       6.7     9.2
Akita                     7.5    17.5      18.9     9.3
Alaskan Malamute         10.4    14.1      18.6    10.8
Australian Shepherd Dog  10.5     8.7      12.6     3.7
Bearded Collie            9.7     9.8      15.2     3.7
Belgian Malinois          9.3    14.8      10.8     9.8
Belgian Tervuren         14.5     5.3      25.5     3.3
Bernese Mountain Dog      2.8    32.8       9.1    12.6
Bloodhound                0.5    25.9       5.2    15.4
Bouvier Des Flandres      3.0    19.5       7.6    14.5
Boxer                     1.2    15.9       2.0     8.5
Briard                    7.1    15.4       7.4    12.7
Brittany                  5.7    20.3       8.1     9.4
Bullmastiff               1.7    30.6       4.9    20.5
Chesapeake Bay Retriever  5.9    25.5       9.8    19.1
Chow Chow                 4.2    22.8       7.1    16.3
Cocker Spaniel           12.5     8.2       8.0     4.7
Collie                   11.2     4.3      34.0     1.9
Dalmatian                 9.7     7.0       7.3     4.1
Doberman Pinscher        12.5     8.2      19.5     2.9
English Cocker Spaniel   11.9     7.3      15.6     3.0
English Setter            3.3    28.4       7.9    13.3
English Springer Spaniel  7.0    20.2       7.0    11.2
German Shepherd Dog       2.5    20.7       4.1    16.8
German Shorthaired Pnter 19.6     7.5      20.2     4.0
German Wirehaired Pnter  13.7     9.9      16.0     4.9
Giant Schnauzer           4.4    24.3       9.9    14.1
Golden Retriever          1.8    23.4       3.1    16.1
Gordon Setter             3.8    25.9       8.6    17.7
Great Dane                6.2    13.3      15.9    10.6
Great Pyrenees            8.9     9.9      14.9     7.7
Irish Setter              5.0    15.1       8.1     9.8
Irish Wolfhound          17.6     5.9      23.6     3.6
Keeshond                  5.7     7.9       6.3     5.3
Kuvasz                    1.2    32.7       9.8    17.9
Labrador Retriever       10.4    14.5      15.9    11.6
Lhasa Apso               12.0     7.8      16.2     5.4
Mastiff                   2.5    21.0       7.4    16.2
Newfoundland              3.3    32.4       7.5    22.9
Norwegian Elkhound        5.4    24.8       4.8    13.2
Old English Sheepdog      7.4    23.6      18.1    11.8
Poodle                    7.7    17.3       9.5    10.7
Portuguese Water Dog      1.0    26.5      10.4     8.4
Puli                     13.0    12.4      11.1     4.8
Rhodesian Ridgeback      13.9    12.2      23.9     3.3
Rottweiler                4.0    24.0       8.4    17.0
Samoyed                   8.1    13.8       8.4     7.4
Shar Pei                  5.5    20.5       7.7     9.2
Shetland Sheepdog        26.0     6.0      27.6     2.8
Siberian Husky           24.2     2.7      38.3     0.8
Soft Coated Wheaten Terr 11.4     6.7      14.2     1.6
Standard Schnauzer        7.5    11.5       3.9     9.0
Tibetan Terrier          21.0     8.1      30.7     4.5
Vizsla                   12.1    10.4      15.8     6.0
Weimaraner               12.7    12.1      23.3     6.9
Welsh Springer Spaniel    2.1    34.4      15.6     4.7
Wirehaired Point Griffon 16.5    12.0      22.8     1.3