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We operate our own emergency service from our own hospital - you will never be asked to travel to another practice for veterinary attention out of hours.

Hip Scoring

What is hip dysplasia?

Hip dysplasia literally means abnormally shaped hips. The hip joint is a ball and socket joint and the ball should fit tightly into the socket. If it is a loose fit the dog is dysplastic. The condition is genetic, although a number of genes are involved, and it is also developmental in that all pups are born with normal hips and the condition develops during the first few months of life. This is thought to be due to laxity in that the ball is not forced firmly into the socket during the growth period. Hip dysplasia leads to hip osteoarthritis, seen occasionally in the juvenile but commonly in the adult. Osteoarthritis is a progressive destructive condition where new bone is deposited around the joint and the joint surfaces wear out. It is irreversible. The degree of the severity of hip dysplasia correlates to the age at which the osteoarthritis develops.

What is hip scoring?

The BVA/KC/ISDS hip scoring scheme was set up over 30 years ago in an attempt to reduce the incidence of hip dysplasia in the dog population of Great Britain. It involves x-raying the dog’s hips and submitting the films to the BVA (British Veterinary Association) hip scoring panel. Each hip is then scored on 9 different parameters and each parameter is given a score of 0 to 6, 0 being perfect and 6 awful. A total score is then given for each hip. The results are then sent to the Kennel Club and are entered onto the dog’s pedigree certificate. They are also included in the vast data base enabling a mean score for each breed to be calculated. All dogs have to be over one year of age.

PennHIP is the brain child of Dr Gail Smith at the University of Pennsylvania in the USA. He has proven that the degree of hip laxity correlates directly with the likelihood of the dog developing hip osteoarthritis later in life. The laxity is measured by taking X-rays with the hip joints forced apart, and is called the distraction view.
This scheme can be applied to dogs over 4 months of age. Three separate X-rays are taken and the films are sent to Pennsylvania for assessment. The PennHIP method requires manual holding of the anaesthetised dog and is against Health
and Safety regulations and so is illegal in the UK and many other countries. Mike Guilliard has developed a hands-free method that has now been validated by PennHIP. At present he is the only person in the UK who can legally take X-rays for the PennHIP scheme.

How do I get my dog hip scored?

Breeders come from all over the country to have their dogs x-rayed by Mike Guilliard at Nantwich Veterinary Hospital. The reason for this is that Mike is very experienced and guarantees to take a high quality X-ray with good positioning and he will also express his opinion on the likely score. Generally the owners will wait for perhaps only half an hour and, using modern sedatives, the dog will recover rapidly and walk out of the hospital.

Hip scoring fact sheet