| Hip dysplasia is a malformation of the hip joint; to function smoothly and well there must be a good fit between the ball and socket of the hip. Signs of hip dysplasia often appear in the dog during the rapid growth periods of 4 to 9 months of age. These signs vary from slight irregularities of gait to crippling hip disease. Sometimes these initial symptoms improve or disappear as the dog gets older and many dogs never exhibit any outward signs of the disease; however, arthritis of the hip joints is usually present in the older dog with hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia is an inherited defect with a polygenic mode of inheritance; therefore only dogs who are OFA certified should be used for breeding. The only way to diagnose hip dysplasia is by x-ray examination. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals in Columbia, Missouri will evaluate these x-rays at any age. However, 2 years of age is considered the minimum age for determination through x-ray of desirable hip conformation; therefore, OFA will not certify hips to be within normal limits until that age. At that age, the x-rays are taken locally and then submitted to OFA for evaluation. These x-rays are sent to 3 Board Certified Radiologists around the country and these 3 opinions determine the rating of the dogs hips. There are 7 possible ratings: Excellent, Good and Fair are given to dogs with normal hips and many breeding programs, like ours, do not even include dogs rated as “Fair”; borderline is given to hips of indeterminate status and the dog needs to be x-rayed again and re-evaluated in 4 to 6 months; and Mild, Moderate and Severe are given to hips showing signs of dysplasia. If a dogs hips are found to be normal, then a certification number is assigned to the dog. UNDERSTANDING THE OFA RATING For Rottweilers the certification number begins with RO-, followed by a number which is the certification number, then the rating, then the age of the dog when x- rayed, followed by the sex; if there is a “T” present it means the dog is tattooed. For example: R0-22110G27F-T: this is a Rottweiler who's hips are determined to be within normal limits and assigned the certification number of 22110; the rating is good; the x-rays were taken at 27 months of age; and the dog is a female and she is tattooed. Previous to October 1987, the rating, age and sex were not included in the number i.e., RO-1742-T. In all cases, ask to see the blue certificate issued by OFA, Don’t accept a breeders word that the hips are okay. Of course, if a breeder has used a stud dog other than one of his own, he will not be in possession of the original certificate, but he should be able to show you a copy, give you a copy or at least provide you with the AKC registration numbers for both parents. In any case, it is a good idea to use these numbers to verify the ratings by it by calling OFA at 314-442-0418 or using their website. |
| This is a normal hip. The smooth, round head of the femur nicely fits into the "socket". |
| Here a shallow "socket", and a short neck attaches the "ball" to the shaft of the femur. This severe arthritis is a result of HIP DYSPLASIA |
| The actual certificates from the OFA will look like these. HIP CERT is in blue and ELBOW is in green below. |
| The PennHip method measures the laxity in the joint. The X-Rays below are the same dog in 3 positions |
| The X-Ray above is the PennHip distraction position |
| Followed by the same hips in the compression position |
| And viewed here in the classic OFA position |
| Winning Hand Kennel |
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There is no way to determine hip formation without radiographic exams (X-Rays). The OFA will not assign an OFA number until the dog's hips have fully developed at 24 months. PennHip can be done much earlier, but will not be recognized by the OFA. |
| THESE ARE ACTUAL X-RAYS OF OFA EXCELLENT HIPS AND AN EXAMPLE OF A CLEAR ELBOW-- COMPLIMENTS OF GRCH WINNING HAND'S TEXAS HOLD'EM |