PennHIP And OFA

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Sand Spring Lethal Weapon AKA Riggs turned 2 years old on 7/11/17. Now that he is 2 years old he can have his hips evaluated with OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals). OFA requires you to wait to submit films for hips and elbows until after the dog turns 2 years of age. Since I was going to submit Riggs radiographs to OFA I decided to do something new in certification for the Sand Spring dogs. I decided with Riggs I would also do a PennHIP procedure which is a procedure to test laxity in the joint. The orthopedic surgeon (Orchard Road Veterinary Surgery)  that comes to our clinic (Harmony Pet Clinic) to do our procedures is certified in doing PennHIP so I had her do the procedure on Riggs. You can read about PennHIP below and see the radiographs we took of Riggs. Once I have both results I will let you know.

Welcome Riggs to HPC

Riggs was a good boy at the clinic. He did need to be sedated to do the PennHIP procedure so he was really well behaved for that.

Let’s get this show on the road.

OFA Hips:

THE OFA’S HIP RADIOGRAPH PROCEDURES

General Overview

Radiographs submitted to the OFA should follow the American Veterinary Medical Association recommendations for positioning. This view is accepted world wide for detection and assessment of hip joint irregularities and secondary arthritic hip joint changes. To obtain this view, the animal must be placed on its back in dorsal recumbency with the rear limbs extended and parallel to each other. The knees (stifles) are rotated internally and the pelvis is symmetric. Chemical restraint (anesthesia) to the point of relaxation is recommended. For elbows, the animal is placed on its side and the respective elbow is placed in an extreme flexed position.

The radiograph film must be permanently identified with the animal’s registration number or name, date the radiograph was taken, and the veterinarian’s name or hospital name. If this required information is illegible or missing, the OFA cannot accept the film for registration purposes. The owner should complete and sign the OFA application. It is important to record on the OFA application the animal’s tattoo or microchip number in order for the OFA to submit results to the AKC. Sire and dam information should also be present. offa.org

OFA and Penn Hip positing of hips

Radiograph of hips

OFA Elbows:

ELBOW DYSPLASIA TYPES

The Three Faces of Elbow Dysplasia

Elbow dysplasia is a general term used to identify an inherited polygenic disease in the elbow of dogs. Three specific etiologies make up this disease and they can occur independently or in conjunction with one another. These etiologies include:

  1. Pathology involving the medial coronoid of the ulna (FCP)
  2. Osteochondritis of the medial humeral condyle in the elbow joint (OCD)
  3. Ununited anconeal process (UAP)

Studies have shown the inherited polygenic traits causing these etiologies are independent of one another. Clinical signs involve lameness which may remain subtle for long periods of time. No one can predict at what age lameness will occur in a dog due to a large number of genetic and environmental factors such as degree of severity of changes, rate of weight gain, amount of exercise, etc. Subtle changes in gait may be characterized by excessive inward deviation of the paw which raises the outside of the paw so that it receives less weight and distributes more mechanical weight on the outside (lateral) aspect of the elbow joint away from the lesions located on the inside of the joint. Range of motion in the elbow is also decreased.offa.org

Elbow positing

Radiograph of left elbow

Radiograph of right elbow

PennHIP:

The AIS PennHIP method has strong scientific foundation as the most effective hip screening tool available for dogs.

AIS PennHIP testing is accurate in puppies as young as 16 weeks of age. It gives an estimate of the risk for painful osteoarthritis (OA) of canine hip dysplasia (CHD) later in life. With this information, preventive and palliative strategies can be recommended by the PennHIP-trained veterinarian.

All dogs can benefit from PennHIP testing. For pet dogs found to be at risk, early intervention can help prevent or lessen the severity of CHD. For working/service dogs, identifying a dog with healthy hips can extend the working life of the dog. For breeding dogs, early detection of at-risk hips can allow the breeder to make early, informed decisions as to which dogs to keep in breeding programs. PennHIP

OFA and PennHIP positing

PennHIP is a multifaceted radiographic screening method for hip evaluation. The technique assesses the quality of the canine hip and quantitatively measures canine hip joint laxity. The PennHIP method of evaluation is more accurate than the current standard in its ability to predict the onset of osteoarthritis (OA). Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease (DJD), is the hallmark of hip dysplasia (HD). PennHIP

Compression Radiograph

The PennHIP method is a novel way to assess, measure and interpret hip joint laxity. It consists of three separate radiographs: the distraction view, the compression view and the hip-extended view. The distraction view and compression view are used to obtain accurate and precise measurements of joint laxity and congruity. The hip-extended view is used to obtain supplementary information regarding the existence of osteoarthritis (OA)  of the hip joint. (The hip-extended view is the conventional radiographic view used to evaluate the integrity of the canine hip joint.) The PennHIP technique is more accurate than the current standard, and it has been shown to be a better predictor for the onset of OA. PennHIP

Checking positing for distraction  view

The PennHIP method is a novel way to assess, measure and interpret hip joint laxity. It consists of three separate radiographs: the distraction view, the compression view and the hip-extended view. The distraction view and compression view are used to obtain accurate and precise measurements of joint laxity and congruity. The hip-extended view is used to obtain supplementary information regarding the existence of osteoarthritis (OA)  of the hip joint. (The hip-extended view is the conventional radiographic view used to evaluate the integrity of the canine hip joint.) The PennHIP technique is more accurate than the current standard, and it has been shown to be a better predictor for the onset of OA. PennHIP

Distraction positing

Fast Facts – Behind the PennHIP Research

Distraction radiograph

How Does This Benefit Me as an Owner or Breeder of Dogs?

Answer:

Researchers have been able to demonstrate that the PennHIP method surpasses other diagnostic methods in its ability to accurately predict susceptibility to developing DJD. This finding has been corroborated recently by an independent laboratory. The PennHIP method can be performed on dogs as young as sixteen weeks of age compared with two years using the standard technique. The ability to receive an early estimate of a dog’s hip integrity is important whether the dog’s intended purpose will be for breeding, for working or as a family pet. The data amassed and analyzed by PennHIP will allow breeders to confidently identify the members of their breeding stock with the tightest hips. The PennHIP evaluation will also permit breeders to assess the progress they are making with their breeding program as they strive to reduce the amount of hip laxity in their dogs. Pet owners are able to assess their pet’s risk of developing DJD. This enables them to make lifestyle adjustments for their dogs and, if necessary, to enhance the quality of their pet’s life.

I must say I haven’t ever done a PennHIP on my dogs because from the way it sounded to get the radiographs needed you really had to “crank” on the hips and try to “pop” them out of their sockets. I couldn’t of been more wrong on that and the procedure was not what I thought and was not any worse than doing an OFA radiograph. On the compression view I had to press the two bottles together while the doctor rotated the hips. On the Distraction view I needed to put steady pressure on the distraction bar while the doctor rotated the hips. It was quite interesting and hopefully all will be good in the end and we will get some good results.
Once PennHIP receives the radiographs they will get a report back to you within 72 hours, with OFA it could take 3 or more weeks to get results. PennHIP can also be done as early as 16 weeks so you can know about future breeding stock way earlier.
Cost: PennHIP does cost more than OFA. With OFA you need one pelvis radiograph, +/- sedation, +/- hospitalization charge and the cost of sending the films to OFA is less at $35.00. At my clinic the cost of OFA with sedation and hospitalization would be around $165 plus the $35.00 to OFA. The PennHIP you need to take 2 more views of radiographs so a total of 3 radiographs, you do need sedation, =/- hospitalization and the fee to submitting the films to PennHIP is $91.50. The cost of PennHIP at my clinic was $200 plus the $91.50 to PennHIP. I did the both on the same day so there was only one sedation and hospitalization charge. It cost a bit more to have the PennHIP hip procedure done but I think it is well worth for the piece of mind that the laxity in the hips will be what it is now and in the future. As my doctor explained to me this is a more accurate way of testing for hip dysplasia as they are mimicking as best as they can the laxity of the joint with the weight of the dog on the joints.

 

7 Replies to “PennHIP And OFA”

  5. Emmadog

    HD is no fun. Thankfully Mom hasn’t had a dog who has had it, but if it can be tested, it should be especially if a dog will be bred.

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