Radiography – PENNHIP
Penn-HIP, owned and operated by the University of Pennsylvania, incorporates a method for evaluating the integrity of the canine hip using multiple disciplines including biomechanics, orthopedics, clinical medicine, radiology, epidemiology and population genetics. The purpose of the program is to direct appropriate breeding strategies aimed at reducing the frequency and severity of osteoarthritis and hip dysplasia in canines. The program was developed based on more than a decade of research and analysis which has produced a body of information in support of Penn-HIP's effectiveness. In addition, PennHIP involves a radiographic procedure that measures the dog's "passive hip laxity" or the degree of looseness of the hip ball in the hip socket when the dog's muscles are completely relaxed.
Research has shown that the degree of passive hip or joint laxity is an important factor in determining susceptibility to develop Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) and Canine Hip Dysplasia (CHD) later in life. The laxity is objectively measured and includes a quantitative measurement in its report as opposed to the traditional pass/fail framework. The PennHIP method can detect DJD and CHD in puppies as early as 16 weeks compared to the standard diagnostic method that evaluates dogs at two years or older. Based on the degree of laxity, the individual dog or puppy is then ranked relative to other members of the same breed. Dr. Randy Acker has found PennHIP to be extremely informative in his orthopedic cases and considers it to be a more thorough method for assessing breeding soundness.
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