Hip Dysplasia is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. No one has narrowed down the exact causes of canine hip dysplasia, although we have some good ideas. There is a strong genetic link, and many organizations will help you track the prevalence of hip dysplasia in your dog’s pedigree.
The OFA, or Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, is one such foundation. OFA allows a dog’s owner to submit X-rays of the dog’s hips. They then have a panel of radiologists review the X-ray and grade the dog’s hips as excellent, good, fair, borderline, mild, moderate, or severe. Very few labrador retrievers receive the best rating, although there are a rare few that receive the “OFA Excellent” grade.
When you go to offa.org, you can view a vertical pedigree as it pertains to your dog’s ancestors. This allows you to examine any dog in the OFA database to check for a family history of hip dysplasia. When looking for a dog, whether it be a puppy, stud dog, or female to breed to, you want to make sure that the dog has a strong family history of healthy hips. At a bare minimum, you would like to see the parents and grandparents of the dog with “Good” to “Excellent” hips. Although this is not a guarantee that the dog will not develop hip dysplasia, it greatly improves your chances.
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