Information on Hip Scoring for the owner or breeder

 It is unfortunate that we live in a world where honesty is not always rewarded and it remains difficult for owners and breeders to disclose high Hip Scores, choosing not to forward these plates on to be scored by the BVA . The fear of peer pressure in the field of dog breeding and showing remains strong, resulting in a falsely low Breed mean average score, as generally only good hip results get sent to the BVA. This should be born in mind when being given advice to breed below the Breed mean average, as in reality, this cannot possibly be the REAL breed average....experts believing it is probably nearer to 15-20 in the GSP.

It is also interesting to note, and it seems little known, that Dr Malcolm Willis considers disparity between the left and right Hip Scores might indicate an earlier trauma, and should one hip score be more than twice the number of the other hip it is almost always the result of a previous trauma incurred usually before 6 months of age. This follows findings that nature usually produces roughly equal hip quality.  Therefore, any animal with a low hip score on one hip but an unusually high hip score on the other, should not necassarily be considered unsuitable to be bred from. However, sense would dictate that you would of course source a suitable mate with an equal and low hip scoring history should you decide to breed from them.

Listed below are Veterinarians who will sedate your dog rather than perform a General Anaesthetic for the purposes of Xraying your dog, they also give you an overview of the Xrays taken, so as to give you an idea of what to expect in terms of Score etc. Contributions to this list are appreciated.

This in real terms means that you walk your dog into the surgery, generally you wait with the animal whilst it is sedated, it is then Xrayed, and once the plates are developed and it is clear that the plates are of suitable quality to send away, your dog is given a "reversal drug". It then wakes up and you and your dog walk out of the surgery. Your dog will remain groggy for a while, but it is a quicker process from start to finish than a GA therefore many breeders prefer this method.

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Hampton Veterinary Group

Hampton Heath, Malpas, Cheshire. SY14 8JQ.
Telephone (01948) 820345 Website: http://www.hamptonvet.co.uk

Hook Norton Veterinary Surgeons

White Hills, Sibford Road, Hook Norton, Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 5DG
Telephone (01295) 780265 Email: paulinetolhurst@hotmail.com

Richmond House Veterinary Centre

47 Savile Road, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, WF12 9PW
Peter Richmond and Jeremy Bone Telephone (01924) 462428

Marilyn Baker

Wanitopa, Lordswood, Highbridge, Eastleigh, Hants SO50 6HR. Telephone (01329) 230052

Arrowfield Veterinary Practice

Butts Meadow, Hatton Gardens, Kington, Herefordshire HR5 3DD Tel. (01544) 230567

admin@arrowfieldvets.co.uk

Breeder Guidelines

Breeders and the OFA

Progress in hip joint phenotype of dogs in the United States between the 1970's and early 1990's has been shown through results of a retrospective study using the OFA data base. This improvement was evident as an increase in the percentage of dogs classified as having excellent hip joint phenotype and a decrease in the percentage of dogs classified as having hip dysplasia (HD). The increase in percentage of dogs classified as having excellent hip joint phenotype was greater for German Shepherd dogs, Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Rottweilers than for all dog breeds combined. In addition, the submission screening rate for these four breeds was higher than the screening rate for all dogs. Within these four breeds, the improvement was greatest for Rottweilers, which also had the highest screening rate.

Overall, low screening rates for breeds found in this study offer some insight into the problems involved with reducing the incidence of HD. The typical dog breeder is involved in breeding dogs for about five years. Thus, informed, experienced breeders are continually replaced with uninformed, inexperienced breeders who may not be as aware of the problems associated with HD or of the importance of participating in a screening program. In addition, many breeders choose which dogs they breed on the basis of the hip phenotype of individual dogs without knowledge of the phenotype of related dogs or previous offspring. It can be very difficult to get hip information on siblings and previous offspring due to the overall low number of dogs radiographed in a given litter (most dogs in a litter end up in pet homes). This is the slowest method of reducing the incidence of an undesirable trait or increasing the incidence of a desirable trait. The use of preliminary radiographs as early as 4 months of age can be used by breeders to add valuable information on the hip status of dogs they choose to use in a breeding program.

What can breeders do?

Hip dysplasia appears to be perpetuated by breeder imposed breeding practices, but when breeders and their breed clubs recognize HD as a problem and establish reduction of HD as a priority, improvement of the hip status can be accomplished without jeopardizing other desirable traits. Prospective buyers should check pedigrees and/or verify health issues with the breeder. If suitable documentation is not available, assume the worst until proven otherwise.

Do not ignore the dog with a fair (US system) or 11-18 UK hip evaluation. The dog is still within normal limits. For example; a dog with fair hips but with a strong hip background and over 75% of its brothers and sisters being normal is a good breeding prospect. A dog with excellent (US) or 0-4 (UK) hips, but with a weak family background and less than 75% of its brothers and sisters being normal is a poor breeding prospect.

OFA's Recommended Breeding Principals

• Breed normals to normals
• Breed normals with normal ancestry
• Breed normals from litters (brothers/sisters) with a low incidence of HD
• Select a sire that produces a low incidence of HD
• Replace dogs with dogs that are better than the breed average

Courtesy of Orthopedic Foundation for Animals 2009

This link is to a useful site called Vetrica , explaining a little about Hip Dysplasia, and how it might affect your dog. It lists some of the teatments and advice on management of the condition.

Information on Heart testing and understanding the results

The Cardiac Exam

The clinical cardiac examination should be conducted in a systematic manner. The arterial and venous pulses, mucous membranes, and precordium should be evaluated. Heart rate should be obtained. The clinical examination should be performed by an individual with advanced training in cardiac diagnosis.

Ascultation

Cardiac auscultation should be performed in a quiet, distraction-free environment. The animal should be standing and restrained, but sedative drugs should be avoided. Panting must be controlled and if necessary, the dog should be given time to rest and acclimate to the environment. The clinician should able to identify the cardiac valve areas for auscultation. The examiner should gradually move the stethoscope across all valve areas and also should auscultate over the subaortic area, ascending aorta, pulmonary artery, and the left craniodorsal cardiac base. Following examination of the left precordium, the right precordium should be examined.

• The mitral valve area is located over and immediately dorsal to the palpable left apical impulse and is identified by palpation with the tips of the fingers. The stethoscope is then placed over the mitral area and the heart sounds identified.
  
• The aortic valve area is dorsal and 1 or 2 intercostal spaces cranial to the left apical impulse. The second heart sound will be most intense when the stethoscope is centered over the aortic valve area. Murmurs originating from or radiating to the subaortic area of auscultation are evident immediately caudoventral to the aortic valve area. Murmurs originating from or radiating into the ascending aorta will be evident craniodorsal to the aortic valve and may also project to the right cranial thorax and to the carotid arteries in the neck.
  
• The pulmonic valve area is ventral and one intercostal space cranial to the aortic valve area. Murmurs originating from or radiating into the main pulmonary artery will be evident dorsal to the pulmonic valve over the left hemithorax.
  
• The tricuspid valve area is a relatively large area located on the right hemithorax, opposite and slightly cranial to the mitral valve area.
  
• The clinician should also auscultate along the ventral right precordium (right sternal border) and over be right craniodorsal cardiac border.
  
• Any cardiac murmurs or abnormal sounds should be noted. Murmurs should be described as indicated below.

Description of Cardiac Murmurs

A full description of the cardiac murmur should made and recorded in the medical record.

• Murmurs should be designated as systolic, diastolic, or continuous.
  
• The point of maximal murmur intensity should be indicated as described above. When a precordial thrill is palpable, the murmur will generally be most intense over this vibration.
  
• Murmurs that are only detected intermittently or are variable should be so indicated.
  
• The radiation of the murmur should be indicated

Effects of heart rate, heart rhythm, and exercise

Some heart murmurs become evident or louder with changes in autonomic activity, heart rate, or cardiac cycle length. Such changes may be induced by exercise or other stresses. The importance of evaluating heart murmurs after exercise is currently unresolved. It appears that some dogs with congenital subaortic stenosis or with dynamic outflow tract obstruction may have murmurs that only become evident with increased sympathetic activity or after prolonged cardiac filling periods during marked sinus arrhythmia It also should be noted that some normal, innocent heart murmurs may increase in intensity after exercise. Furthermore, panting artifact may be a problem after exercise.

It is most likely that examining dogs after exercise will result in increased sensitivity to diagnosis of soft murmurs but probably decreased specificity as well. Auscultation of the heart following exercise is at the discretion of the examining veterinarian.  

Courtesy of Orthopedic Foundation for Animals 2009

A Brief Guide to understanding the implication of a Heart Test Grade. For more in-depth information please consult your Cardiologist.

Clear

·         This means the Cardiologist can hear absolutely NO murmur whatsoever.

·         As breeding stock this means it is deemed acceptable to mate to a low grade murmur.

·         No further investigation is required, whether or not you plan to breed from the animal.

·         There will be no long term implications for either life expectancy or quality of life.

Grade 1 Heart Murmur

·         This means the cardiologist can hear a low grade murmur and in terms of audible levels, this may be nearer to a zero, than 1, but because there is a noise it cannot be classed as zero/clear.

·         As breeding stock, it would be advisable to follow this through with a “Doppler” test which must be carried out by a cardiologist (Costs £200-250) as there are a number  of reasons for a murmur:

1.       Particularly due to the breed of dog, it may mean that the dog is suffering from something similar to “Athletes Heart Syndrome”, which is diagnosed with a further test called the “Doppler Test”, carried out by a specialist Cardiologist. In brief this is caused by an extremely fit heart that has undergone slight changes due to the increased exercise as opposed to suffering with either a hereditary/ congenital abnormality. This dog would then be considered to have a “Clear” test result following diagnosis.

2.       The dog does have a slight abnormality within the heart structure which is causing the heart to beat slightly less efficiently than ideal, but will be unlikely to need treatment.

3.       The murmur is a secondary symptom of another disease.

4.       The murmur is acquired due to either a previous viral or bacterial infection.

·         As breeding stock it would be advisable to only mate this animal to a Clear tested animal.

·         There are unlikely to be any long term implications for either life expectancy or quality of life.

Grade 2 Heart Murmur

·         This means the Cardiologist can hear a low grade murmur and in terms of audible levels, this may be nearer to a 1, than 2, but because of the level of noise it cannot be classed as a Grade 1.

·         As with Grade 1 murmurs, a Doppler Test is advisable to ascertain the true extent of the murmur and its’ cause.

·         It would be advisable not to use any animal with a Grade 2 murmur for breeding purposes save in exceptional circumstances.

·         There are unlikely to be any long term implications for either life expectancy or quality of life except in a small number of animals that may show clinical signs of heart disease in later life.

Grade 3 and above Heart Murmur

·         This is considered a moderate to severe murmur and should be investigated further by a Cardiologist

·         An animal with this level of murmur should not be used for breeding under any circumstances.

·         There are likely to be some long term health implications for this animal, and it should be monitored periodically for signs of heart disease.

Please check out this link to  Bregorrey Glens of Imal Terriers which illustrates very clearly how the heart works and the UK grading system

Click here to visit this site

Below is an extensive list of Cardiologists that perform auscultation on behalf of BVA/KC Boxer Heart Scheme, and are therefore qualified to  perform and certify a Grading for your GSP.