Just out of interest, does anybody know at which point the hipscore ceases to be a theoretical or potential problem and actually starts affecting the dog? I know that 0:0 is perfect, and that 54:54 means there is almost no hipjoint at all and the dog is seriously handicapped.... but where in between does it affect the dog's ability to move freely?

53/53 actually, to be picky, 106 is the maximum score :D

I guess this would probably vary from dog to dog, as it would from human to human. I have personal experience of two GSD litter sisters - one we knew would be a problem from approx. 6 months, and sure enough she scored at a catastrophic 62. Her perfectly sound litter sister we didn't expect to be brilliant as she was from the same litter, but as her movement was fine we thought she'd be better - and she scored at 63 :(

M.

I remember a Groenendael male who was known for his excellent movement, and yet he scored 42 in total.

A lot will depend on build and musculature.

I think I rtead somewhere that the Police and Guide dogs expect a dog to have a full working life with score of 20 or less. So I would tend to think of any score of 20 or better as functionally normal hips.

Can anyone confirm the core level at which the Police accept dogs for work?

Thanks for that correction, Marina! I got the figures from "Dog Owner's Veterinary Handbook" so I guess it must be a misprint. :rolleyes:

Whereabouts would I find a list of the different breeds' results, with best, mean, and worst scores?

Hi,

The BVA publish breed mean scores, along with numbers of dogs scored and ranges, shown here BVA. This info is from 2001, unfortunately, I do have a copy of the latest scores and I'll try and remember to look it out for you. (If they can post it to me, why can't they publish it on their site )

M.

That's great, Marina, thanks! What a lot of info and statistics to make head-or-tail of! :)

I had a gsd that had a 40 score and he didnt start showing the click in his stride till he was fourteen years old ,,he lived till he was sixteen but his health started at 15 to deteriorate ,,my father who bred gsd for the army believed that the secret to keeping this affliction at bay and giving the dog a healthy life is keeping the weight off them ,,,,believe me he knew his stuff,,the click I speak of is ,,,,when the dog is walking you`ll hear his feet or one of them click every other stride..which means thats the hip dysplasia starting to take effect ,,,,but with my fathers advise,,the dog lived a healthy life....thanks...akkie