Hip dysplasia

Perhaps hip dysplasia should not be considered as an inherited disease. Awareness of this condition was first highlighted in the early 1960s, from research by Dr Malcolm Willis, into a degeneration of movement and soundness among German Shepherd dogs. He discovered that it was frequently met within this (and many other breeds) and was detected by x-raying the pelvis of animals. From these he was able to identify 'erosions' in the junction of pelvic and thigh bones. Eventually he established a 'scoring' system that provides a guideline to the common irregularities associated with lack of propulsive power and/or freedom of movement.

This became a very 'fashionable' check for responsible breeders to make, and stock from parents with 'low scores', i.e. with little evidence of wear and tear to the hip joints, were more valued. The early Brittany imports were routinely checked for hip dysplasia, and a breed 'mean score' was established. This was assessed as 9/9 (each hip being similarly affected). Individuals varied and some might have hips of 6/12, which meant one hips was twice as affected as the other but, because the total was average, they were accepted as average.  Over 60 years, and many generations, this average or mean score has dropped to about 14, which is seen as proof of the efficiency of the x-raying scheme.

However, the data available has revealed that the condition is not particularly attributable to simple genetics. It is now equally blamed on differing exercise and food regimes, with litter mates scoring differently from each other while comparing consistently with other youngsters on a similar management regime. In reality any reduction in the average score is largely due to the fact that breeders are no longer breeding from stock with poor scores.

At Hawkwise Brittanys we had an interesting experience. Our bitch Hawkwise Nugget has a hip score of 7/6, which was a good average for the breed in 2023. We wanted to breed from her to a working dog, and had found a dog in the Highlands of Scotland who fitted the mental picture we had, and was worked regularly. On checking we learned that his hip score was 6/8, so again a satisfactorily average score.

Looking deeper into the pedigree his parents scored 7/7 and 6/8 respectively - so again the average system seemed to work. Going back another generation the hips were all average or better. Then we looked at the parents of his paternal grandfather, who himself had scored a better than average 4/6. Their scores, in the face of all known theories, totalled 47 and 21 respectively! If the genetics were to be believed you would have never bred a bitch with hips totalling 21 (i.e. 50% higher than average) to a dog with a hip score over 300% higher!

So what is the reality?

The truth is that we do not know. Certainly any dog has quite soft bone while it is growing, so over-exercising and over-feeding might be expected to place extra strain on the young dog's growing joints. Equally breeding for heavier bone leads to softer bones at this stage, and feeding for early substance, to enhance a puppy's appearance in the show-ring, will exacerbate matters further. Experienced dog owners may get the right balance between food and exercise for their puppies, but this would be very hard for novice owners to achieve. Puppies grow at different speeds and their weights will vary.