How To Breed Dysplasia Out Of Your Dog

While there is a hereditary disease for virtually every part of the dog's anatomy, beyond any question one of the most emotional, controversial, and expensive dog diseases of modern times is canine hip dysplasia, commonly referred to as CHD. This is an ailment in which the ball and socket joints of the hips are poorly formed - dysplasia means bad development. Severely affected animals often are crippled and must be put to sleep. The OFA certifies seven hip types: excellent, good, fair, borderline, mild, moderate, and severe.

CHD was first reported in 1935, but because it is a complex hereditary deformity caused by the interaction of many genes, it has proven maddeningly frustrating for breeders to control. Moreover, it resists the generalization that show dogs are more prone to it than field dogs. To illustrate, only about eight percent of English Cocker Spaniels examined by OFA suffer from the disease. The English Cocker is almost exclusively a show and pet dog now. Meanwhile, about forty-seven percent of the Boykin Spaniels examined proved dysplastic, and the Boykin is exclusively a sporting breed.

Canine hip dysplasia is much more of a problem for some breeds more so than others. For some breeds, in fact, it is the most common form of degenerative joint disease. OFA maintains that the only way to reduce the prevalence of hip dysplasia is to selectively breed for normal hips, and notes that scientists have repeatedly proven the effectiveness of doing this.

Canine hip dysplasia is a good example of how invisible genetic time bombs can be and how arduous they can be to defuse. The only way to accurately diagnose CHD is by X-ray. OFA requires that dogs be at least 24 months old when X-rayed in order to qualify for an OFA breed registry number. The general principles recommended by OFA for breeding away from CHD are:

1. Breed only normal dogs to normal dogs.

2. The normal dogs should come from normal parents and grandparents.

3. The normal dogs should have over seventy-five percent normal siblings.

4. A dog with excellent hips from a litter having more than twenty-five percent dysplastic pups is a worse breeding choice than a dog with fair hips from a litter experiencing less than twenty-five percent dysplasia.

5. Choose replacement dams that have better hips than their parents and the breed average.