PenHip test

[Kathy]

Can someone please explain to me the significance of the PenHip test - some websites show their dogs percentage as 70% or 90%, etc. and others just say "clear."  Is 70% better or worse than 90% and are they both ok or?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here is the information about Penn Hip testing and what the scores mean: http://research.vet.upenn.edu/GeneralInformation/WhatisPennHIP/tabi...

And keep in mind that a PennHip "prelim" does not tell the whole picture. The preliminary scores can change radically. Ideally, you want good scores from testing after a dog is two years old.

[Ginny Nightingale]

But the Pennhip people tell you that it can not change that much--not sure why they say that because it definitely can.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Oh yes, lol, it definitely can!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

To answer your question about if 90% is better than 70%, YES. 90% means that 90% of the dogs of that breed who were tested had hipjoints that showed more laxity than this dog did. Or to put it another way, This dog's hips are in the upper 10% for tightness in the hip joint. Penn recommends that no dogs with a score under 50% be bred.

http://research.vet.upenn.edu/pennhip/OwnerBreederInformation/PennH...

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Just an additional note : If the breeder used PennHip they should be able to give you the percentage scores of both parents. If they use OFA then they can give you the category: Excellent, Good, Fair, etc. My understanding is that the PennHip score is a more accurate tool. Because HD can skip a generation, it's also best to ask to see the grandparents scores.    

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Personally, I would also avoid any breeder who does early spay neuter - that means your puppy is neutered before it leaves, usually before 8 weeks old. It was thought to provide certain health protections but new research is showing an increased incidence of hip dysplasia in puppies that have been neutered too early. There is also evidence of an increase in certain bone cancers.

[F, Calla & Luca]

That will eliminate a huge percentage of breeders though. Both of mine were ESN but it does raise concerns.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This is only a problem for breeders of doodles and other mixed breeds. The best purebred breeders don't do ESN and they have other ways of making sure that their dogs are spayed and neutered at the appropriate times.

[Kathy]

Is hip testing as important in miniature or medium sized labradoodles as in standard sized?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, and particularly if there are full-sized Goldens or Labrador Retrievers in the lineage. We have a DK member whose mini doodle had to have hip replacement surgery on both hips at one year of age. But even if there aren't, hip testing is crucial for most breeds. My last dog was a miniature poodle, and all of the dogs (all miniatures, obviously) in her pedigree going back generastions had hip testing done and the scores posted in the database.

 If I were buying a mini, I'd want OFA testing done on the knees, too. Patellar luxation is common in poodles, especially small ones. And if a full sized retriever is involved, I'd want elbow testing on those dogs. Elbow dysplasia is very common in GRs and Labs.

[F, Calla & Luca]

It's vital for breeding dogs of any size. I think it's especially important for smaller breeders since some of them are bred themselves from dogs of very disparate sizes, which may be a recipe for trouble.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

It probably does eliminate most good ALD breeders which is sad but a 50% increase in HD is significant IMO. My boy was ESN too and he sadly fits the study perfectly. His sister who was kept as a breeder has a PennHip score of 100%. That doesn't prove anything but if I was going to be a double doodle mom, I would ask my breeder to trust me enough to let me have a pup and let him or her mature skeletally before We neuter him/her. Or I would get a GD because I know of several good breeders who do not ESN. Honestly, I can deal with the HD but the idea of a bone scarcoma worries me a lot.