Hip score


Hip scoring is a procedure used to determine the degree of hip dysplasia in dogs and other animals and reporting the findings in a standard way. The hip score is the sum of the points awarded for each of nine radiographic features of both hip joints.
The British Veterinary Association uses the following criteria to determine hip score:
  1. Norberg Angle
  2. Subluxation
  3. Cranial Acetabular Edge
  4. Dorsal Acetabular Edge
  5. Cranial Effective Acetabular Rim
  6. Acetabular Fossa
  7. Caudal Acetabular Edge
  8. Femoral Head/Neck Exostosis
  9. Femoral Head Recontouring
The lower the score, the less the degree of dysplasia present. The minimum score for each hip is zero, and the maximum is 53, giving a range for the total of 0 to 106. Each hip is scored separately under the BVA, so within the UK scores are usually displayed as two numbers separated by a forward slash. The highest score of one of both hips is taken to provide a score for international comparison.
The following table compares the scores recognised by Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals, Fédération Cynologique Internationale, the British Veterinary Association and Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde.
OFA FCI BVA 1 HipSV
EA-10Normal
GA-21-3Normal
FB-14-6Normal
BB-27-8Fast Normal
MC9-18Noch Zugelassen
ModD19-30Mittlere
SE>30Schwere

British Veterinarian Association
The average hip scores in the year 2005 for popular breeds from Australia are tabulated below:
BreedAverage score'''
Airedale Terrier13
Alaskan Malamute11
Beauceron14
Belgian Shepherd9
Bernese Mountain Dog11
Border Collie9
Bull Mastiff23
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel15
Curly Coated Retriever11
Dogue de Bordeaux22
Doberman9
German Shepherd Dog13
Golden Retriever16
Irish Setter15
Japanese Akita11
Labrador Retriever12
Mastiff11
Newfoundland21
Old English Sheep Dog17
Rhodesian Ridgeback7
Rottweiler10
Samoyed19
Siberian Husky6
St. Bernard18
Staffordshire Bull Terrier12
Weimaraner10