These procedure notes are intended to explain the BVA/Kennel Club Hip Dysplasia Scheme and to provide helpful instruction

to those using the Scheme. They are due to be effective from 1 January 2006 and replace all previous documents in relation to

the scheme. These notes may in the future be replaced or modified by further communication.

Hip dysplasia (HD) is a genetically transmitted condition, but environmental factors may influence the final score achieved. The

score does not therefore absolutely reflect the potential for transmission of HD of an individual animal but should be regarded

only as an indicator of possible transmission of the condition. For the Scheme to be meaningful and successful it is important

that a film from EVERY dog radiographed be submitted for scoring, whether or not the animal is required for breeding and

whatever the state of the hips, in order to provide the widest possible information for use by a geneticist.

The main purposes of the scheme are the examination of radiographs of hips of dogs for hip dysplasia and the issue of a

certificate in respect of that examination. The examination is conducted by the evaluation of a radiograph for any anatomical

and pathological changes indicative of hip dysplasia and a score is recorded. This score, and its relation to the Breed Mean

Score, is intended to assist dog breeders in their selection of breeding stock. Breeders wishing to reduce the risk of HD should

select their breeding stock (both dogs and bitches) only from animals with hip scores WELL BELOW the Breed Mean Score.

Many clinically sound dogs may have high HD scores and should not therefore be used for breeding. The scheme does not

cover any other hereditary or clinical defects which may need to be considered when choosing suitable breeding stock.

However, breeders wishing to have their dogs graded for elbow dysplasia as well as hip dysplasia may have the hips and elbows

radiographed at the same time and the submissions sent together. In such cases these procedure notes will have to be read in

conjunction with those of the BVA/Kennel Club Elbow Dysplasia (ED) Scheme (details available from BVA).

The owner should approach his or her veterinary surgeon and request that the dog be submitted for scoring under the Scheme. It

is possible to arrange for more than one dog to be submitted on the same occasion. The following procedure should be

observed:

(a) the minimum age of a dog for submission under the Scheme is one year. There is no upper age limit;

(b) suitable arrangements must be made with the veterinary surgeon for the dog's hips to be radiographed;

(c) the following documents must be made available at the time of radiography -

(i) the Kennel Club (KC) Registration Certificate of the dog if it is registered with the KC,

(ii) any related transfer or change of name certificate;

(d) prior to radiography of the dog's hips, the owner must complete and sign the first section of the certificate (the

Owner's Declaration) verifying that the details given in that section relate to the dog being submitted, that the

details are correct and granting permission for the results to be used in the ways specified. The certificates

are provided by BVA.

A ventro-dorsal radiograph of the pelvis is required for scoring. The veterinary surgeon should radiograph the dog's hips as

indicated below.

The Guidance Notes for the Protection of Persons Against Ionising Radiations Arising from Veterinary Use (1988) explain that

only in EXCEPTIONAL circumstances should dogs be manually restrained for radiography. Since the radiography of

dogs for the purposes of this Scheme would not constitute exceptional circumstances:

(a). it is NECESSARY to employ general anaesthesia, narcosis or deep sedation to enable only mechanical (ie non-manual)

restraint for the positioning of the animal;

(b) collimation of the primary beam should be clearly visible on the radiograph.

A standard position for radiography must be employed. Accordingly:

(a) the dog should be placed on its back with the pelvis in the middle of the cassette and the x-ray beam centred on the

midline between the hips (ie the centring point should be at the level of the cranial edge of the pubis);

(b) in order to avoid rotation, the head and body should be supported in a straight line by a cradle or by blocks at the

thorax. Tilting of any part of the dog's body is likely to cause axial rotation of the pelvis and asymmetry of the hips;

(c) the hind legs should be FULLY extended and adducted so that the femora lie parallel to each other and parallel to the

film;

(d) the legs should be inwardly rotated so that the patellae lie centrally in the trochlear grooves;

(e) suitable ties or tape should be used to achieve correct adduction and inward rotation; poor positioning which allows

either lateral or longitudinal tilt of the pelvis may prevent accurate radiological assessment of the hips;

(f) if the radiograph shows axial rotation of the pelvis, this may be corrected by raising the hip on the side on which the

image of the obturator foramen is smaller.

The following information MUST be radiographed onto the film at the time of exposure or by light marker onto the film before

processing -

(a) EITHER

(i) the Kennel Club Registration Number (from the top right hand corner of the KC Registration

Certificate) for dogs registered with the KC (no other form of identification for KC registered

dogs is acceptable),

OR

(ii) an appropriate form of identification for dogs not registered with the KC (eg the dog's identification

as used by the veterinary practice or by the breed club);

(b) the date of radiography;

(c) left and/or right marker(s);

Correct exposure and processing (developing, fixing and washing) are essential to provide a radiograph of good diagnostic

quality. Incorrect exposure and processing can seriously interfere with the visibility of detail and so affect the radiological

assessment of the hips. Extraneous marks from screen contamination, splashes, scratches etc should be avoided. The radiograph

should be checked immediately after processing (while the dog is still restrained) for correct positioning, exposure and film

quality in case a further radiograph needs to be taken.

When radiographing a large or fat dog, it may be necessary to use a grid.

If digital images are submitted, they should be submitted as dry laser images or printed on good quality photographic paper.

The image should be printed from the original dicom file and ideally there should be no change in image size. If this is

impossible, images should be of approximate size and must have an easily visible scale. Please note, at present, images on disc

are not accepted

The procedure for submission and scoring under the scheme is as follows:

(a) the veterinary surgeon sends the radiograph to BVA with the HD certificate, having signed

the middle part (the Submitting Veterinary Surgeon's Certificate) to certify -

(i) the details regarding the submission of the radiograph,

(ii) the microchip or tattoo number (if applicable) once verified;

(b) the current fee (see Schedule 1) must be included with the submission and cheques must be made payable to BVA. The

BVA charge includes an element towards the Kennel Club costs (which is forwarded to the KC) and the scrutineers'

fees, but does not cover the cost of radiography;

(c) scrutineers, appointed by BVA, meet frequently to score the radiographs. Two scrutineers agree the score for each

radiograph;

(d) for each hip joint a score is derived by evaluation of nine separate features by employing a set of defined criteria.

The final score is the SUM of the points awarded for each of the nine radiographic features of BOTH hip joints. The

minimum score for each hip is 0 and the maximum is 53, which gives a total range of 0-106. The LOWER the score

the less the degree of hip dysplasia evident;

(e) the score is recorded in the Certificate of Scoring section at the bottom of the certificate which is signed by both

scrutineers;

(f) the radiograph which has been scored has the initials "BVA" embossed onto it once. Any other radiographs which

have been submitted for the same dog (ie not scored) will be embossed twice with the BVA initials.

If a radiograph is rejected by the scrutineers as unsuitable for scoring, it will be embossed twice with the initials "BVA" and

returned to the submitting veterinary surgeon with any relevant comments; the fee will not be refunded and the certificate will

not be completed. When a subsequent radiograph is submitted for that dog, it must be accompanied by a new certificate and a

further fee (see Schedule 1).

The Breed Mean Score is calculated from ALL the scores recorded for a given breed (both high and low) and gives a

representation of the overall HD status for the dogs scored in that breed. At the time the radiograph and certificate are returned

to the submitting veterinary surgeon, a copy of the current sheet giving the breed mean scores will be enclosed so that the

veterinary surgeon may best advise his/her client regarding the dog's suitability for breeding.

The results of scoring are normally sent to the submitting veterinary surgeon within three weeks from receipt by BVA of the

correct submission. The arrangements are as follows:

(a) the radiograph, the completed original certificate (which is green and is to be passed to the owner) and a photocopy of

the certificate (to be kept by the veterinary surgeon) are returned to the veterinary surgeon along with a copy of the

procedure notes and the breed mean score sheet;

(b) the names of Kennel Club registered dogs scored under the scheme, together with the results of the HD score, will be

sent to the Kennel Club for publication and inclusion on the relevant documents. Details and results of dogs not

registered with the Kennel Club will not be sent to the KC;

(c) relevant details may be sent to a geneticist for statistical analysis as arranged by BVA.

(a) Pending results:

(i) an owner must contact the submitting veterinary surgeon, NOT BVA, for results issued under the

Scheme;

(ii) a veterinary surgeon may contact BVA on a client's behalf for results of scoring but is asked to allow at least

three weeks from the date of correct submission before doing so.

(b) Past results:

(i) requests for results which have previously been published should be directed to the Kennel Club;

(ii) any results which have not been published cannot be divulged by BVA and should be sought directly from

the owner(s) of the dog;

(iii) a copy of a certificate may be issued by BVA only to the person(s) identified on the HD certificate as the

owner(s) of the dog at the time of scoring. Such requests should be made to BVA in writing and a fee will be

charged (see Schedule 1).

An owner has a right to appeal with regard to the results of a HD score. The procedure shall be as follows:

(a) any application for appeal against the result of a HD score must be lodged by the owner with BVA in writing within

45 days from the date of dispatch from BVA. The same radiograph used for scoring (ie the radiograph embossed

once with the initials "BVA") must be resubmitted by the veterinary surgeon to BVA within a reasonable period of

time. An appeal certificate (available to the veterinary surgeon from BVA) must be completed in a similar way to the

HD certificate and submitted with the radiograph together with the re-scoring fee (see Schedule 1). In the event of an

appeal being lodged proof of posting will not constitute proof of receipt by BVA;

(b) the radiograph will be re-scored by the Chief Scrutineer, whose decision is final, and the new score results will be

relayed in the normal way (NB the first result may already have been submitted to the KC for publication before the

second result is received). In any event, the final result will be sent to the Kennel Club for publication.

The scale of fees as at 1 January 2006 is set out below (figures in brackets include VAT). These charges do not include the cost

of radiography and may be changed from time to time. Any changes will be notified by further communication.

1-4 dogs £26.04 (£30.60)

5 or more dogs for the same owner £20.77 (£24.40)

Rescoring under the appeals procedure £52.00 (£61.10)

Joint Hip & Elbow £50.04 (£58.80)

Copy of HD certificate [can only be issued to the person(s) identified £15.23 (£17.90)

on the original certificate as the owner(s) of the dog at the time of scoring]

The BVA appointed panel of scrutineers detailed below may be changed from time to time. Any changes will be notified by

further communication.

Mr J E F HOULTON, MA VetMB DVR DSAO MRCVS DipECVS (Chief Scrutineer)

DR A ANDERSON BVetMed DSAS (Orth) MRCVS

Mrs E A BAINES MA VetMB DVR DipECVDI MRCVS

Mr D D CLARKE MA VetMB DVR CertSAC MRCVS

Mr D G CLAYTON-JONES BVetMed DVR DSAO MRCVS

Dr J V DAVIES BVetMed DVR MRCVS DipECVS DipECVDI

Mrs R DENNIS MA VetMB DVR MRCVS DipECVDI

Mr S J FOSTER BVSc CertVOphthal MRCVS

Dr C GIBBS BVSc DVR MRCVS DipECVDI

Mr M E HERRTAGE MA BVSc DVR DVD DSAM MRCVS DipECVDI

Mr B M TURNER BVSc (Massey) DVR CertSAO MRCVS 1/06