Orthopedic Health

German Pinscher Health

Hip Health

In breeds tested for hip dysplasia, the German Pincher has a very low incidence of the disease (1% dysplastic). Of the 148 breeds ranked from highest incidence to lowest incidence by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, the German Pinscher ranks 147th. This is very exciting data for German Pinscher breeders because it means that German Pinscher hips are very consistent and healthy!

Hip dysplasia is one of the most studied conditions in dogs, and is the leading cause of arthritis of the canine hips. Most dysplastic dogs are born with normal hips, but due to various factors, including genetics, soft tissue surrounding the joint develops abnormally with the growth of the puppy. The result of this abnormal development of the hip joint is hip dysplasia. This abnormality may occur bilaterally or unilaterally. There is a laxity of the muscles, connective tissue and ligaments supporting the joint. In dysplastic dogs, the femoral head is not held firmly and tightly in the acetabulum. In severe cases, the femoral head will actually slip out of the hip socket. This causes stretching of the joint capsule and the ligaments between the two bones. Additionally, the femoral head and the acetabulum may not be as smooth and round as they should be. This creates abnormal wear and friction on the joint. As the articular surfaces of the two bones move away from each other, a subluxation is created, causing constant damage to the cartilage in the joint. Because of this damage, the cartilage attempts to repair itself, but it is a slow process. This causes inflammation, which causes further damage. The more damage the joint takes, the less it is able to heal itself.

Hip dysplasia is very likely based upon hereditary, though studies have shown that two dogs without hip dysplasia are able to produce offspring that are affected, and two dogs with hip dysplasia are able to produce offspring who are not affected. Evidence has shown that it is not just one factor that causes hip dysplasia. The shape of the bones are important to joint health, as cited above. Additionally, the muscles in the pelvic area must be strong enough to support the joints. Furthermore, nutrition and exercise play a role in the development of healthy hips. A young dog should be fit, not overweight at all to cause extra pressure on developing joints. Additionally, you want to allow your puppy to exercise enough to build healthy muscles to support the healthy joints.

The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) has been the standard method of assessing the quality of canine hips for many years. The OFA database contains and maintains hip evaluations for more the 475,000 dogs. Radiographs are taken under specific guidelines by a local veterinarian, and then sent to OFA to be evaluated by three different specialist to certify the status of the canine's hips. The radiographs are evaluated for seven specific characteristics: the hip joints for congruity, subluxation, the condition of the acetabular margins and acetabular notch, and the size, shape, and architecture of the femoral head and neck. A consensus score is assigned based on these seven features in relation to other individuals of the same breed at the same age.

The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals is a private, not for profit corporation, founded in 1966, originally to help control hip dysplasia by supplying valuable information about the quality of canine hips. Over the years, the breadth and depth of their database, including elbow dysplasia, patellar luxation, autoimmune thyroiditis, congenital heart disease, Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, sebaceous adenitis, congenital deafness, shoulder OCD and several DNA based databases such as von Willebrand's disease and progressive retinal atrophy, as well as screen felines for various health issues.

The OFA is guided by the following four specific objectives:

To collate and disseminate information concerning orthopedic and genetic diseases of animals.
To advise, encourage and establish control programs to lower the incidence of orthopedic and genetic diseases.
To encourage and finance research in orthopedic and genetic disease in animals.
To receive funds and make grants to carry out these objectives.

OFA's Hip Results

Excellent (Figure 1): this classification is assigned for superior conformation in comparison to other animals of the same age and breed. There is a deep seated ball (femoral head) which fits tightly into a well-formed socket (acetabulum) with minimal joint space. There is almost complete coverage of the socket over the ball.

Good (Figure 2): slightly less than superior but a well-formed congruent hip joint is visualized. The ball fits well into the socket and good coverage is present.

Fair (Figure 3): Assigned where minor irregularities in the hip joint exist. The hip joint is wider than a good hip phenotype. This is due to the ball slightly slipping out of the socket causing a minor degree of joint incongruency. There may also be slight inward deviation of the weight-bearing surface of the socket (dorsal acetabular rim) causing the socket to appear slightly shallow (Figure 4). This can be a normal finding in some breeds however, such as the Chinese Shar Pei, Chow Chow, and Poodle.

Borderline: there is no clear cut consensus between the radiologists to place the hip into a given category of normal or dysplastic. There is usually more incongruency present than what occurs in the minor amount found in a fair but there are no arthritic changes present that definitively diagnose the hip joint being dysplastic. There also may be a bony projection present on any of the areas of the hip anatomy illustrated above that can not accurately be assessed as being an abnormal arthritic change or as a normal anatomic variant for that individual dog. To increase the accuracy of a correct diagnosis, it is recommended to repeat the radiographs at a later date (usually 6 months). This allows the radiologist to compare the initial film with the most recent film over a given time period and assess for progressive arthritic changes that would be expected if the dog was truly dysplastic. Most dogs with this grade (over 50%) show no change in hip conformation over time and receive a normal hip rating; usually a fair hip phenotype.

Mild Canine Hip Dysplasia (Figure 5): there is significant subluxation present where the ball is partially out of the socket causing an incongruent increased joint space. The socket is usually shallow only partially covering the ball. There are usually no arthritic changes present with this classification and if the dog is young (24 to 30 months of age), there is an option to resubmit an radiograph when the dog is older so it can be reevaluated a second time. Most dogs will remain dysplastic showing progression of the disease with early arthritic changes. Since HD is a chronic, progressive disease, the older the dog, the more accurate the diagnosis of HD (or lack of HD).

Moderate Canine Hip Dysplasia: there is significant subluxation present where the ball is barely seated into a shallow socket causing joint incongruency. There are secondary arthritic bone changes usually along the femoral neck and head (termed remodeling), acetabular rim changes (termed osteophytes or bone spurs) and various degrees of trabecular bone pattern changes called sclerosis. Once arthritis is reported, there is only continued progression of arthritis over time.

Severe Canine Hip Dysplasia (Figure 6): assigned where radiographic evidence of marked dysplasia exists. There is significant subluxation present where the ball is partly or completely out of a shallow socket. Like moderate HD, there are also large amounts of secondary arthritic bone changes along the femoral neck and head, acetabular rim changes and large amounts of abnormal bone pattern changes.

OFA's Statistics on German Pinscher Hip Health