# Hips "fair"



## Phoebe (Feb 8, 2006)

Pugsmom, below is an explanation of hip grades. Monomer posted a thread providing terrific information "A Puppy Buyer's Fact Finder" on this list.

Jan, Seamus, Gracie, Phoebe & Duke

Hip Grades

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The phenotypic evaluation of hips done by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals falls into seven different categories. Those categories are normal (Excellent, Good, Fair), Borderline, and dysplastic (Mild, Moderate, Severe). Once each of the radiologists classifies the hip into one of the 7 phenotypes above, the final hip grade is decided by a consensus of the 3 independent outside evaluations. Examples would be: 

Two radiologists reported excellent, one good—the final grade would be excellent 

One radiologist reported excellent, one good, one fair—the final grade would be good 

One radiologist reported fair, two radiologists reported mild—the final grade would be mild 
The hip grades of excellent, good and fair are within normal limits and are given OFA numbers. This information is accepted by AKC on dogs with permanent identification (tattoo, microchip) and is in the public domain. Radiographs of borderline, mild, moderate and severely dysplastic hip grades are reviewed by the OFA radiologist and a radiographic report is generated documenting the abnormal radiographic findings. Unless the owner has chosen the open database, dysplastic hip grades are not in the public domain. 

Excellent

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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 

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Severe HD (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.


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

Fair is a passing grade. Only show people and breeders usually OFA, so the lack of listing of other offspring doesn't mean a lot- the others may have been sold as pets


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## vrocco1 (Feb 25, 2006)

Unless you can get info on the other offspring, proceed with caution. Be sure that the Dad's hips are better then Mom's. Breeding two "Fairs" would be risky IMHO.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

I would look at the clearance history in a vertical pedigree befor making a decision to breed a Fair. I would only breed a Fair if littermates were Good, or Excellent, and both parents were Good, granparents, etc. If the Fair were superior in every other way ie: structure, movement, head, temperament, etc, then I would breed to a dog with Good or better and a solid history of same in a vertical pedigree. If there is no history, I would have to think twice about it, and would likely pass.


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## Ash (Sep 11, 2007)

I agree the sire's hips should be cleared and better then a "fair". Looking at the pedigree it looks ok for hips and longevity there are a few more fairs then I like behind but more goods and 3 exellents. Nothing is for sure but airing on the side of caution would be a smart idea. 

Ash


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## JensDreamboy (May 25, 2007)

ok, but where do you see longevity in the pedigree?


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## Ash (Sep 11, 2007)

Hi,

If you go to k9data and go to 5-generation pedigree and scroll to the bottom and click on the longevity link and the amout of years that come up is how long they lived. 

Ash


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## JensDreamboy (May 25, 2007)

Ok, I get it. Thank you! What a handy thing to have!


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

I personally would not want a pup from "fair" parents. I want "good" at a minimum and I prefer one parent to be "good" and one "excellent".


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## Emma&Tilly (May 15, 2005)

Is grading the hips like this the same as our method of hip scoring in the uk...?? but ours works in numbers instead of words (fair, good, etc) Or do you have a number system in the US too?


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

PennHip uses a number system, I believe. That's the other system that is used here in the US.


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## JensDreamboy (May 25, 2007)

EMMA AND TILLY - HOW ADORABLE you both are :


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## HovawartMom (Aug 10, 2006)

Fair is not accepted within the hovawart club!.


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## PeanutsMom (Oct 14, 2007)

Neither of peanuts parents are listed.I just thought it would be neat to look it up.


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## JensDreamboy (May 25, 2007)

The explanation I got for using a "fair" is that this breeder would rather use a fair with all good and excellent in her lines, then to use an "excellent" with problems in the line. So in this case, the "fair" is ok? To this breeder, anyway.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

pugmomwantsgolden said:


> The explanation I got for using a "fair" is that this breeder would rather use a fair with all good and excellent in her lines, then to use an "excellent" with problems in the line. So in this case, the "fair" is ok? To this breeder, anyway.


This is how I would look at it, as well. If I have a dog or bitch that is a Fair, but all the other dogs in the vertical pedigree (parents/sibs/grands/aunts & uncles, etc) are Good and Excellent, and my dog is in every other way a great representative of the breed, and maybe even better than his/her sibs in regards to structure, movement, head, whatever, I would breed him or her to a dog with like clearances throughout the vertical pedigree. This is why it is of the utmost importance to do clearances and have them listed throughout generations. 
So, yes, I would choose to breed a "Fair" with great hip history in the lines before I would breed a fluke "Excellent" with a history of dysplasia in the lines.


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## JensDreamboy (May 25, 2007)

Makes sense to me, too. Just checking :bowl:


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