PennHIP vs. OFA: Why We Test Our Goldens with PennHIP

At Windy Knoll Goldens, the health of our Golden Retrievers comes first, and healthy hips are a large part of that. We began hip testing when we started breeding, and about five years in we adopted PennHIP alongside OFA. After years of testing our own dogs with both methods, PennHIP is the one we trust, and here is why.

PennHIP gives a measurable, scientific reading

PennHIP produces an actual measurement of hip laxity, so you get an objective, scientifically based number rather than an impression. OFA, by contrast, is a subjective reading. A small panel of radiologists looks at the X-ray and grades it on how the hips appear to them.

Over the years we have seen many OFA readings that simply do not correlate to the PennHIP results on the same dog. We have even seen the same X-ray come back with an entirely different OFA grade depending on how the panel of three radiologists happened to feel that day. That is the heart of the problem with a subjective method.

Our experience is shared across the breeding community

This is not just our observation. Most of our breeder friends, some of whom have been testing for as long as 30 years, have found the same thing: OFA results are all over the board compared to PennHIP. And every veterinarian we have spoken with who performs both procedures has told us the same thing plainly, that OFA is not trustworthy. When the people doing the testing every day reach the same conclusion, it is worth paying attention to.

When each method can be used

PennHIP can be performed as early as 16 weeks of age, which means potential hip problems can be identified long before a dog enters its breeding years. OFA cannot certify a dog until it is two years old. For a breeder trying to make sound decisions early, that difference matters a great deal.

Further reading: one veterinarian’s perspective

The points above line up closely with a well-known article by Dr. Patty Khuly comparing the two methods. We have kept a short excerpt below because it captures the objectivity and evidence-based advantages we have seen ourselves. You can read her full article, “PennHIP vs. OFA: Better medicine vs. better marketing,” at this link.

On objectivity: “PennHIP patients’ X-rays are assessed via objective measurements while the OFA X-rays are graded by a small panel of radiologists based on subjective impressions of the dogs’ individual hip conformation.”

On being evidence-based: “PennHIP requires any veterinarian who undertakes this method to have his or her X-rays included in a database of cases, regardless of hip quality… The OFA’s approach effectively allows veterinarians to select the best images or decline to submit poor quality hips for evaluation, thus skewing their database towards better hips.”

On early prediction: “PennHIP can be employed as early as 16 weeks for an accurate prediction of future changes to the hips. Therein lies its most valuable asset: its ability to eliminate hip dysplasia entirely from the genetic pool if everyone used this method on their pre-pubescent dogs.”

— Dr. Patty Khuly, VMD

For further reading on the pros and cons of both methods, please check out this link.