From my research, it’s clear that there is a genetic component to CHD (Canine Hip Dysplasia), and that is why a quick Google search or your veterinarian will say that it’s genetic. That is not untrue: even if the genes are still a mystery, there is a correlation. Unfortunately, there is also more profit derived in a veterinary visit when a claim can be made on genetics and money spent on x-rays, medication, and surgery rather than informing the client/breeder on prevention. Claiming a cause due to only genetics ignores a large amount of studies done to prove that genetics is not the only factor in the disease. Overall it is a complex disease with many factors. One study has shown that the genetic heritability in Golden Retrievers is only 15-40% (1 6 7), and many sources say that heritability is different for each dog breed. One study found "The estimated heritabilities of Golden retrievers (Labrador retrievers) for HD scores were 0.28 (0.15), 0.28 (0.29) and 0.41 (0.34) in France, Sweden and the UK, respectively. (7)" The occurrence of Hip Dysplasia in Golden Retrievers in the US is higher than previously thought, at 53% to 73%. (9) As far as I can tell, no large-scale study has been done and is limited to the number of dogs submitted for OFA testing which could have bias due to the type of submissions. (9) Genetically, it appears to be able to skip (multiple) generations, but I have yet to find a scientific study to prove that, since the genes are not known themselves. This could be a reason why, despite careful selection by breeders, dysplasia continues to be a problem. (5) It also appears that the OFA certification is inferior to the more scientific PennHIP Diagnostic Imaging, and PennHIP is able to more accurately predict OA in dogs by measuring joint laxity. (10) Whereas this testing is helpful, some of the studies suggest that a method called Estimated Breeding Values if the best way to make genetic improvement because it combines a dog’s individual test results with the history of the dog’s pedigree, looking for other weaknesses in its family tree. From what I can tell, this is a good method but only dogs who have been tested and submitted to the OFA can be entered into the database, and since most dogs are not unless a problem is suspected, there is a lot of missing data.

 

Studies have been done to prove that weight, nutrition, a puppy’s access to stairs, strenuous exercise, and limited-fed diets all contribute greatly to the disease. A study done proved that restricted feeding delayed or prevented OA (The condition that causes pain if dysplasia is left untreated) from occurring, and the amount of time it took for a dog to get OA doubled from 6 years of age to 12 years of age when restricted feeding was implemented. (4) In another study, puppies that had high parental frequency of HD proved that there was a closer correlation with feeding and weight gain than with tightness or laxity of the hip joints. If genetics were the main factor, restricted feeding and weight should not have such a great affect, considering the parents were predisposed to HD. (3) In another study using the OFA method, 7 of the 24 limit-fed dogs and 16 of the 24 ad libitum-fed dogs were diagnosed as having hip dysplasia. (6) That’s over 50% more dogs fed a control diet that were diagnosed with HD. Weight has been shown to be a significant risk factor. (8) I talk more about nutrition below on number 5 of recommendations for prevention.

 

Upon revisting the issue and finding this research in April, 2024 I am committing to breeding practices to do my part and reduce the occurrence of hip and elbow dysplasia, and other breed-related diseases. Hip and Elbows will be certified by the OFA, and I will be doing PennHip if there is any room for doubt on the results of hip OFA certification. However, my research has shown that puppy families are even more in control of their dog's outlook:

 

1. Do not let young puppies climb stairs.

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2. Do not overfeed or let the puppy become overweight. This was the greatest environmental factor with the greatest impact on HD. 

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3. Slippery floors are also a risk factor. If you have slippery floors, consider keeping the puppy in a specific area of the house where you can place rugs or something more stable to walk on. 

 

4. I recommend giving NuVet supplements to support growing joints.

 

5. Really pay attention to diet. I feed a raw food (it is a mixture of meat, vegetables, sprouted supplements, bone, organ meats, and sardines) diet as recommended by my canine nutritionist. The book "Deep Nutrition" by Catherine Shanahan talks about how a lack of nutrition in food has degraded the human genome, and the way to restore health is to look at what the healthiest people in the world eat, and the food our ancestors ate. Similarly, I have a theory that the canine genetic deterioration can be attributed, at least in part, to the same. CHD was discovered in the 1930s and within 30 years, it had spread to 55 breeds. What happened in the 1930s to cause genes to suddenly "switch on" in a matter of 30 years, was my first question. This would also explain why selective breeding practices have done little to lower the occurrence of dysplasia. It was sometime around this time when commercial dog food hit the shelves. When I have research to back this theory I will post it here. For now, I intend to act on this conviction by feeding my dogs the best food I can find. And they LOVE it.

6. Jumping, joint-stressing games like fetch, and distance running on hard surfaces are very bad for joints.

 

7. Chiropractic care. This is a resource that was recently made available in my area so I will be using this resource for my dogs to further pursue healthy measures of prevention.
 

I have linked these resources below as well as some key quotes. 

 

“Genetic selection should continue to produce modest progress in the reduction of hip dysplasia. But a significant and immediate reduction in the number of afflicted animals could be achieved by better control of non-genetic, environmental factors. Weight management, appropriate exercise, proper nutrition, and early intervention at the first sign of lameness are simple steps we can take that will dramatically reduce the pain and suffering caused by hip dysplasia.” (1)

 

“Although there is a genetic influence on hip dysplasia, the heritability of the trait is rather low.” (1)

 

“It was found that hip dysplasia was more frequent, occurred earlier, and became more severe in the dogs with a rapid weight gain caused by increased caloric intake than in the dogs which had a low weight gain because of restricted feeding. Restricted feeding delayed or prevented development of radiographic signs of hip joint osteoarthritis. Restricted-fed dogs had lower prevalence and later onset of hip joint osteoarthritis. Median age at first identification of radiographic evidence of hip joint osteoarthritis was significantly lower in the control-fed group (6 years), compared with the restricted-fed group (12 years).” (4)

 

“Despite expensive screening and breeding programmes, hip dysplasia (HD) continues to be one of the most common orthopedic diseases in dogs.” (5) 

 

The estimated heritabilities of Golden retrievers (Labrador retrievers) for HD scores were 0.28 (0.15), 0.28 (0.29) and 0.41 (0.34) in France, Sweden and the UK, respectively. (7)

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“Prevalence of CHD in Golden Retrievers ranged from 53% to 73%. Prevalence of CHD in these 2 breeds may be much higher than previously reported in the United States. Results suggest substantial bias in the OFA database, which causes lower estimates of prevalence of CHD.” (9)

 

“There is no single cause of hip dysplasia; rather it is caused by multiple factors, some of which include genetics and nutrition. “ (12)

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1. The Institue of Canine Biology 

https://www.instituteofcaninebiology.org/blog/the-10-most-important-things-to-know-about-canine-hip-dysplasia#:~:text=%E2%80%8BThe%20top%20three%20environmental,%29%20exercise%20%28see%20below%29/ 

 

2. Elwoodvet.net

https://www.elwoodvet.net/hip-dysplasia#:~:text=But%20it's%20not%20a%20simple,were%20carrying%20hip%20dysplasia%20genes.

 

3. Nutrition, weight gain and development of hip dysplasia. An experimental investigation in growing dogs with special reference to the effect of feeding intensity

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1066031/

 

4. Lifelong diet restriction and radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis of the hip joint in dogs | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16948575/#:~:text=Restricted%2Dfed%20dogs%20had%20lower,fed%20group%20(12%20years).

 

5. Diagnosis, genetic control and preventive management of canine hip dysplasia: a review

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19428274/

 

6. Effects of limited food consumption on the incidence of hip dysplasia in growing dogs

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1399793/

 

7. Genetic correlations of hip dysplasia scores for Golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers in France, Sweden and the UK

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28911842/

 

8. Evaluation of risk factors for degenerative joint disease associated with hip dysplasia in German Shepherd Dogs, Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, and Rottweilers

https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/219/12/javma.2001.219.1719.xml

 

9. Estimates of prevalence of hip dysplasia in Golden Retrievers and Rottweilers and the influence of bias on published prevalence figures.

https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/226/3/javma.2005.226.387.xml

 

10. Evaluation of the relationship between Orthopedic Foundation for Animals' hip joint scores and PennHIP distraction index values in dogs

https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/237/5/javma.237.5.532.xml

11. What is Hip Dysplasia

https://www.rosenbergchiropracticclinic.ca/hip-dysplasia

 

12. WHAT IS CANINE HIP DYSPLASIA?

https://vethospital.tamu.edu/small-animal/orthopedics/orthopedic-services/canine-hip-dysplasia/

 

13. ​Housing- and exercise-related risk factors associated with the development of hip dysplasia as determined by radiographic evaluation in a prospective cohort of Newfoundlands, Labrador Retrievers, Leonbergers, and Irish Wolfhounds in Norway

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22620698/

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14. Diet, Exercise, and Weight as Risk Factors in Hip Dysplasia and Elbow Arthrosis in Labrador Retrievers https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7012060_Diet_Exercise_and_Weight_as_Risk_Factors_in_Hip_Dysplasia_and_Elbow_Arthrosis_in_Labrador_Retrievers 

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15. https://aescparker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/educ_elbow_displasia.pdf

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16. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23266351/

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17. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6883289/

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