Canine Hip Dysplasia: Relative Risk by Sex, Size, and Breed, and Comparative Aspects

SUMMARY Of 69,245 dogs seen at 10 veterinary schools in the United States and Canada, 1,193 had canine hip dysplasia. Males and females were equally affected. The risk in giant and large breeds was 50 times and 20 times, respectively, greater than that in small or medium-sized breeds. Even within a size category, certain breeds had excessive risk: among large breeds, for example, Golden Retrievers had 50 times the risk of Collies. In comparing these and other findings on dogs with recent observations in man, it appears that canine hip dysplasia may be homologous to one of two types of human congenital hip disease—namely, the type with primary acetabular (osseous) dysplasia, which is probably inherited in a polygenic mode and cannot be diagnosed in the newborn.