The Canine Ledger

Hip and Elbow Scores: OFA, the BVA/KC Scheme, and Distraction Testing

Hip and elbow scores help breeders, but each scheme measures something different. What the grades mean, what they miss, and what to ask a breeder.

Written by thecanineledger

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In a guide dog programme, eight generations of breeding for better hip X-rays worked. Over 93% of its German Shepherd Dogs earned the top grade. But the same dogs, tested another way, showed that “half or more of dogs possessing the Excellent hip-extended-score phenotype remained susceptible to developing the osteoarthritis of canine hip dysplasia” (Leighton et al., PLOS ONE 2019).

While hip and elbow scores are among the most useful health tests a breeder can show you, each scheme measures something slightly different. This page explains the main schemes, what a score means, and what it can miss.

1. What hip and elbow dysplasia are

Hips. The UK scheme describes hip dysplasia as “a common inherited problem that means one or both of the hip joints develop abnormally” (British Veterinary Association, Hip scheme). The changes can cause wear, pain and arthritis.

Elbows. Elbow dysplasia is “a common inherited orthopaedic problem in dogs where the elbow doesn’t develop properly” (British Veterinary Association, Elbow scheme).

Genes aren’t everything. The UK scheme notes that dogs with good-scoring relatives “may still have poor scores”, because “a number of other factors over and above genetic factors from the parents can be involved.” The US Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) says severity “can be affected by environmental factors, such as caloric intake or level of exercise” (OFA, Hip Dysplasia).

2. The main schemes

The BVA/KC scheme (UK). Run by the British Veterinary Association with the Royal Kennel Club. Dogs must be at least 1 year old. Two expert vets score an X-ray of each hip on nine features. “The lower the score the better.” Each hip scores 0 to 53, so the total runs from 0 to 106. A single hip submission costs from GBP 82.50 including VAT, plus your vet’s fees (BVA website, read 4 November 2026).

UK elbow grades run from 0 to 3. “0 = Radiographically normal”, and the scheme “recommends only breeding from dogs that have an elbow grade of 0.”

OFA (US). OFA “classifies hips into seven different categories”: Excellent, Good and Fair are normal; Borderline; and Mild, Moderate and Severe are dysplastic. Preliminary screening is available from 4 months, but routine certification is for older dogs.

Distraction testing. A different method takes extra X-rays while the hip is gently pushed apart. It measures looseness as a “distraction index” (DI). One provider says testing “is accurate in puppies as young as 16 weeks of age”. Lower DI values mean tighter hips. The studies below use 0.30 as the threshold for risk.

Our note: We don’t name the distraction method’s brand, following our no-products rule. Ask your vet about distraction testing.

3. What the standard X-ray can miss

Testing both ways. A 2010 study tested 439 dogs with both methods. It found that “80% (293/367)” of dogs with Fair to Excellent OFA hips had a DI of 0.30 or higher (Powers et al., Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 2010, abstract). The authors concluded that OFA scoring “underestimated susceptibility to osteoarthritis”.

The guide dog study. In the guide dog programme, only direct selection on DI made a big difference: “Only by directly applying selection pressure to reduce distraction index was marked reduction in joint laxity noted.”

A detection dog programme found the same. Using OFA scores alone, “Hip joint quality scores were unchanged”. When DI was added, “hip joint quality scores improved significantly” (Haney et al., Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 2020, abstract).

Our note: We couldn’t confirm from the abstract whether the 2010 study’s authors developed the distraction method. The guide dog study had a guide dog organisation’s staff among its authors and funders.

4. But the UK scheme has made progress

A 2019 study of six UK breeds found “a general decline in hip score parameters”, “revealing a reduction in the prevalence and severity of hip dysplasia.” Elbow grades improved more modestly. The authors found a genetic trend in most breeds, “implying that the improvement observed is due in part to selection” (James et al., Frontiers in Veterinary Science 2019).

Disclosure. “All authors are full-time employees of the Kennel Club.”

Scores work best with family data. The UK scheme says “Breeding from dogs with hip scores below the published breed means/medians reduces the incidence of disease but does not eliminate it completely.” It also advises that “Where EBVs are available these should be used.” An estimated breeding value (EBV) combines a dog’s own score with its relatives’.

Our note: Both sides may have an interest: researchers linked to the distraction method, and the Kennel Club. We didn’t find an independent comparison.

5. What a score means for a pet

A score isn’t a forecast of pain. OFA says “No one can predict when or even if a dysplastic dog will start showing clinical signs of lameness due to pain.” Some badly affected dogs run and play; some mildly affected dogs are lame.

If your dog limps or is stiff, see your vet. A breeder’s certificate doesn’t rule out joint disease.

Our note: If a young dog becomes lame, see your vet. This page doesn’t cover treatment.

6. What to ask a breeder

  • Have both parents been hip and elbow scored, under which scheme, and at what age?
  • What are the scores, and how do they compare with the breed median?
  • Are estimated breeding values available for this breed?
  • Have the parents had distraction testing?
  • Can I see the certificates?

→ Choosing a Breed or a Mix: The Health Data Breeders Don’t Lead With · → Dog DNA Tests: What a Health Result Can and Can’t Tell You · → Breed and Lifespan: What the UK Primary-Care Data Shows

7. What we could not verify

Commonly saidWhat we found
“Good hip scores mean healthy hips for life”No. Dogs with good-scoring relatives can still have poor hips, and scores don’t predict pain.
“An Excellent OFA hip means no risk”Not necessarily. Two studies found many Excellent-scoring dogs had loose hips.
“Hip scoring hasn’t helped”It has, in the UK, according to Kennel Club researchers, though elbow progress was more modest.
“Hip dysplasia is purely genetic”No. Diet and exercise also play a part.
“Puppies can’t be hip tested”Some can. Distraction testing is offered from 16 weeks; the UK scheme needs dogs to be at least 1 year old.
“All countries use the same grades”No. The UK uses a 0 to 106 score; OFA uses seven categories.

Sources

Always confirm with your vet before acting on anything on this page.