Canine Hip Dysplasia

The current scientific findings regarding hip dysplasia (correctly termed Canine Hip Dysplasia-CHD) indicate this disorder to be polygenic (comprised of more than one gene) and environmentally influenced, the exact percentages of responsibility are unknown.  What the environmental influence means is that you can possibly affect the score slightly in one direction or the other by keeping the dog in better or worse conditions.

Dysplasia means abnormal development or growth. When the condition of the hip joint, how the ball and socket fit to each other and their state of wear at the time of the x-ray, is judged to be less than perfect, the dog is said to have hip dysplasia. When the dog shows symptoms of joint degeneration (usually lameness), the dog is said to have hip dysplasia and this is active disease. The term covers both the condition and the disease. Having hips that are less than congruent does not mean they will become actively diseased, it only means they have a higher possibility. How a dog is kept also has an effect on the possibility of symptoms of disease appearing as well.  So having slight to mild dysplasia is not a certain determination of future disease, it only indicates that the risk is higher that it could develop.

Depending on the severity and pain tolerance of the dog, some dogs will show little or no symptoms and others extreme symptoms.  Also depending on the symptoms shown by the dog, they may require minimal treatment or surgery. X-rays and orthopedic veterinary consultation are required to determine the level of disease and treatment options.  As the Mudi is not a weighty breed, symptoms are not seen as often as they are in the larger and heavier breeds. How you care for your Mudi has a great deal to do with symptoms as well.  A dog that is maintained at their proper weight, exercised correctly, fed and housed well, will possibly not show symptoms.  A dog that is overweight, under or over exercised or exercised in an inappropriate manner, fed and housed inadequately, may show symptoms even when mildly affected.  Much has to do with the individual dog and owner circumstances. 

Dysplastic pups can be produced from many generations of clear ancestors because of the complex nature of the genes involved.  Simply performing official checks and breeding high scoring dogs together will not guarantee your offspring will also be free of the disorder.  An extensive examination of the scores and breeding results of the parents, siblings and other close relatives can give a clearer indication of the probabilities for creating pups with hip disease. 

Since many Mudis and their offspring are not checked, this makes probability assessment for planned matings very difficult.  This is further compounded by the main orthopedic association registries having closed records (OFA, PennHIP, FDB, MKOE, etc.) and lack of an international grading method for proper comparison of dogs' scores given in differing countries.

All Mudis used for breeding should have their hips screened by official orthopedic associations.  No dog with a score lower than advisable for breeding in their country should be used for breeding.  Any dog, no matter what their individual score is, that has produced multiple affected offspring, especially from different unrelated mates, should not be bred further.

To see the hip scores of Mudis with official checks, please go to the Health Point statistics chart on this website.  Only Mudis that have been scored officially by a recognized orthopedic association will be listed.  Please be aware that there are Mudi kennels that list hip scores on their websites that are not official.  You can check their dogs listed scores against the scores listed on the official orthopedic websites or on the Mudi Compass Health Point chart.

For more information about preventing the spread of hip dysplasia (and other serious health disorders) in the Mudi breed, please visit the Health Point page on this website.