Here at Bradshaw Mountain Animal Hospital we are offering PennHip radiographs. The PennHip technique assess the quality of the canine hip, and quantitatively measures canine hip joint laxity. This method of evaluation is more accurate than the current standard in its ability to predict the onset of osteoarthritis (OA). Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease (DJD), is the hallmark of canine hip dysplasia. It causes pain and disability in dogs who have it. The PennHip method takes 3 radiograph views the hip-extended view, the compression view, and the distraction view to asses, measure and interpret hip joint laxity. The distraction view and compression view are used to obtain accurate and precise measurements of joint laxity, and the hip-extended view is used to obtain supplementary information regarding existence of osteoarthritis of the hip joint. Dogs as young as 16 weeks can be assessed for their hips with this method.
