OFA and PennHip Evaluations

Breeding Ophthalmic Examination (OFA and CERF)

The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) and the Canine Eye Registration Foundation (CERF) are two organizations that breeders can register their dogs’ annual ophthalmic breeding exams. Owners and breeders can have a breeding eye exam perform by a boarded veterinary ophthalmologist (DACVO). These examination findings can then be presented to the one of these organizations and in turn a registration number will be issue for that dog. This number can then be used to show potential buyers, breeders and researchers that this dog was free of heritable ocular disease. This certification is good for one year and the information from these exams is compiled to give ophthalmologists, researchers and breed clubs statistical data on the prevalence of specific ocular disease in a breed. The purpose of the breeding eye exam is to help breeders limit the number of dogs bred with heritable ocular conditions. The American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists currently supports the OFA for breeding eye exams. For additional information about OFA, please visit www.offa.org. For further information about CERF, please see www.vmdb.org. An OFA or CERF examination can be arranged for your pet through our hospital.

PennHIP Evaluations

PennHIP represents the non-profit veterinary health service University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program that developed a multifaceted radiographic methodology to more accurately measure and assess canine hip quality and joint laxity and the existence or likelihood of developing osteoarthritis (OA) also known as degenerative joint disease (DJD), the hallmark of hip dysplasia (HD).

The PennHIP method consists of three separate radiographic images: the distraction view, the compression view and the hip-extended view. The distraction view measures hip joint laxity; the compression view obtains hip joint congruity readings; while the hip-extended view provides OA readings.

Radiographs made by certified PennHIP members, such as our own veterinarians, are sent to the PennHIP Analysis Center for evaluation. The information is also stored in a medical database for scientific analysis. The scientific findings are shared with veterinarians, breed clubs and in publications, such as scientific journals and pet-related publications.