Hip and Elbow Scoring in Dogs: How the BVA Scheme Works
Hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia are among the most common inherited orthopaedic conditions in dogs, causing pain, reduced mobility, and significantly impaired quality of life. The British Veterinary Association (BVA) and Kennel Club jointly administer scoring schemes that allow breeders to assess the conformation of their dogs' joints before deciding whether to breed from them. These schemes represent decades of accumulated data and remain the gold standard for pre-breeding orthopaedic assessment in the UK.
What Hip and Elbow Dysplasia Actually Are
Hip dysplasia occurs when the ball-and-socket joint of the hip develops abnormally, leading to laxity, poor congruence, and over time, osteoarthritis. It is a polygenic condition — meaning many genes contribute to its expression — and is also influenced by environmental factors including growth rate, diet, and exercise during puppyhood. Large and giant breeds are disproportionately affected, though medium-sized breeds are not immune.
Elbow dysplasia is a collective term for several developmental abnormalities of the elbow joint, including fragmented coronoid process, osteochondrosis dissecans, and ununited anconeal process. As with hip dysplasia, multiple genes are involved, and affected dogs typically develop progressive lameness and arthritis.
How the Hip Scoring Scheme Works
Hip scoring requires submission of radiographs taken under specific conditions. The dog must be sedated or anaesthetised to achieve adequate relaxation of the muscles, and positioned in a standardised dorsoventral position. The radiographs are sent to the BVA, where they are assessed by a panel of scrutineers — specialist vets trained in radiographic evaluation of joint conformation.
Each hip is assessed across nine separate criteria: Norberg angle, subluxation, cranial acetabular edge, dorsal acetabular edge, cranial effective acetabular rim, acetabular fossa, caudal acetabular edge, femoral head and neck exostosis, and femoral head recontouring. Each criterion is scored from 0 to 6 (or 0 to 5 for some), with lower scores indicating better conformation. The scores for both hips are added together to produce a total score.
The minimum total score is 0, indicating near-perfect conformation on both sides. The maximum is 106. The breed mean score — the average total across all dogs of that breed submitted to the scheme — is published by the BVA and updated regularly. Breeders are advised to select animals scoring below the breed mean, and ideally to select those with scores well below it to achieve population-level improvement over generations.
Age Requirements and Timing
Dogs must be at least 12 months old at the time of hip scoring. For larger breeds where skeletal maturity occurs later, waiting until 18 or 24 months produces more reliable results, as immature joints may not yet display the full extent of any dysplastic changes. Some breed societies specify their own minimum age requirements that exceed the BVA minimum.
Hip scores are valid for life — unlike some other health screens, they do not need to be repeated. However, because the condition has environmental as well as genetic components, scores reflect conformation at the time of radiography and cannot guarantee the joint health of offspring.
How the Elbow Scoring Scheme Works
Elbow scoring uses a simpler grading system than hip scoring. Each elbow is graded from 0 to 3 by BVA scrutineers reviewing standardised radiographs. Grade 0 indicates no evidence of dysplasia. Grade 1 indicates mild changes. Grade 2 indicates moderate dysplasia or a primary lesion. Grade 3 indicates severe dysplasia.
The final elbow score is the grade of the worse elbow — so a dog with one elbow graded 1 and one graded 2 receives an elbow score of 2. As with hip scoring, only dogs aged 12 months or older are eligible, and the results are recorded permanently.
Breeders are generally advised to use only dogs with a grade 0 elbow score for breeding, or to understand the implications carefully before using a grade 1 dog. Grades 2 and 3 are associated with significant risk of clinical disease in offspring and would not normally be considered acceptable in a responsible breeding programme.
Which Breeds Should Be Screened
The BVA and Kennel Club maintain lists of breeds for which hip and elbow scoring are recommended or required for assured breeder status. These lists are informed by breed health survey data showing where dysplasia is a genuine population-level concern. Commonly screened breeds include Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherd Dogs, Rottweilers, Bernese Mountain Dogs, and many others. Even within breeds where screening is not formally required, breeders producing larger dogs would be wise to consider it.
The Limits of Scoring Schemes
Hip and elbow scores are valuable but imperfect. Because the conditions are polygenic, even two parents with excellent scores can produce offspring that develop dysplasia, particularly if environmental risk factors are present during growth. Conversely, some dogs with moderately elevated scores produce unaffected offspring. The schemes work at a population level — sustained use across a breed over many generations produces measurable improvements in average joint health — but they cannot guarantee outcomes for individual litters.
Scoring also depends on the quality of the radiograph submitted. Poor positioning or inadequate muscle relaxation can result in scores that do not accurately reflect the underlying joint conformation. Using an experienced veterinary surgeon for positioning and ensuring full sedation are important for obtaining reliable results.
Using Scores as Part of a Broader Decision
Hip and elbow scores should sit alongside other health data when planning a mating. A dog with excellent hip scores but carrying a serious DNA-tested condition is not automatically the best choice. Combining orthopaedic screening with relevant genetic testing, eye examination results, and consideration of inbreeding coefficient gives a more complete picture of the health risks and benefits of any given pairing. The BVA schemes are a cornerstone of responsible breeding practice — not the whole structure, but an indispensable part of it.