Hip dysplasia is a hereditary developmental condition causing pain and mobility loss in many dog breeds, but its prevalence can be significantly reduced through responsible breeding programmes.
Hip dysplasia causes prolonged suffering for affected dogs and significant financial burden for their owners. The condition is substantially heritable, meaning responsible breeding - selecting dogs with low hip scores and avoiding breeding affected individuals - can meaningfully reduce prevalence over generations. The BVA/KC scheme provides the data infrastructure for this improvement, but participation is voluntary and many breeders do not hip-score their breeding animals. Mandatory health testing before breeding, as exists in some countries, would accelerate welfare improvement across affected breeds.