PennHip goes back to Penn

Philadelphia-

The University of Pennsylvania reached an agreement with Synbiotics that transfers the PennHip license back to the university.

PennHip is under the leadership of Dr. Gail K. Smith, developer of thisscientific method for early screening of canine hip dysplasia (CHD).

Radiographs are submitted to the PennHip Analysis Center where they areevaluated for hip laxity and the presence of arthritis under the directionof a board certified radiologist. The findings are reported to the ownerand the veterinarian who performed the procedure, and that data are enteredinto a database.

As more information becomes available, the laboratory is able to obtainmore precise answers to questions about the etiology, prediction and geneticbasis for CHD. The laxity index for most breeds of dogs has been establishedwhich allows for an estimation on the susceptibility for CHD in specificbreeds at an early age (16 weeks), the university explains.

Smith developed the method in 1983. In 1993, he established PennHip,a cooperative scientific initiative to serve as a multi-center clinicaltrial of the new hip dysplasia diagnostic technology.

For more information go to www.vet.-upenn.edu/pennhip