Breeding advice on elbow dysplasia changes
Breeders who screen their dogs for elbow dysplasia (ED) have been advised to only breed those with a score of zero, in new guidance from the BVA and Kennel Club (KC).
Under the BVA/KC Elbow Dysplasia Scheme, which launched in 1998, both elbows of the dog are graded between zero and three. As the elbow grade measures the evidence of ED, the lower the score, the better.
Previously, the advice from the BVA and KC was not to breed from dogs with a score of two or three, but a score of one was acceptable.
As ED is progressive, however, the above advice has now been revised. The Kennel Club says that many of the dogs with grade one elbows at a young age may go on to develop grade two or three elbows later on in life.
The BVA has therefore revised its procedure notes to the following:
"It is strongly recommended that breeders wishing to reduce the risk of elbow dysplasia should select their breeding stock (both dogs and bitches) only from animals with an overall grade of 0.
"Dogs with elbow grades of 2 or 3 have marked osteoarthritis likely to be due to ED, with or without a visible primary lesion. Dogs with elbow grades of 1 show mild or early osteoarthritis which is also likely to be due to ED."
Commenting on the revision, KC secretary Caroline Kisko said: "This will help to minimise the risk of elbow dysplasia and fall in line with the Kennel Club’s dedication to improving the health of pedigree dogs across the board.
"We are sure the new guidelines will be welcomed by all the conscientious pedigree dog breeders who work to maintain the best level of breed health for their breeds."
It is hoped that the altered guidelines will help to reduce the incidence of ED in breeds for which the condition remains a significant problem.
The BSAVA has opened submissions for the BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026.
