"As one of the first countries to notice the clinical significance of hip dysplasia (HD) as a developmental disorder resulting in arthritis, active research, and actions to reduce its prevalence have now been performed in Sweden for more than 60 years."

• Swedish Experiences From 60 Years of Screening and Breeding Programs for Hip Dysplasia—Research, Success, and Challenges

Hedhammar A (2020) Swedish Experiences From 60 Years of Screening and Breeding Programs for Hip Dysplasia—Research, Success, and Challenges. Front. Vet. Sci. 7:228. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00228

The results of the Swedish programs to address the severity and prevalence of HD speak for themselves - the dogs have benefited.

"The successful reduction of HD in Swedish dogs since more than 60 years is well-illustrated in Figure 2."

Snip from Figure 2 is shown below...

Seems an interesting and sensible approach to tie-in information on cost benefit to management of orthopedic conditions.

excerpt...

"It was concluded that in screening and control programs, based on an open registry with access to family records, a cost-effective decrease in the prevalence of HD can be expected and is related to the selection of the breeding stock (11). The same positive effect was also proven for elbow arthrosis (12)."

Quote

Cost Benefit

The formal implementation of a screening and health program during the late 1970s and early 1980s for HD in many breeds, and the same somewhat later for ED in some breeds, led to a significant decrease in the prevalence and severity of HD as well as ED with a positive cost benefit also in the general dog population.

Within a Ph.D. project by Lennart Swenson, a former genetic consultant to the Swedish Kennel Club, the effects of selective breeding and its economic value for the HD program operated by the Swedish Kennel Club was investigated based on 83,229 dogs from seven breeds registered by the Swedish Kennel Club born in the years 1976–1988.

A decreasing prevalence of HD, as a result of selection of breeding stock and high heritability, was found and economic analyses showed that the costs of screening and registration of coxofemoral joints were less than the value of dogs estimated to have been saved from moderate, severe, or very severe HD in six of the breeds.

It was concluded that in screening and control programs, based on an open registry with access to family records, a cost-effective decrease in the prevalence of HD can be expected and is related to the selection of the breeding stock (11). The same positive effect was also proven for elbow arthrosis (12).

Since 1986, there have now been three levels of formal genetic health programs in Sweden for all dogs to be bred in a particular breed:

1) Voluntary screening with central recording of results in open registries freely available on a public website.

2) Sire and Dam are required to have a screening result registered before breeding.

3) Sire and Dam are required to have a screening result A or B (normal hips) before breeding.

In January 2020, 137 breeds were required to have screening results for HD for both parents, out of which 38 breeds also needed both parents to be graded A or B. Results from voluntary screening were recorded in all breeds.