Hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia are terms used for specific developmental and other anomalies which affect the hip and elbow joint. Dysplasia leads to serious health problems so it is a cause of much concern to both breeders and owners of pet dogs. Dysplasia is one of the most commonly diagnosed orthopaedic diseases of dogs, and very often dysplasia leads to osteoarthritis (degenerative disease of the joint). It is very important to diagnose dysplasia because it is a hereditary condition. Affected animals can transmit this disease to their offspring and so multiply and extend this serious condition.

Hip dysplasia (HD) and elbow dysplasia (ED) are both diagnosed by x-ray examination. Scientific boards of the F.C.I. and WSAVA (World Small Animal Veterinary Association) have established classification protocols for estimating dysplasia. The hips are scored by assessing different anatomic structures of the hip joint. Hips are then categorized into 5 different HD stages. Elbows are scrutinized and categorized into 4 different ED stages. All well developed European and world countries have independent veterinary boards that have been formed in order to carry out this assessment. Those veterinary boards are accepted by F.C.I. and by other organizations (WSAVA, IEWG, FECAVA etc.) Owners who would like their dog’s hips or elbows examined under this scheme should contact their veterinary surgeon, who will explain the procedure to the owner. This procedure is always performed under the general anesthesia.

The owner has to bring full documentation of the dog to the vet. Also the dog should be permanently marked either before or at the time of the examination. The owner should sign a paper by which he guarantees the identity of the dog and also gives permission for publishing the scoring results.

12 months is the minimum age a dog can undergo the examination. There is no upper age limit.

The expenses for the owner are the fees of veterinary surgery performing the examination, the fees of veterinary board assessing the x-ray films, administrative and postage fees.

We would like to offer you a professional veterinary service in the field of radiological diagnosis and screening for Hip Dysplasia (HD) and Elbow Dysplasia (ED) in dogs.

We are very pleased that we can inform you that the BelgradeVeterinary panel was established on 15.11.2002 under the official name:

Commission fur Rontgendiagnostik- Dysplasie Beurteilung, Belgrade consisting of:

Dr Denis Novak BVSc MRCVS
Dr Goran Cvetkovic med. vet.

On 01.11.2002 in Dortmund, Dr D. Novak and Dr G.Cvetkovic passed the exam for HD/ED diagnosis. The examiners were prof.dr B.Tellhelm and dr H.Wurster from Germany.
Dr Novak and dr Cvetkovic became a full members of "Gesellschaft fur Rontgendiagnostik genetisch beeinfluster Skeletterkrankungen bei Kleintieren e.V.,Bochum."

This organization is an authority for radiological investigation and diagnosis of genetically influenced diseases of the skeletal system of small animals.
The Organization is officially recognized by the Scientific Comunity of FCI and IEWG.

In this way, dogs that are examined by this veterinary panel can be issued with an internationally recognized certificate for HD and ED.

If you would like some more information, please do not hesitate to contact us using the contact details above.

Sincerely Yours,
Dr Denis Novak BVSc MRCVS