What is the recommended screening protocol for hip and elbow dysplasia in Labrador Retrievers and at what age?

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Hip dysplasia screening in Labrador Retrievers uses PennHIP distraction index (DI) starting at 16 weeks of age, with OFA hip-extended radiographs performed at 24 months for breeding certification. PennHIP is accepted and validated for immature animals aged 16 weeks or more and evaluates joint distraction index directly.8 OFA extended hip projections assess bone changes associated with hip dysplasia in dogs ≥ 24 months of age.8 The AAHA 2019 Canine Life Stage Guidelines recommend considering orthopedic radiographic screening for large-breed dogs at the young adult stage.13 PennHIP is the superior screening tool for early detection. DI measurements are not influenced by dietary or environmental factors, giving them higher trait heritability than OFA criteria.2 In contrast, OFA-criteria scoring at 2 years of age carries a 55% false-negative rate — dogs scored "normal" at that age became radiographically dysplastic by end of life — and 92% of dogs scored OFA-normal at 2 years had histopathologic osteoarthritis of hip dysplasia at necropsy.2 DI predicted all dogs susceptible to osteoarthritis of hip dysplasia, with 98% confirmed to have radiographic or histopathologic osteoarthritis by end of life.2 Dogs with a high hip score at approximately 1 year of age are 2.1–3.0 times more likely to be diagnosed with hip arthritis later in life than dogs with a low hip score at the same age.7 Elbow dysplasia screening uses radiography, with a single flexed mediolateral view as the minimum standard, supplemented by a craniocaudal oblique projection in Labrador Retrievers. In Labradors, the single mediolateral flexed radiograph is reliable for diagnosing mild elbow dysplasia, with sensitivity of 79% and specificity of 92% at that view alone.5 Adding the craniocaudal oblique projection increases specificity further, and a strong association exists between elbow dysplasia on computed tomography and medial humeral epicondylar osteophytes on the craniocaudal projection; this view is reco