PennHIPP An early estimate of a dog's hip integrity is invaluable, especially if the dog is intended to be shown or be part of a breeding program.  Because the dog can be PennHIP evaluated at a much younger age than with other programs, its potential can be determined much earlier. The total PennHIP evaluation service includes office consultation, pre-anesthetic work up, anesthesia, three radiographs, mailing and film evaluation.  A PennHIP evaluation results in a confidential report to the owner indicating the dog's Distraction Index (DI).  The DI is a measure of passive hip laxity and is expressed as a number between 0 and 1.  For example, a DI near 0 would indicate very little joint laxity and very tight hips. A DI closer to 1 would indicate a high degree of laxity and very loose hips. Caring dog owners and veterinarians have long sought a reliable method to predict a dog developing hip dysplasia.  PennHIP evaluation may be done as early as 16 weeks of age.  This early estimate has improved many canine genetic programs.