How Much Does an OFA Hip and Elbow Evaluation Cost? $45 for Hips, $50 for Both, Plus the Vet's X-Ray and Sedation Fee
If you have ever shopped for a purebred puppy, you have probably seen a breeder write "OFA hips and elbows" in the listing. Those three letters stand for the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, a nonprofit that grades hip and elbow X-rays. What the listing does not say is what the testing costs, and the answer is split across two bills: a small fee the OFA charges, and a much larger one from the veterinarian who takes the pictures. This guide lays out the OFA's published fee schedule, one clinic's published X-ray prices, and how the two add up for a single dog or a whole litter.
The OFA's own fees: $45 for hips, $50 for hips and elbows
The OFA's fee schedule, last changed on January 1, 2022, lists a standard evaluation at $45 for hips and $45 for elbows for a dog older than 24 months. Submitting both together costs $50. Dogs between 4 and 24 months can get a preliminary evaluation, priced at $35 for hips, $35 for elbows and $40 for both. A preliminary opinion is useful for a breeder deciding whether to continue with a young dog, but only a dog that is at least 24 months old can receive an official OFA certification.
Other OFA tests cost far less than the X-ray exams
The same schedule prices the non-orthopedic registries at much lower amounts. An eye certification (CAER) is $15 with no minimum age. A cardiac exam, a thyroid panel, a patellar luxation evaluation and a DNA-based test result are each $15. Shoulder OCD is $35, or $5 extra when submitted with hips or elbows, and a spine evaluation is $20. These are submission fees only. The examination itself, whether it is an eye exam by a specialist or a heart check, is billed by the clinic.
Litter and kennel rates lower the per-dog price
The OFA discounts groups. A litter rate applies when three or more littermates are submitted together, at $100 to $120 per group depending on the tests. A kennel rate of $25 per dog applies when five or more dogs with the same owner or co-owner are submitted together on a single payment. There is also a $10-per-test multi-registry discount when a single dog has three or more soft-tissue applications. For a pet owner testing one dog, none of these discounts apply, so the $45 to $50 figure is the one to budget.
The vet's X-ray fee is the larger bill
The OFA does not take the pictures. Any licensed veterinarian can take the radiographs, and the digital images must come directly from the vet rather than from the owner. The OFA recommends sedation to the point of muscle relaxation, though it says this is not required. Because every clinic sets its own prices, there is no national figure. One published example is a health clinic held on November 4, 2023 at Evolution Veterinary Specialists in Lakewood, Colorado, which listed OFA X-rays with sedation at $190 for one area and $250 for two areas, an eye exam at $45, a heart exam by auscultation at $40 and an echocardiogram at $250. The listing stated that fees to submit results to the OFA are not included.
Adding it up for one dog
Using those two sources, a hips-and-elbows evaluation for one adult dog would cost $250 at that clinic plus the OFA's $50, or about $300. Adding an eye exam would bring in $45 at the clinic and $15 for the OFA, another $60. A heart exam by auscultation would add $40 and $15, or $55. These totals are our arithmetic from one clinic's price list, not a national average. A clinic in a larger city, a specialist who reads the films, or a dog that needs deeper sedation can price the visit differently, so call and ask for the X-ray fee and the sedation fee separately.
What you get for the fee: three radiologists, and a wait of two to three weeks
Each submission is reviewed by radiologists, and the OFA reports that in an analysis of 1.8 million evaluations all three radiologists agreed on whether a dog was normal, borderline or dysplastic 94.9 percent of the time. Hip results are reported as excellent, good, fair, borderline, mild, moderate or severe. The OFA says average turnaround is about two to three weeks from the time the application and acceptable radiographs arrive. Normal results for dogs over 24 months post to the OFA's public database by default, while abnormal results are posted only if the owner initialed the release block on the application.
Why buyers and insured owners should care
For a buyer, a breeder's OFA numbers are the cheapest way to see that the parents were actually tested, and they help explain why a breeder's price is higher than a shelter fee, which we cover in our guide to why purebred puppies cost $2,000 or more. For an owner, a clean score does not guarantee a dog will never develop the condition, and treatment can be expensive, as our hip dysplasia treatment cost guide shows. Insurers often treat inherited problems separately, which we explain in our hereditary conditions article. If you only want to know your own dog's ancestry rather than joint health, a DNA breed test answers a different question at a different price.
Before you book: a short checklist
Confirm the dog is at least 24 months old if you want an official certification, since earlier results are preliminary only. Ask the clinic what the X-ray, the sedation and the consultation cost, and whether they will mail the OFA application or you must bring it. Decide in advance whether you are comfortable with abnormal results appearing publicly, because the release block is your choice. Budget about two to three weeks for results. Fees are taken from the OFA's published schedule and one clinic's 2023 listing, and prices change, so check both before you pay.
This guide covers costs and procedures only. It is not veterinary advice; ask your veterinarian whether and when screening is right for your dog.
All content is fact-checked under our editorial standards.