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Pet Article
DOGS AND HIP DYSPLASIA
the cause of hip dysplasia is multi factorial. Fast growing, large and giant breed dogs are
the most likely to develop hip dysplasia. Genetics account for about 25 per cent of your dog's
chance of developing this disease. Other factors, such as high calorie diets and over
supplementation increase your dog's chances of developing this degenerative disease.
The hip joint is a ball and socket joint. The head of the femur (the thigh bone) is the ball
and the pelvic bone forms the socket. Hip dysplasia occurs when the ball is loose in the
socket. Hip dysplasia can lead to pain, degenerative changes and sever arthritis in your dog.
Depending upong such variables like, your dog's age,s ize and degree of pain, hip dysplasia
can be managed well with conservative treatment or surgery.
The early signs of hip dysplasia you should look out for as a dog owner are an unwillingness
of your dog to stay out long in the cold, they may show difficulty in rising on their hind
legs, or climbing stairs, they could also have a lack of stamina in work or play. As the
disease worsens, some dogs wills hfit their weight forward off their rear quarters. Dogs
with the later stages of this disease may jump, or bunny hop onboth hind limbs when walking.
They may also have intermittent lameness that becomes chronic as they age. You may even be
able to feel the joints looseness and in some chronic cases, you may hear cracking noises.
Should your dog be showing signs of hip dysplasia, a radiograph will show the extent of the
disease. This should always be done if you intend to breed your dog. Whether your dog is
showing signs or not, dogs who show looseness of the joints on radiograph or palpation should
not be included in a breeding program because of the genetic factor of the disease.
Only by having X rays done will you be able to reach a definitive diagnosis. The severity of
the clinical signs do not always correlate well with the severity of the radiographic signs.
Treatment should always be based on the amount of pain and lameness the individual dog is
showing, not what shows on the x ray.
If you have a young dog showing signs of hip dysplasia, then conservative therapy may be all
that is needed. Conservative treatment may include weight reduction, exercise restriction and
a pain inflammatory regulator. Any surgical correction of hip dysplasia ia a serious
procedure, whether your dog is young or old. Some dogs who show x ray changes may never
develop a significant lameness and therefore, surgery may never be needed.
Surgeries for the younger patient include triple pelvic osteotomies (TPO) and
intertrochanteric varus osteotomies. TPOs are normally suggested for immature patients who
have not developed irreversible cartilage or bone changes in the hip joint. This surgery
could achieve pain free activity, stabilization of the hip with natural tissues and a
reduction of progression of radiographic sings of degenerative joint disease.
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In the more mature of dogs, it is important to treat the individual dog, the signs that the
dog is showing and severity of pain, rather than the x ray result. All dogs who are first
diagnosed with hip dysplasia should be treated conservatively in the first instance. Whilst
your dog is undergoing conservative therapy, you will need to closely monitor their pain level.
Response to this treatment depends upon your dog's threshold of pain (and in some cases the
owners!). If your dog does not respond to this therapy in the first instance and show signs
of deterioration, then they may be candidates for surgery.
Surgical treatments, such as femoral head and neck ostectomies, along with total hip
replacements in older dogs, are salvage procedures that eliminate the diseased joint and
attempt to replace it with a non painful substitute. Femoral head and neck ostectomies are
most effective for dogs that weigh less than 60 pounds. During this procedure, the
veterinarian removes the ball part of the hip joint. The leg usually returns to function
between 6 weeks and 6 months later. The leg may appear shorter and the degree of function
will vary. Some animals return almost to full function, whilst others show abnormalities of
the gait. Range of motion will definitely be decreased, but so will the amount of pain.
Total hip replacements can be very good for larger mature dogs that are unresponsive to
conservative therapy, but are otherwise healthy animals. This procedure replaces the
diseased joint with a high density plastic socket and a stainless steel ball that is
cemented into place. This procedure is more expensive than the femoral head and neck
ostectomy, but the results prove to be very good. Dogs return to full function of the limb
within a month, pain is also reduced to a minimum. Complications including dislocation of
the joint post operatively, or loosening of the cement that hold the joint together can
occur in around 5 to 10 per cent of total hip replacement patients. If the prosthesis should
get infected, the removal of the artificial joint and cement is required to cure the
infection.
Before you buy a larger breed puppy, you should always ask the breeders whether their dogs
are certified as being hip dysplasia free. This does not guarantee a puppy will be free of
the disease, but it should reduce the likelihood. If you notice a problem in your growing
puppy or mature dog, you should have it checked right away by your local veterinarian.
Mark Woodcock
1 Flea Control
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