Hip Dysplasia
Hip Dysplasia is a degenerative joint disease capable of crippling your dog for life and leaving your pet in an endless cycle of pain. It can be mild and slightly disabling, or it can be severe and cause crippling arthritis.
Here are some excerpts for Dr. Foster & Smith, Inc, of the Veterinary & Aquatic Services Department. You could read the entire paper at the following address: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1569&articleid=444
In severe cases, puppies as young as five months will begin to show pain and discomfort during and after vigorous exercise.
Most dysplastic dogs are born with normal hips but due to genetic and possibly other factors, the soft tissues that surround the joint start to develop abnormally as the puppy grows.
It is primarily a disease of purebreds although it can happen in mixed breeds, particularly if it is a cross of two dogs that are prone to developing the disease. German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers, Rottweilers, Great Danes, Golden Retrievers, and Saint Bernards appear to have a higher incidence, however, these are all very popular breeds and may be over represented because of their popularity.
Almost all researchers agree that there is a genetic link involved. If a parent has hip dysplasia, then the offspring are at greater risk for developing hip dysplasia. Some researchers feel that genetics are the only factor involved, where others feel that genetics contribute less than 25% to the development of the disease. The truth probably lies in the middle.
We can greatly reduce the incidence of hip dysplasia through selective breeding. We can also increase the incidence through selectively breeding.
Nutrition: Experimentally, we can increase the severity of the disease in genetically susceptible animals in a number of ways. One of them is through obesity.
Experimentally, the incidence has been increased in genetically susceptible dogs when they are given free choice high protein and high calorie diets.
Exercise: Exercise may be another risk factor. It appears that dogs that are genetically susceptible to the disease may have an increased incidence of disease if they over-exercised at a young age
There are a number of surgical operations and treatment modalities to deal with hip dysplasia, and one such surgical operation is shown in the x-ray below, illustrating an artificial ball replacement.
Reputable breeders will have their dogs x-rayed to discover any possible signs of hip and elbow dysplasia and ensure their dog is not used for breeding if it receives a low score. People who do not register their dogs and do no health clearances for this disease greatly contribute to this problem. In my opinion they breed dogs solely for profit and have no interest in improving their breeding program. So, it is buyer beware.
In North America it is the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) who analysis your dog's hip x-rays and assigns a rating, which will be one of seven ratings. e.g. Excellent, Good, Fair, Borderline, Mild, Moderate and Severe. The method is subject to interpretation and is not always accurate. The method has been the standard for many years but is now being challenged by a new diagnostic method called the PennHIP used by University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program. This new procedure is more accurate an could be done with dogs as young as 4 months old, Vs 2 years old for the OFA method. At the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) conference in Sydney, Australia, it was announced that the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) will adopt the PennHIP screening method and use it in conjunction with their current hip screening system for a period of 5 years; at the end of that time, both methods will be reevaluated for their efficacy in reducing canine hip dysplasia. To learn more about this procedure, go to the following address. http://www.pennhip.org/