Hip dysplasia is a complicated disease that affects both cats and dogs. It is considered to be an inherited disease but it is polygenic — that means that it is not a case of simply breeding parents together who don’t have hip dysplasia and producing puppies that don’t have the disease. There are many factors that can affect whether or not a dog develops the disease, even if he has parents with or without hip dysplasia.
Hip dysplasia results when the cartilage around a dog’s hips shows signs of breaking down. This can happen for several reasons. There may be bony projections in the hip joints. There could be shallow hip sockets. There can be evidence of bone changes called “remodeling.” All of these indications are bad because they lead to the breakdown of cartilage in the hip area. Cartilage is necessary to cushion the hips when a dog walks or moves. Without proper cartilage the dog begins experiencing some degree of pain.
The breakdown of cartilage leads to various stages of arthritis in the dog’s hips. This arthritis can be diagnosed by a veterinarian as degenerative joint disease, arthrosis, osteoarthrosis. These are all painful conditions and can eventually lead to a dog being debilitated and unable to walk.
If your dog is having difficulty with his hips or is showing any signs of pain you should visit your vet to get a professional opinion. Your vet can make a preliminary diagnosis. You can also submit the x-ray to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals for evaluation. The x-ray will be viewed by three veterinarians who are extremely experienced in evaluating hip dysplasia. They can give you a precise rating for your dog’s hips. Ratings of Excellent, Good, Fair, Borderline, Mildly Dysplastic, Poor and Severe may be given. For cases where dysplasia is indicated the vets report back with a checklist of where the problems are. Having the opinion of these specialists can provide your vet with more information if your dog is dysplastic.
Many people have their dog’s hips x-rayed when the dog is two years old to find out the dog’s hip status, especially if they are considering breeding the dog at some point. As a general rule, dogs with ratings below Fair should not be used for breeding unless there are very important extenuating circumstances.
Hip ratings can depend a great deal on the x-rays submitted so it’s important to use a vet who has some experience with taking x-rays for OFA. Bad x-rays can make even a dog with wonderful hips look like he is dysplastic.
Other people choose to use Penn Hip to evaluate hips for dysplasia. Penn Hip stands for the University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program. This radiographic technique measure the level of joint laxity in a dog’s hips rather than the absolute position of the joints and bones, as with OFA. Both systems have their supporters but OFA seems to attract more people.
If your dog does have hip dysplasia a lot will depend on how much he is affected. This is a degenerative disease meaning that it will get worse with age. He will most likely become more arthritic as he ages. Fortunately, there are a lot of things that people can do to help offset the early stages of hip dysplasia. Many people give their dogs joint supplements, such as glucosamine and chondroitin and MSM. You can buy the same supplements for dogs that you buy for yourself in drugstores or places like Walmart. Ask your vet about the proper dosage for your dog’s weight.
There are many other supplements sold in pet stores for doggy arthritis, such as Dog Gone Pain. Some dog owners swear by them. You will have to try them for yourself and see if you think your dog improves when he takes them. Most dysplastic and arthritic dogs also do better when you keep them from gaining excess weight. Watch their diet so they aren’t too chubby. Carrying a lot of extra weight is bad for their hips.
As your dysplastic dog ages he may experience some degree of pain in his hips. Your vet may recommend using one of the NSAID medications for pain relief, such as Deramaxx. There are drawbacks to these medications and your vet should advise you about possible side effects. It’s also advisable to do a blood panel before starting to use an NSAID with a dog to make sure your dog is a good candidate for taking the drug.
There are plenty of dogs who may have some minor degree of hip dysplasia who never exhibit any symptoms. If your dog does have some hip dysplasia it’s not the end of the world. He may run and play for the rest of his life without experiencing pain. Even if he does develop some arthritis there are many ways to counter the problem. A diagnosis of hip dysplasia doesn’t have to mean the end of good times for you and your dog.
What Do I Do If My Dog Has Hip Dysplasia courtesy Dog Articles
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