Dogs – Hip Dysplasia Causes and Treatments

Your Questions on Canine Hip Dysplasia – Answered.

What is canine hip dysplasia? Canine hip dysplasia (CHD) is one
of the most frustrating diseases in veterinary medicine today
simply because it is so difficult to prevent and treat. CHD is a
developmental disease of the bones in which the head of the
thigh bone poorly fits the hip socket, causing damage to the
cartilage, gradual destruction of the joint, pain and swelling.
This disease should not be confused with hip arthritis. Rather,
it is the most common cause of arthritis in the hips.

How is canine hip dysplasia transmitted? CHD is a inheritable
disease. It is passed on by the parents to the offspring. The
only effective measure therefore to eradicate the disease is to
prevent dogs with hip dysplasia from breeding. However, this is
easier said than done, because not all dogs with hip dysplasia
show signs of the disease. Seemingly normal dogs still carry the
gene for CHD and are bred, causing the disease to stay within
the genepool.

How does one know if a dog has hip dysplasia? A dog with hip
dysplasia generally has less energy and movement. It has
difficulty rising from a sitting position, lameness in the back
legs, is hopping like a rabbit when running, and is reluctant to
go up the stairs. However, these symptoms are usually not
evident till the dog reaches middle age. In extreme cases
though, some dogs exhibit obvious hip problems as early as 5-6
months of age.

How does a vet confirm if a dog has hip dysplasia? Sad to say,
there is no blood test or genetic test yet that will detect if a
dog is a carrier of CHD or not. Diagnosis of the disease is
routinely done through physical examinations and x-rays. X-rays
help in assessing how bad the condition is, and through
comparison with future x-rays, it can also serve as a gauge of
how well the chosen treatment is working. Two techniques for
taking x-rays of CHD-afflicted dogs are listed below:

1.hip-extended ventrodorsal view x-ray – It provides a frontal
view of the pelvis and hip-joints and best assesses the degree
of severity of arthritis present. 2.PennHIP radiography
technique – It is used to detect hip looseness in dogs as young
as four months of age.

What are the treatment options for canine hip dysplasia? There
is no real cure for CHD just yet, but there are conservative or
non-surgical ways to relieve its symptoms. These include the use
of drugs to relieve pain and inflammation. Rimadyl, Ectogesic
and Deramaxx are effective and have given a lot of suffering
dogs the relief needed to live a normal life. Weight loss
programs, controlled exercise and physical therapy are also very
effective in certain cases.

When conservative treatment is not enough, the only other option
is surgery. Surgery can be very effective as it corrects the
underlying cause of hip pain which is a malformed joint. Surgery
is approached in two different ways when dealing with hip
dysplasia. Prophylactic surgery is done to prevent the
progression af arthritis while therapeutic surgery aims to treat
already arthritic hips.

Triple pelvic osteotomy is the primary preventive procedure
available. It involves cutting the pelvis in three places and
rotating the hip sockets to provide better coverage. This
procedure is effective as long as it is done before arthritis
sets in or before the joint is damaged. Another kind of
preventive surgery, although still being studied if it is
effective or not, is pubic symphysiodesis. This involves
manipulating the way the pelvis grows to ensure a tighter hip.
This procedure is done on very young dogs.

Therapeutic procedures include total hip replacement and femoral
head ostectomy. Total hip replacement is performed mainly on
larger dogs. High density, medical plastic is used to replace
the socket and a high-quality, non-corrosive alloy is used for
the ball. This procedure has a high success rate, almost
completely eliminates pain and enables the dog to completely
resume activity.

Another therapeutic procedure for hip dysplasia is femoral head
ostectomy. It involves the removal of the top of the femur which
then eliminates the painful grinding at the hip joint. The femur
is then allowed to float freely causing the formation of scar
tisue which then serves as a false joint. This procedure is not
recommended for mild cases of arthritis and is generally
effective only on smaller, well-muscled dogs.

Can canine hip dysplasia be prevented? The best measure of
prevention is of course careful breeding since hip dysplasia is
a inheritable condition. The onset of hip dysplasia can be
delayed in many dogs with a genetic predisposition by preventing
excessive weight gain during the early months and by making sure
that the puppy does not place undue stress on the hips.

OFA and PennHip offers information on breed risk. Prospective
puppy buyers are advised to check for pedigrees for OFA, PennHip
or GDC certifications.