Canine Hip Dysplasia
(Also mistakenly known as Hip Arthritis in dogs) - Questions and Answers
What is canine hip dysplasia (CHD)? CHD is a developmental disease of the bones in which the head of the thigh bone poorly fits the hip socket causing:
- harm to the cartilage
- slow destruction of the joint
- pain and
- swelling
It is an annoying and frustrating disease within veterinary medicine today simply because it is so difficult to prevent and treat.
This disease should not be confused with dog hip arthritis. Rather it is the most common cause of arthritis in dogs.
How does a dog develop canine hip dysplasia? CHD is a disease that is inherited or passed on by the parents to the offspring. Therefore the only efficient solution to eliminate the disease is to avoid breeding dogs with hip dysplasia. This is easier said than done because not all hip dysplasia in dogs show signs of the disease. Seemingly normal dogs still carry the gene for CHD and are bred causing the disease to stay within the gene pool.
How does one know if a dog has hip dysplasia? A dog with hip dysplasia generally has less energy and movement. Some symptoms include arthritis like symptoms such as:
- difficulty rising from a lying or sitting position
- awkwardness in the back legs
- hopping like a rabbit when running and
- hesitant in going up stairs or climbing.
However these indicators are usually not apparent until the dog reaches middle age. In rare cases however some dogs show evident hip problems as early as five to six months of age.
How does a vet verify whether a dog has canine hip dysplasia? Unfortunately there is no blood test or genetic test available to detect if a dog is a carrier of CHD or not. Identification of the disorder is normally done through physical examinations and x-rays. X-rays help the doctor assess how bad the condition is. Then through comparison with future x-rays it can also serve as a measure to how well the chosen treatment is working. There are two techniques for taking x-rays of CHD-afflicted dogs. They are:
- Hip-extended ventrodorsal view x-ray - It provides a frontal view of the pelvis and hip joints and best assesses the degree of the severity of arthritis in the dog that is present.
- PennHIP radiography technique - It is used to detect hip looseness in dogs as young as four months of age.<p>What are the treatment options for canine hip dysplasia?
There is currently no real cure for CHD but there are conservative or non-surgical methods for relieving its symptoms. These include:
- The use of nutraceuticals such as Glucosamine for dogs to relieve pain and inflammation. Many veterinarians will opt for this natural method before trying medication.
- Dog arthritis medicine (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 and controlled exercise and physical therapy are also very effective in certain cases.
When conservative treatment is not enough for canine hip dysplasia the only other option is surgery. Surgery can be very successful as it fixes the underlying cause of hip pain which is a malformed joint. Surgery is approached in two different ways. Prophylactic surgery is done to prevent the progression of arthritis in dogs 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 then 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 maneuvering the way the pelvis grows to ensure a tighter hip. This procedure is obviously therefore 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 and almost completely eliminates pain and enables the dog to completely resume activity.
Another therapeutic procedure for canine 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 tissue that then serves as a false joint. This procedure is not recommended for mild cases of arthritis in dogs 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 CHD is an inheritable condition. The onset of this disease 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 that will later lead to dog arthritis.
OFA and PennHip offer information on breed risk. Prospective puppy buyers are advised to check for pedigrees for OFA or PennHip or GDC certifications.
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