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 heritable 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:
- 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.
- 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 heritable
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.
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