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What is canine hip dysplasia?

Canine hip dysplasia (CHD) is a condition which is difficult to prevent and  treat  Veterinary medicine finds it quite frustrating at the difficult nature of this 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.

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 gene pool.

How does one know if a dog has hip dysplasia?

A dog afflicted with hip dysplasia has less energy and movement. It has difficulty in rising from a sitting position, lameness in the back legs and hops like a rabbit when running  The dog also finds it difficult to go up the stairs. The symptoms are not visible till the dog attains middle ages.  In some cases though, dogs exhibit hip problems as early as 5-6 months of age.

How does a vet confirm if a dog has hip dysplasia?

In spite of all the developments in the veterinary medicine, 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.

What are the treatment options for canine hip dysplasia?

There are still no cure available for CHD, but there are conservative or non-surgical ways to relieve its symptoms. These include the use of drugs to relieve pain and inflammation. There are some very effective drugs which are not named for obvious reasons and have given a lot of suffering dogs the relief needed to live a normal life.  Check with your veterinarian for the right prescription.  Some form of exercises, physical therapy and weight loss program can also bring great relief to your suffering dog. 

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.  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.