Hip dysplasia refers to an inherited arthritic condition involving one or both hip joints of affected dogs. It presents itself as a partial dislocation, or in severe cases, a complete dislocation of the hip joints. With time, the cartilage lining the joint surfaces wears down as a result of the abnormal stress and strain placed on the joint, and arthritis results.
Although hip dysplasia can be a problem in any breed, it is seen most often in larger purebred dogs, such as German shepherds, golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers, and St. Bernard’s. In German shepherds alone, the incidence is thought to be as high as 80 percent.

 

Because of its inherited nature, signs associated with hip dysplasia may appear as early as 4 weeks of age, although as a rule, most cases show up around 8 to 12 months of age. These clinical signs consist of posterior pain, unsteadiness on the hind limbs, difficulty in rising from a prone position, and reluctance to move or exercise. Manipulation of the hip joints will reveal obvious pain. In less severe cases, signs might appear only after intense activity and exercise.

Diagnosis of hip dysplasia is achieved by radiographing (X raying) suspected joints and from a history of this disorder in the dog’s genetic bloodline. Several registries aimed at controlling genetic diseases in dogs have developed guidelines and testing procedures for veterinarians in an effort to detect this disease in puppies and young dogs before clinical signs even appear.

In otherwise healthy dogs exhibiting marked lameness due to dysplasia, a number of different surgical techniques can be employed to help relieve pain and lameness caused by the disease, and/or to actually reconstruct the hip joint(s). Total hip joint replacements using prosthetic devices can be performed as well in certain cases to afford a permanent cure. As a rule, the smaller the dog involved, the better the results achieved through surgical intervention.
In dogs that are poor surgical candidates, anti-inflammatory medications can be used to temporarily decrease pain and discomfort associated with hip dysplasia. A program of regular exercise and weight loss can also benefit these patients. Also, disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs (DMOADs) such as the polysulfated glycosamino glycans, glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and hyaluronic acid have been used with great success to stimulate repair of damaged cartilage within diseased joints, instead of just masking the pain caused by the arthritis.