24 Apr Hip Dysplasia in Dogs: Causes, Symptoms, & Treatment

An essential part of keeping a dog happy is understanding his happy and excited face as he runs back and forth. But some dogs and their owners don’t experience this pleasure. Hip dysplasia is a problem that many dogs struggle with. A disease that deprives them of the power to enjoy jumping up and down and endangers the movement health of dogs. Hip dysplasia causes all these problems, and no one likes to see the limitations and suffering of their dog in this condition.

This common disease in dogs is caused by abnormal changes and growths in the dog’s femur and can severely affect a dog’s life. Hip dysplasia gradually weakens the dog and eventually causes osteoarthritis. Statistics show that about 20% of large breeds are infected. You may have seen the German Shepherd dog, which at about 7 to 8 months of age, which has significant physical growth, lumps in the foot area, doesn’t run well, and after a little physical activity, gets tired and doesn’t want to continue working. In the continuation of this article, we will explain the symptoms, how to diagnose and treat hip dysplasia in dogs.

What is dog hip dysplasia?

By a simple definition, hip dysplasia means that the bones aren’t in the right place, and the joints aren’t in the right shape. A dog’s pelvis is a spherical bone. The head of the femur is like a sphere that must be placed inside a bowl-like hollow with the scientific name of the acetabulum. In hip dysplasia, the head of the femur doesn’t fit properly into the acetabulum or may not fit at all, causing the thigh muscles to relax. As a result, as you move, your femur and pelvis wear together, change shape over time, and your bones break down. This disease eventually causes osteoarthritis and a lot of pain.

Hip dysplasia is an inherited disease, and depending on the dog’s breed, up to 95% is transmitted through genes. Still, No one can ignore the role of environmental factors such as nutrition, weight, high mobility, infection and arthritis to cause hip dysplasia. On the other hand, excessive consumption of dry food or meat causes the dog to gain weight and being overweight exacerbates the disease.

Breeds prone to hip dysplasia

Dysplasia is a common disease in large breed dogs due to their large size, stoutness, and possibly overweight; For example:

• Great Dane
• St. Bernard
• Labrador Retriever
• Chesapeake Bay Retriever
• Golden Retriever
• German Shepherd
• Newfoundland
• Mastiff

Symptoms of hip dysplasia in dogs

In dysplasia, the dog experiences immobility, severe pain, limping, and muscle loss. Owners can hear the sound of joints as the dog walks, and your dog can react severely if you touch his hind limbs. The first signs of hip dysplasia appear at the age of 4 months to one year, and you see these signs when a dog walks or runs; For example:

• Their gait changes to feel less pain,
• Show no interest in standing,
• They’re reluctant to run, jump and climb stairs,
• When you sit down, you see the protrusion of the pelvis and its abnormal shape.

If the dog has hip dysplasia; The older he gets, the more acute his condition becomes, and at worst, he may not even walk. Be careful not to confuse the signs of dog hip dysplasia with other diseases. Dogs with tendon strain usually hold one leg slightly higher, but this doesn’t occur in hip dysplasia. For example, a dog with a spine problem kicks his feet on the ground while walking.

Cause of hip dysplasia in dogs

This condition is caused by abnormal development of the joint that connects the femur to the pelvis. It may cause incomplete or even complete dislocation of the femoral head from the pelvis in young dogs, and joint damage and more severe complications in older dogs. Numerous factors can play a role in the development of this disease, including hereditary and environmental factors. But genetic factors play a primary and more important role, and environmental factors, such as the rapid growth of the animal, overweight due to overeating, sterilisation of dogs, hyperactivity, and physical injuries at an early age, can all contribute to the disease. Joint inflammation, along with joint fluid infection, may also be a contributing factor.

One of the most important reasons why a dog doesn’t have much desire and ability to exercise is stretching the fibrous fibres of the joint capsule, resulting in incomplete joint dislocation, which will certainly cause severe dog’s pain and lameness. Sometimes pelvic deformities at the junction with the femur or small fractures may increase the pain and discomfort at the site.

Detection of hip dysplasia in dogs

Diagnosis and treatment of dysplasia and its severity vary depending on the dog’s age and size. The dog owner notices that his dog is suffering from the disease when he encounters symptoms such as difficulty standing after sitting for a while, intolerance to exercise, and constant limping. In young dogs, this complication is diagnosed at the age of 5 to 10 months. Sometimes the dog owner notices an abnormal rotation of the joint outwards while walking, and sometimes the pelvic floor muscles remain smaller.

Definitive diagnosis is based on a thorough examination by a veterinary surgeon and taking radiographs. The surgeon may need to soothe the dog with a sedative to complete the examination. Or surgically if necessary.

Although immediate surgical intervention can increase the recovery of the disease, it should be noted that about 75% of young patients treated conservatively return to acceptable physical activity with age and puberty.

According to the veterinarian surgeon, surgery is performed on older patients in whom conservative treatment hasn’t been effective, or in young animals kept for specific sports activities, or if the pet owner cannot spend time and energy on conservative treatment.

Detection in adult dogs

• Look at the dog’s movement and see if it has a “rabbit jump” or not:

A dog with a sore pelvis, taking small steps and folding his legs under his abdomen may have a rabbit jump. That is, your dog holds his legs together and jumps instead of walking normally.

• Watch your dog get up or lie down:

The longer your dog rests, the worse the hip dysplasia pain. So, after the dog relaxes, see if he’s hesitant to stand and walk.

• Monitor your dog’s activity:

See if your dog activity is reduced or not. For example, he’s less interested in walking or physical activity, he prefers to lie down or sit instead of running, and he gets tired quickly while playing.

• Notice the sound of your dog’s bones as you walk:

You may hear a cracking sound as the dog moves; So be sensitive to this sound.

• Bend your dog’s hind legs and examine his muscles

In hip dysplasia, the dog uses his hind legs less, resulting in reduced muscle mass, and you feel the bones in that area easily.

Detection in puppies

• Your puppy has difficulty moving:

If your puppy has hip dysplasia, you will see symptoms at 4 to 12 months of age. The puppy takes small steps, uses less of his hind legs, moves with pauses and stops, and may even have trembling legs when walking.

• Your puppy tends to rest a lot:

Your puppy may not have a problem in the game, but pay attention to the rest after the game. A puppy with hip dysplasia rests for a long time and behaves like he doesn’t intend to get up. This is because when he relaxes, his pelvis tightens.

• Your puppy doesn’t want to jump:

If your puppy has hip dysplasia, he will stop jumping.

Treatment

As we said in the previous section, if you see signs of dysplasia in your dog, see your veterinarian diagnose the health or damage of your dog’s pelvis and choose one of the treatment options. Your doctor may recommend immediate surgery or treatment. In adult patients with a chronic process of joint destruction, special drug treatment is necessary along with animal weight management. The patient’s weight should be monitored weekly. The animal’s caloric intake should be monitored through nutrition, preferably fat foods with less fat and protein.

Physical activity such as swimming and long walks are recommended to prevent the animal from gaining weight. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) should only be used when prescribed by a veterinarian and when necessary. Exercises such as sit-ups, hydrotherapy and water activities are efficient. Keep in mind that losing weight is essential. If the animal cannot function due to pain, weight loss should be included in the treatment plan.

Methods of treating 

Dog hip surgery and replacement

The best treatment for this disease is arthroplasty or joint replacement. This surgery costs a lot, but it’s the best and most successful method possible. In cases where conservative treatment hasn’t been helpful, surgical treatment is necessary to restore the dog’s physical activity in very severe and chronic cases. Various harrowing and regular cases, implants and artificial metal joints are used in surgical treatment.

Another surgery method is to remove the head and neck of the femur and cut off the connection between the bone and the pelvis. In this way, a false joint is formed in the place. Although there’s no weight limit for this type of surgery, smaller breeds respond better to this surgery. This surgery will be performed when conservative treatments aren’t helpful, and it isn’t possible to use other surgical methods for economic or other reasons.

Absolute rest and medication

Your dog should have 10 to 14 days of complete rest. During this period, warm-up and massage, hydrotherapy and swimming, daily light exercise, physiotherapy, taking non-steroidal drugs (provided by a doctor), and managing and controlling the dog’s weight (using fat foods) less fat and less protein) are recommended.

The procedure is performed four times a day. Hydrotherapy such as swimming and moving the joint underwater is also beneficial. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be beneficial as prescribed by your veterinarian. It should be noted that taking these medications may cause a false improvement in your dog’s condition, and he may want to get out of the resting position, which should be prevented.

Use of supplements

These supplements, such as omega-3s and glucosamine, can relieve pain and slow the progression of the disease.

Laser therapy

This method has recently become popular and reduces the dogs’ pain.

Dog elbow dysplasia

Dysplasia isn’t just about the dog’s pelvis. If your dog limps on his hands, he may have elbow dysplasia. Elbow dysplasia, like hip dysplasia, develops due to improper growth of bones and joints, causing them to wear out and degenerate, with symptoms similar to hip dysplasia. A veterinarian should also do diagnosis and treatment of elbow dysplasia. The exact cause of elbow dysplasia is unknown, but the following are typical:

• Genetics
• Inappropriate feeding
• fast growth
• Hit
• Hormonal factors

Dog dysplasia is a big problem; Because the dog’s inability to move is both annoying to himself and affects your life. But don’t worry; with proper treatment, maintenance and care, your dog can lead an everyday life. The body automatically begins to repair and rebuild when it notices damage to various parts. In dysplasia, the body first tries to heal the damaged joint with continuous treatment. For this purpose, the body builds new cartilage in the joint and regenerates the worn bones so that the joint can continue to move normally.

But in dysplasia, the condition is such that the bone and cartilage are constantly under improper pressure, wear and tear. In general, the regeneration process is much slower than the erosion process, which ultimately results in more and more of this action and reaction over time. After this stage, the joint becomes inflamed because it can not withstand the weight and stress well. This inflammation itself causes more pain and injury. If this process continues, the pelvic joint will develop osteoarthritis.