What You Need to Know About Hip Dysplasia in Dogs
Has your precious pooch been slowing down lately or showing signs of discomfort with daily movements, such as difficulty with transitioning to standing from lying on their tummy? Canine hip dysplasia (CHD) might be to blame. Fortunately, there are treatment options and ways to keep it in check. Read on to learn more!
What Is Canine Hip Dysplasia?
CHD is a condition of the hip joint, a ball-and-socket joint, in which the head of the femur (the “ball”) does not fit properly into the too-shallow acetabulum (the “socket”). Additionally, the ligaments that connect these two bony surfaces together are not as strong. Over time, continued abnormal movement at the unstable hip joint can result in loss of cartilage, formation of bone spurs, pain, and loss of mobility.
Generally affecting larger breeds, CHD is a hereditary condition that often becomes exacerbated by a sedentary lifestyle and excess weight. Breeds most commonly affected include bulldogs, dogue de Bordeaux, pugs, neapolitan mastiff, otterhound, and St. Bernard. More common breeds like labs and golden retrievers often experience CHD as well.
Signs and Symptoms
Symptoms of CHD often show up as mild at first and progress over time. More often than not, symptoms don’t even show up until middle age or later. If possible, it would be helpful to know your dog’s family history so that you can be more attuned to the early signs and symptoms that might show up. Here are some to look out for:
- Lack of participation in physical activities once enjoyed
- Lameness (limping)
- Stiffness in the hips when trying to walk, run, or get up from the floor
- Loss of muscle tone in the hind legs
- Running with a bunny hop
How Is It Diagnosed?
A qualified healthcare professional can make the diagnosis of CHD based on specific palpation methods and specially positioned hip x-rays. In puppies, the PennHIP distraction method with x-ray is most recommended in order to make a proper diagnosis. By recognizing joint laxity early on, cartilage damage from progressive joint laxity can be prevented. Most often dogs with CHD are separated into two categories:
- Younger dogs with significant hip laxity but no arthritis
- Older dogs that have developed hip arthritis as a result of CHD
How Is It Treated?
Whether CHD can be treated best conservatively or with surgery depends on the severity of the condition as well as the dog’s age, but almost always a certified canine rehabilitation therapist can make a meaningful difference in the life of a dog with CHD.
A certified canine rehabilitation therapist can evaluate your dog’s strength, flexibility, gait pattern, and daily functional tasks to develop a treatment plan that will get your dog moving with more ease. The therapist can utilize hands-on manual therapy techniques to ease pain and create a customized therapeutic exercise program to help build stability in the joints and make functional movements easier and less painful. The therapist may even suggest making a couple changes to the home environment to make it easier for the pup to get around the house. Check out our past post for tips on home environment changes for senior dogs, who often experience similar mobility issues as in dogs with hip dysplasia.
In some cases, surgery may be warranted to provide the best possible outcome for a dog with CHD, but it is important to be aware of all the alternatives available that may help to manage the condition more conservatively. A healthy diet and weight, joint supplements, daily exercise, and pain medication, when necessary, can do wonders for managing this common condition. A certified canine rehabilitation therapist can offer much in the way of improving your dog’s quality of life through education, manual therapy, and exercises specific to your dog’s condition. Your little chew toy–lover doesn’t have to live in pain!
~TheK9PT
Dr. Francisco Maia, PT, DPT, CCRT
In collaboration with:
Dr. Aliya Bahjet, PT, DPT
Professional Writer and Physical Therapist