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SHEET Hip dysplasia in dogs
Health info sheet

Hip dysplasia in dogs

What is hip dysplasia in dogs?

Hip dysplasia in dogs is a bone skeleton disease. It consists of a progressive malformation of the hip which can appear throughout the life of a dog. The starting point is excessive laxity of this joint causing play and abnormal instability of the joint (subluxation), which modifies the stresses passing through the hip causing its inflammation and progressive lesions of the joints. cartilages, ligaments and bones that constitute it. Irremediably, secondary osteoarthritis develops.
What causes hip dysplasia in dogs?

Hip dysplasia in dogs is a hereditary disease linked to a large number of genes but it is not a congenital disease (the dog is not born with its dysplasia). However, not all carrier animals express the disease. There is therefore a certain difficulty in eliminating this damage by genetic selection.
External factors are also involved in the onset of hip dysplasia in dogs such as too rapid growth, intense physical activity or an unnecessarily high-energy diet.

What breeds are at risk for hip dysplasia in dogs?

Dogs of all breeds can get hip dysplasia, but some breeds are more affected than others.
This disease is more frequent in large format breeds: German Shepherd, Australian Shepherd, Labrador, Golden Retriever, Rottweiler, Newfoundland, Dogue de Bordeaux, etc... Hip dysplasia also exists in smaller standard breeds: English Bullgod, Poodle, Cocker Spaniel, Brittany Spaniel.

How to suspect hip dysplasia in dogs?

There are no specific signs to suspect hip dysplasia in dogs. Growing dogs (3 to 18 months) and middle-aged or older adult dogs show the most signs of dysplasia. In puppies, an undulating and swaying gait and/or movement of both hind limbs at the same time (like a rabbit) while running are quite "classic" hip dysplasia.
Other signs may appear during dysplasia, at any age, ranging from stiffness on rising to lameness without support, including reduced physical activity, a tendency to lie down often, intermittent lameness, difficulty in stairs.
How is hip dysplasia in dogs diagnosed?

The precocity of the diagnosis is essential in suspect puppies, or at risk, because there are simple and less invasive interventions which are no longer possible after a certain age.
There is no longer any notion of diagnostic urgency in adult dogs.
The diagnosis of canine hip dysplasia can only be confirmed by a veterinarian. It is based on a range of elements including the type of dog, its diet and its way of life, the signs reported by its master, the study of its gait and its postures, the orthopedic examination (vigil and under anesthesia) and radiographic examination. Certain elements of this evaluation are carried out by veterinarians who are “specialists” in domestic carnivore surgery and experienced in the practice of these techniques.

How is hip dysplasia in dogs treated?

Being dysplastic requires regular veterinary monitoring. Treatments are tailored on a case-by-case basis. A certain number of dogs benefit from hygienic measures (adapted diet and activity), others really need more or less long analgesic cures (always on veterinary advice and prescription).
When these cures are necessary, dysplasia surgery should be considered. A consultation with a surgical specialist is recommended to discuss the pros and cons of such a decision. Surgery is necessary and beneficial in some cases.

A particular intervention, the pubic symphysiodesis, is useful only until the age of 18-20 weeks, but it is not very risky therefore carried out as a preventive measure.
Another surgery, the double pelvic osteotomy (a recent alternative to the triple pelvic osteotomy), is most often reserved for dogs 5 to 10 months old. Hence the importance of early diagnosis.
Other interventions (hip prosthesis and excision of the femur head) are reserved for cases which have a painful hip and which do not improve with conventional treatment.

What is the prognosis for hip dysplasia in dogs?

Being dysplastic is not a “catastrophe” or a “fatality”, it is a serious pathology but solutions exist. We must be careful not to make shortcuts like: a dysplastic dog is promised a miserable life or an inability to move...

If hip dysplasia is well monitored and the right decisions are made as it progresses, a dysplastic dog can live a full, GOOD quality life. Properly managed dysplasia is not likely to become a cause for euthanasia.
The implementation of physiotherapy in prevention, treatment or in addition to certain surgical interventions has made it possible to progress in the management of this pathology and to considerably improve the quality of life of affected animals.

The course of the consultation for hip dysplasia in dogs:

The principle of the consultation consists of doing at least an orthopedic examination and hip X-rays. At the end of this, specific x-rays and hip arthroscopy are sometimes proposed and performed under anesthesia.
When surgery is necessary, it is often rescheduled for a date close to the diagnostic consultation. The surgeries that we perform the most, in well-targeted cases, are pubic symphysiodesis, double pelvis osteotomy and hip excision accompanied by treatment in our physiotherapy department.

The prognosis:

The prognosis of hip dysplasia is difficult to establish. But if hip dysplasia is well monitored and the right decisions are made as it progresses, a dysplastic dog can live a full life, with a GOOD quality of life.


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