Canine hip dysplasia refers to the malformation of hip joints in dogs as the dog develops. A similar condition was discovered in people by Hippocrates way back in 370 BCE. Since the 1930s, a lot of resources have been devoted to the study and research of hip dysplasia in dogs. Every one of us who own dogs and take an interest in their well-being should remain informed about the condition, what it is, how it develops, and what we can do about it.

In the 1930s all we knew about hip dysplasia was what was written in the medical press, an excerpt of which read like this:

“It (hip dysplasia) constituted faulty growth and development of all tissues in and around the hip joint, that it was not uncommon in a tribe of Canadian Indian children and Italian children and, if not corrected in its early stage, could lead to very painful, arthritic hips in human at middle age or beyond.”

More information about canine hip dysplasia

Our knowledge of hip dysplasia in canines has grow dramatically since the 1930s. We now understand that, unlike other diseases and physical ailments, canine hip dysplasia doesn`t continue to increase in severity as time goes on. But rather, the condition has an acute phase with dramatic symptoms, which occurs during the period of rapid growth in the dog. That is to say, hip dysplasia affects puppies and young dogs that are still growing and physically maturing, typically in large breeds of dogs. During the acute phase, the dog may even have trouble standing up, especially on a slippery surface like a tiled floor or linoleum floor.

Rather than easily standing up, or comfortably returning to a sitting position, the dog in this acute phase will typically fall down with a rough impact, because of the pain in the hip joints. And of course the impact will cause additional pain. The more we have learned about this condition the more we understand that as the animal matures physically and the rapidity of growth decelerates, the acute phase ends and the symptoms decrease greatly. Sometimes they disappear entirely.

The Similarities Between Canine Hip Dysplasia & Hip Troubles in People

Arthritis, in its acute phases that affect people`s lives, may or may not makes itself evident during the middle age years or later years of a person`s life. The factors that affect whether arthritis appears acutely are varied, but include lifestyle and level of activity, sensitivity, weight, race, and so on. This is distinct from hip dysplasia in dogs because in dogs the acute phases comes when the dog is physically maturing into an adult, rather than in its old age.

There are two things that show us the clear difference between hip dysplasia in human beings and in canines. The first thing is that man walks on his hind legs only, and for a much longer time period than dogs. And the second thing is that the condition in dogs is diagnosed based on the looseness of the dog`s joints (aka “joint laxity”) in the young dog.

The ramifications of the first factor mentioned above is that dogs with pain in their hind legs can easily shift a lot of their weight to their front legs, whereas humans don`t do this. This is one of the reasons that the condition can become worse in humans as time goes on, even though in dogs it often goes away as the dog gets older.

It was common practice back in the early 1970s for young dogs to be put to sleep when they were discovered to have canine hip dysplasia. In those days it was the most common recommendation from veterinarians, and most owners would reluctantly agree to have their dogs put down because it was assumed that the dogs would never be able to lead a happy and fulfilling life without being able to run, play fetch, jump, go for walks, hunt, or any other physical activities that involved walking/running.

Some Veterinarians Disagreed With This Thinking

In actuality, puppies and young dogs that have dog hip displasia have a good chance of going on to live a normal and fulfilling life if the dog is simply left to mature with no further intervention. Many dogs will cease to be badly affected by the condition once they reach their full level of maturity, leading some veterinarians to avoid recommending surgery or putting the dog to sleep.

There is little in the way of reputable research or statistics to show that young dogs exhibiting hip dysplasia turn out any better after surgery than do those who are left to mature without intervention. Countless dogs that overcame their condition naturally without surgery can take place in dog shows, tracking, obedience trails, and other forms of exercise and activity. So we have a large amount of anecdotal evidence that surgery is not necessary in young dogs. Scientifically speaking, it makes little sense to sever tendons and muscle in the young dog. It results in the ball slipping out of its socket, which is exactly the problem of hip dysplasia in the first place.

However, when performed on an older dog undergoing constant pain, dog dysplasia surgery can be a useful procedure that instantly relieves discomfort. This is done by adjusting the weight bearing surface in the hip joint. But it is not clear how long such relief lasts, or what percentage of dogs experience relief by undergoing this procedure. But this is definitely a valid option for older dogs.

Uncertainty Over Whether Dog Hip Dysplasia is Genetic

Human hip dysplasia is genetic, so early researchers of canine hip dysplasia were working under the assumption that it too was a genetic condition. Their research focused on whether the cidtion was dominant or recessive. There is evidence that there is a genetic element to hip dysplasia in dogs, but a Swedish study was conducted on over eleven thousand German Shepherd dogs that determined that a decade of selective breeding could not successfully lower the number of offspring with canine hip dysplasia. They also could not lower the number of moderate-severe cases.

The Swedish researchers concluded that there was less of a genetic factor causing dog hip dysplasia as they had originally assumed. They observed different factors linked to the condition: the characteristics of the pelvic inlet, as well as the rate of bone maturation in the particular dog.

Greyhounds are the only large breed of canines that does not experience hip dysplasia. This is a breed with very slow bone maturation. Cases of cross-breeding Greyhounds and German Shepherds resulted in a generation of offspring with no hip dysplasia. If slow bone maturation is the key to preventing the condition, then is there any way we can slow bone maturation? There is some evidence that a restricted day that slows bone maturation is possible.

We don`t yet have a complete understanding of what factors cause dog hip dysplasia. But the rate of bone maturation, as well as giving young dogs the opportunity to overcome the condition without interference, seem to be key points to focus on.