Last week I attended to a lovely chocolate brown labrador named Tara. Her owner was very worried as she had just returned from a trip abroad and on collecting Tara from her friend’s house, the dog was limping on its left hind leg. Her friend told her she knew of no accident that had occurred. In fact, Tara had always got on very well with her two dogs and they’d had a great time playing together.

Tara is 18 months old and had never had any problems. Yet, upon examination, it was clear that she was resisting placing her full weight on her left hind leg. It was also very obvious that she was not happy about me examining her rear end.

I explained to Tara’s owner that I would not be able to check her properly unless she was calm and co-operative. I wished to establish whether there was any type of general leg injury and, in particular, whether there was any cruciate ligament injury in the knee joint and X-ray the hips to check for hip dysplasia.

So Tara was duly sedated. A thorough physical examination revealed no lumps or bumps, fractures, luxation or ligament injuries. However, X-rays revealed a moderate level of hip dysplasia, which was more severe on the left side.

Hip dysplasia can occur in different types of animals but it is mostly associated with dogs. Pure bred dogs are more subject to this disorder than mixed breeds, and although it can occur in breeds of all sizes, large breeds such as German shepherds, rottweilers and labradors just like Tara are more at risk.

Because of this predisposition among pure breeds, dog owners who show their dogs professionally, as well as dog breeders who want to increase the value of their investment, are particularly interested in testing their dogs for hip dysplasia.

The main joint of the pelvis attaches the femur, or thigh bone, to the hip. The hip joint is what we call a ball-and-socket joint, where the ball, found on the topmost part of the femur, is almost completely embraced and received by a complementary concave articulation surface of the pelvis, called the acetabulum.

Hip dysplasia, an abnormal development of the hip joint, disrupts the harmony that normally exists between the two surfaces of this articulation. There are various degrees of gravity of hip dysplasia.

The symptoms usually start to be visible when the dog is anything between seven and 18 months old. Lameness and lack of strength in one or both hind legs will start to become evident. An important signal to owners is bunny-hopping, which is when the dog tries to run with both hind legs moving together rather than in sequence; this symptom is particularly visible when the dog runs up the stairs.

The cause of hip dysplasia may be both environmental and hereditary. Environmentally, you need to avoid factors that could lead to hip dysplasia in the very important first months of your puppy’s life: poor diet, excessive weight and over-exercising your dog.

Symptoms of hip dysplasia usually start to be visible when the dog is anything between seven and 18 months old. Lameness and lack of strength in one or both hind legs will start to become evident

From the hereditary aspect, you need to make sure that you purchase your dog from a breeder who has screened its parents against hip dysplasia. Over the years, the evaluation of the hip joints has been standardised by various bodies for the benefit of breeders to be able to select the best dogs for reproduction and for prospective dog owners to be able to minimise the risk of purchasing a dog that will develop hip dysplasia later in life.

One such important body is the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), which is the international federation of kennel clubs. In co-ordination with kennel clubs in various countries, centralised veterinary X-ray centres and veterinarians in private clinics, the FCI certificate is used to declare the quality of dogs that have been tested for hip dysplasia.

The FCI system of classification ranges from A to E, with the first being the most desirable characteristic of perfectly formed hip joints. Serious large dog breeders will aspire to have their dogs certified as part of their investment in the increased saleability of their dogs.

Though not exactly good news, Tara’s owner understood the consequences of her dog’s condition. Tara had already been neutered and therefore was not going to go through the added strain of giving natural birth or of passing on hip dysplasia to her descendants.

However Tara’s owner will need to be careful that her dog does not put on excessive weight. As an adjunct to Tara’s care, she was given medication useful for her hip joint both for the short and long term.

All things considered, Tara should be able to lead a fairly normal life notwithstanding her moderate degree of hip dysplasia. The love Tara’s owner clearly bestows on her will certainly add to her quality of life.

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

Dr Martin Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.

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