WHAT IS HIP DYSPLASIA?

WHAT IS HIP DYSPLASIA?
by Carolyn D. Beaudrot

The word dysplasia means “improper growth”. Canine Hip Dysplasia
(CHD) is a rather complex disorder and is one of the most widespread
problems in the canine world.

At birth, every dog’s hip structure seems to be normal. Very
soon, however, the dysplastic hip begins to undergo subtle microscopic
changes in the muscles, ligaments & cartilages causing excessive laxity in the
joint; cellular changes occur in the joint capsule and synovial fluid.
As the dog matures, the changes become more and more pronounced.
Since the ball is not snug within the socket, it wears away at the joint,
popping in and out of the socket which becomes increasingly shallow.
Before long, the degeneration takes its toll as osteoarthritis brings
pain and debility to the afflicted dog.

Symptoms vary widely from one dog to the next. Some dogs have a
high pain threshold and may show no signs whatsoever, even though
x-rays tell a very different story.

Treatments may be as simple as giving a glucosamine pill daily or
as drastic as surgery. Do your homework and discuss it with your
veterinarian.

Remember -- the ONLY way to tell if a dog is dysplastic is to
x-ray those hips!!

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MYTHS AND FACTS REGARDING CANINE HIP DYSPLASIA

MYTH -- Only large dogs have CHD; no real need to worry about it in a
toy breed like Cavaliers.
FACT -- Any dog can be affected by CHD. It is certainly more apparent
in the larger breeds, but is also a decided problem in Cavaliers with
some estimates running as high as a 30% rate of incidence. Since this
is an inherited disorder, it is vital that dogs be tested and cleared
before being bred. Otherwise, the condition will only become more and
more prevalent.

MYTH -- If a dog can run, jump & stand on its hind legs, it obviously
doesn’t suffer from CHD!
FACT -- This is just not so!! It is virtually impossible to tell if a
dog is dysplastic merely by looking at it. You must x-ray and then
have those x-rays evaluated by experts. Dysplastic dogs fall within an
incredibly broad range of appearance from perfectly normal to
functionally crippled.

MYTH -- The lines I breed are free from CHD.
FACT -- Since the genetic markers have not been identified, there is
no way a breeder can know this; CHD is polygenetic (meaning many genes,
both dominant and recessive) and multi-factorial. It can show up in
your breeding program even when you’ve used only clear animals for
several generations. Merely producing a dysplastic dog should not be
considered a strike against a breeder; how a breeder handles the
situation is what is important. A dysplastic dog must never be bred.

MYTH -- You can’t find out about CHD until they are at least 2 years
old.
FACT -- The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) gives
certification once a dog is at least 2 years old. They can also do preliminary
evaluations after 4-5 months of age; these preliminaries have proven
to be about 90% accurate when compared to follow-ups of the same animal
after 24 months of age. Penn-Hip testing can be done as early as 4
months but can be done only by certified vets, requires general
anesthesia, and is also more expensive than the traditional OFA
evaluation. Also, Penn-Hip does not give a diagnosis of CHD unless
degeneration has occurred in the joint -- changes which often do not
occur until much later in the dog’s life.

MYTH -- Testing is too expensive!
FACT -- This test is not performed annually (like heart and eye
tests); it is generally a one-time expense -- or twice if you opt for both
preliminary and mature evaluation done on the same animal. By
contrast, consider the pain & suffering endured by both dog and owner as well as
the necessary medical and/or surgical treatments at the expense of the
puppys’ owners.

MYTH -- You have to anesthetize a dog to do a hip x-ray.
FACT -- Not at all! OFA does not require a dog to be anesthetized.
While some vets do still insist on full anesthesia, more and more are
willing to handle the procedure with little or no sedation. Many
Cavaliers readily and easily cooperate with no chemical restraint for
this all-important test.

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SHOULD I BE CONCERNED?

Absolutely!! Unless we ALL are concerned about such matters,
they will continue unabated. Education is the key to this problem; it is
the responsibility of each and every interested person to get the
facts and then use that information to help improve the comfort of these
“comforte spaniels” who do so much for us, their faithful servants.

The welfare of our breed lies in the hands of the buyers at least
as much as it is in the hands of the breeders.

We’re not talking about a minor defect here such as freckles, a
curly tail or mismarked color patterns. Hip Dysplasia is a crippling
disease which brings considerable pain and suffering to both the dog
and its owner. If we truly love our dogs, we’ll each do our part to help
lower the rate of CHD incidence in our beautiful Cavaliers.

WHAT'S THE SOLUTION?

Clear communication, voluntary cooperation and a willingness for
further education amongst breeders, buyers, researchers, and the purebred dog
organizations are crucial if we truly want to see dogs which possess
lovely conformation, sound temperaments, and are genetically healthy.

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WEB SITES TO SEE

http://www.acmepet.com/canine/genetic/article
This is an excellent 10-part series. You can stop with just the basics
or delve into the whole course!

http://www.cadvision.com/shelties/ofavs.htm
A detailed comparison of the OFA & Penn-Hip methods of evaluating for
canine hip dysplasia.

http://www.workingdogs.com/doc0090.htm
Great listing of CHD resources.

http://www.offa.org/
This is the official OFA website which offers excellent information as
well as a database where you can look up a specific dog (or even by
kennel name) and see if it has been certified.http://www.angelfire.com/ab
/sweetprintscavaliers/1compare.html.A Canadian site’s superb article
describing the hallmarks of an ethical serious breeder. This entire site is
rich with information and invaluable for both buyers and breeders.
(Just click the “Home” button at the bottom of the page after you’ve read
what you should look for in a breeder.)

Email Carolyn for copies of this in a very nice brochure format

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