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Hip-Dysplasia?
Sent to Pet Experts September 23 02:52 PM

I am concerned that I may be seeing signs of hip-dysplasia in my 8-month old puppy. Primarily, the bunny-hop run and once he spent a day limping and it was painful to him to move his leg backwards (pain recognized when I gently pulled his leg toward the rear and he snapped at me but did not snap when the same movement was attempted with the other leg). I'd like to have him x-ray'd so that if the condition is present, I can start preventative treatment early before any of the associated debilitating arthritis sets in. At what age can hip-dysplasia be successfully ruled out by x-rays?

 

Optional Information:
Age: <1; Male; Breed: Airedale Terrer

Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Status:  Closed   Value: $5
Answer
September 23 3:00 PM (8 minutes and 48 seconds later)
         
REPLIEDCheck Mark
Hip dysplasia can be seen on x-rays, but no technique is 100% diagnostic. There are several techniques, as you may have heard about "Penn Hip" or others. There is no particular age that can rule out hip dysplasia on x-rays - the bad cases will always look bad.

Given what you have described to me so far, I agree that it is very likely that your dog has hip dysplasia, even if you miss it on the x-rays. (By the way, you sound very educated about hip dysplasia!)

What types of prevention are you thinking about? Surgical? That is probably the only way to really prevent arthritis; medications won't. On the other hand, many dogs do ok with hip dysplasia as long as you control pain when it shows up.

So your main options are: do surgery now, and hope that things get better. Or, manage it for as long as you can, then do total hip replacement when you can no longer control the pain and arthritis.

You sound like you are very familiar with hip dysplasia already, so I don't want to bored you. I just want to make sure that you know that controlled exercise is necessary for hip dysplasia. You want to build up the muscles to keep the joint stable. This means slow walks regularly for long periods of time, and no abrupt incrase in activity and uncontrolled exercise (running around in the field once a month without a leash).

I hope this answered your question.

If I have answered your question, please click ACCEPT. A positive feedback is always appreciated. I'd be happy to clarify this answer if you have follow up questions.
Animal Health Advocate -- Veterinarian -- 100% Positive Feedback on 39 Pet Accepts
full time animal ER doctor, taught veterinary emergency medicine to vet school students
Reply
September 23 3:07 PM (6 minutes and 36 seconds later)
         
Reply to Animal Health Advocate's Post: Thank you. Just a couple of other quick questions. I bought this dog from a breeder who had both parents OFA'd...the father's entire line (at least as far back as my AKA pedigree goes) is OFA'd excellent or good. The Father is rated "excellent", and the mother "good". The mother is the first in her line as far as I can tell that has been OFA'd. Not that I am stretching for hope, but wouldn't this make the likelihood of my puppy having HD very low? (Obviously not impossible, but low?) Further, I may be just hypersensitive about the bunny hop run, I've never seen it, just read descriptions.

As far as what I would consider doing -- whatever it takes. :)

I can call my vet and ask, but while I've got you here, how much do the X-rays generally cost? Cost is always a concern, but more for planning rather than totally ruling out a treatment.
Customer (name blocked for privacy)
Answer
September 23 3:13 PM (5 minutes and 41 seconds later)
         
ACCEPTEDCheck Mark
As far as genetic goes, we don't really know about it. There are studies going on currently to try to identify how hip dysplasia is genetically passed on. Current evidence suggest that multiple genes are involved, so it's not so simple as to say that if both parents are fine, then the progeny would be fine.

The cost of X-rays vary depending on the region. I've practiced in CA, northeast, and southeast, and generally a set of x-rays cost about $90-140. Keep in mind though, that I tend to work in referral practices that are open 24 hours/day, so my prices tend to be higher. I have seen them as low as $60. I would also say, though, that generally places with access to radiologists would take higher quality films. Most of the diagnosis via x-ray is by looking at the pictures, but some places actually measure angles and take measurements to improve on the sensitivity of diagnosis - so prices do make a difference sometimes.

If I have answered your question, please click ACCEPT. A positive feedback is always appreciated. I'd be happy to clarify this answer if you have follow up questions.
Animal Health Advocate -- Veterinarian -- 100% Positive Feedback on 39 Pet Accepts
full time animal ER doctor, taught veterinary emergency medicine to vet school students
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