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Hip Dysplasia
The term Dysplasia means abnormal growth, thus hip Dysplasia means abnormal growth or development of the hips. Hip Dysplasia starts during the growing phase of a puppy, usually a larger breed puppy, and essentially refers to a poor fit of the ball and socket of the hip joint. The normal hip consists of the femoral head (which is round like a ball and connects the femur to the pelvis), the acetabulum (the socket of the pelvis), and the fibrous joint capsule and lubricating fluid that make up the joint. The bones (femoral head and acetabulum) are coated with smooth cartilage so that motion is nearly frictionless and the bones glide smoothly across each other’s surface.
Normal ( on the left) Dysplasic (on the right)
The joint becomes unstable and therefore develops abnormally. The stretching of the joint capsule/ligament and the abnormal loading of the joint surfaces lead to inflammation, pain, physical abrasion of the articular cartilage and stress fractures in the bone beneath this cartilage. The cartilage damage leads to early and irreversible arthritis. In most cases both hips are affected but may be in differing degrees.
The earliest signs are usually seen between 4 and 10 months of age with stiffness after rest, difficulty getting up from a lying/sitting position and reluctance/inability to exercise (as a result of the discomfort) being most commonly reported. Sometimes a “clunking” sound is heard when the dogs get up/walk.
The underlying deformity of the joint may get worse over time, or may remain static. The hip condition is only one factor to determine the extent to which dysplasia is causing pain or affecting the quality of life. In mild to moderate dysplasia it is often the secondary effects of abnormal wear and tear or arthritis, rather than dysplasia itself, which is the direct causes of visible problems.
To reduce pain, the animal will typically reduce its movement of that hip. This may be visible as "bunny hopping", where both legs move together, or less dynamic movement (running, jumping), or stiffness. Since the hip cannot move fully, the body compensates by adapting its use of the spine, often causing spinal, stifle (a dog's knee joint), or soft tissue problems to arise.
Hind legs close together to compensate for hips Muscle wastage after 2 years untreated hip dysplasia
The causes of hip dysplasia are considered heritable, but new research conclusively suggests that environment also plays a role. To what degree the causality is genetic and what portion environmental is a topic of current debate. Most scientists seem to agree that environmental factors determine the extent or level of severity and genes are responsible for its presence or not. Environmental influences would include overweight condition, incorrect nutrition (specifically increased calcium and too rapid growth rates because of over feeding) injury at a young age, overexertion on hip joint at a young age, ligament tear at a young age, repetitive motion on forming joint (i.e. jogging with puppy under the age of 1 year). As current studies progress, greater information will help provide procedures to effectively reduce the occurrence of this condition.
The defect can be anywhere from mild to severely crippling. It can cause severe osteoarthritis eventually. Swimming is highly effective at reducing the muscle wastage and allows muscle to develop to support the affected limb(s) therefore staving off the “bunny hopping”, stiffness and can help avoid the associated complications until at least much later in life if ever.