Hip Dysplasia In Dogs
Have you noticed your dog slowing down in their hind quarters, having difficulty transitioning from laying to standing, or showing signs of discomfort with regular movements? Is your dog hesitant to do the things they love like going on long walks, playing with other dogs, or running in the park? If so, it’s possible your dog may be dealing with hip dysplasia. But, that doesn’t mean your dog has to keep having a hard time getting around!
Hip dysplasia is a condition of the hip joint (imagine a ball and socket joint). The head of the femur, the “ball”, doesn’t fit into the acetabulum, the “socket”, properly. The ligaments surrounding this joint aren’t strong enough to support the joint efficiently. Over time, abnormal movement within the hip joint can cause loss of cartilage, formation of bone spurs, pain, loss of mobility, and overall discomfort. Generally, hip dysplasia is a hereditary condition that affects larger dog breeds. However, a sedentary lifestyle and excess weight can exacerbate the condition. The most common breeds affected by this are Bulldogs, Pugs, Dogue de Bordeaux, Saint Bernards, Neopolitan Mastiffs, and Otterhounds. Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers often experience hip dysplasia as well.
Signs and Symptoms of Hip Dysplasia
Symptoms of hip dysplasia often show up as mild at first, but can progressively get worse. Typically, symptoms don’t show up until middle age or later. Here are some things to look out for if you think your dog might have hip dysplasia:
- Stiffness in hips when going from laying down to standing up
- Stiffness in hips when walking, running, or playing
- Lameness (limping) on hind legs
- Loss of muscle tone in hind legs
- Running with a ‘bunny hop” gait
Diagnosing Hip Dysplasia
A qualified healthcare professional is able to diagnose hip dysplasia based on specific palpation methods and specifically positioned hip x-rays. Most often, dogs with hip dysplasia are classified into two groups:
1. Younger dogs with significant hip laxity but no arthritis
2. Older dogs that have developed hip arthritis as a result of hip dysplasia
Whether hip dysplasia is best treated conservatively or with surgery depends on the severity as well as the dog’s age. Regardless of which treatment method you choose, a certified canine rehabilitation therapist can make a meaningful difference in recovery.
A certified canine rehab therapist can evaluate your dog’s strength, flexibility, gait pattern, and daily functions to develop a treatment plan that will get your dog moving with more ease. They will utilize manual therapy techniques to ease pain and a customized therapeutic exercise program to help build stability in the joints and make functional movements easier and less painful.
Surgery may be warranted in some cases to provide the best outcome for your dog. The most common surgery is called Femoral Head Ostectomy, or FHO. Before opting for surgery, it is important to be aware of all the alternatives available that may help manage the condition more conservatively. A healthy diet and weight, joint supplements, daily exercise, and pain medication when necessary can do wonders for managing this common condition. A certified canine rehab therapist can offer much in the way of improving your dogs quality of life through education, manual therapy, and exercises specific to your dogs condition.
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Hip Dysplasia – Surgical & Non-Surgical
Success Stories
Here are some of the happy stories we would like to share with you from some of our clients:
“Francisco, the owner of K9PT and his team wowed me from the very beginning. You just can’t fake genuine care and I have trusted they have my dog’s best interest in mind from the very beginning. Each 45 minute session is catered specifically to his needs and he gives me exercises to do between sessions. That’s where the real value comes in. PT needs to be daily work to see progress and TheK9PT equips you with the education and training needed to continue that work at home. Francisco has such a way with animals and my dog is thrilled to do the the work required to get treats. He has learned impulse control and other obedience training just by being around him – something I didn’t pay extra for. I cannot recommend TheK9PT enough and it’s truly worth every penny. I would trust the entire staff with my dog any day.”
“We’re so happy with the evaluation and treatments by TheK9PT! Francisco was very thorough and did a great job of identifying weaknesses in our dog who has severe hip dysplasia. He developed and customized a great treatment plan. Combined with dietary changes, weight control, aggressive physical therapy, and NSAIDs, our dog is actually the most active he’s ever been and is able to do long walks and hikes with us now that we live in Utah. Treatments were very effective and we would recommend TheK9PT to anyone!”
“Our 12 year old standard poodle, Annyong, was having mobility issues and could no longer navigate the stairs on a regular basis. After 2 weeks of PT, he’s shown drastic and sustained improvements in mobility, strength, and confidence. I wish I had known about TheK9PT sooner – the treatment they provided has improved Annyong’s life significantly and he’s moving and acting like he’s years younger!”