Development of Hip Dysplasia in Dogs

Abstract

SUMMARY Developmental phases of hip dysplasia were studied in a breed of dogs with a high natural incidence of the disease. The period between 3 and 8 months of age appeared to be important, since during this time the initial diagnosis of the disease was made frequently. The abnormality was restricted to hip joints and during the period of study was diagnosed radiographically as unilateral hip dysplasia in 20 to 30% of the dogs. It was found that cesarean-delivered pups, which were hand reared at a greatly reduced rate of growth, had a very low incidence of hip dysplasia, whereas normally born, bitch-fed puppies that grew optimally, or merely suboptimally, had a high incidence. Course of the disease was not influenced by restricted exercise, vaccination with modified live-virus vaccines, dietary supplementation, or the presence of lever at time of teething. The disease remained once radiographic evidence was observed. It was found that crossbreed offspring developed hip dysplasia. Results indicated that subjectively estimating hip joint laxity in pups was unreliable for predicting either normal or dysplastic hip joints in adult dogs.