Hip Dysplasia – a degenerative joint disease

hip dysplasia picture

Description: Hip dysplasia occurs when there are abnormalities in the hip joint, such as looseness in the ball (femur) and socket joint (acetabulum), which leads to painful osteoarthritis conditions and lameness. The ball and socket joint should be snug, yet at the same time the ball joint should be able to rotate freely within the socket. These two smooth joints are held snugly together by a ligament, which attaches the ball directly to the socket.

Symptoms: X-rays are the primary diagnostic tool for hip dysplasia. Puppies as young as 5 months may show signs of an abnormal gait and favouring of the leg. Pain is often present as well as loss of muscle tone. Dogs afflicted with HD tend to avoid excessive exercise and going up and down stairs. The movement is too painful. You may be able to hear a clicking noise when your dog is walking.

According to the (OFA) Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, there are 7 different categories for evaluating hip dysplasia. The categories are: Excellent, Good, Fair, Borderline, Mild, Moderate, and Severe. Reputable rottweiler breeders will not breed a dog with scores below Fair because because experts believe genetics play a role in hip dysplasia. Other contributing factors include a variety of athletic injuries.

Registries: The OFA is one of a few hip dysplasia registries around the world. Some of the other registries are FCI in Germany, BVA in UK and Australia, SV in Germany and the PennHip in the USA. All the registries utilize x-rays in their evaluations. The OFA evaluation consists of Radiologists classifying the x-ray into one of seven categories. The final grading is by consensus of 3 independent evaluations. For example, the first Radiologist could give the x-ray a rating or Excellent, the second on could assign a good, while the third radiologist could assign fair. The final consensus would be a subjective interpretation of Good. Theoretically, the same x-ray assessed by the same 3 Radiologists at a later date could result in a different interpretation. This would be due to the subjective interpretation of the assessment, an assessment that does not utilize mathematical calculations

PennHip: The OFA is still the preferred registry by many dog clubs, but there has been a new kid on the block for the past number of years that is getting some serious recognition. PennHip has been around since 1983.That new kid is PennHip from the University of Pennsylvania. Unlike OFA, PennHip only permits certified veterinarians in the PennHip method to take x-rays. The set of x-rays must be taken according to PennHip procedures. OFA permits any registered veterinarian to take x-rays and the dog may or may not be under general anaesthetic.

In order to have OFA assess your dog’s hips, your dog must be 24 months old. The PennHip is able to evaluate dogs as young as 16 weeks of age.

PennHip Assessment: The assessment begins using trained veterinarians in the PennHip method who strictly adhere to adopted procedures and guidelines. There are three main components in the evaluation, such as: 1: Trained veterinarians in the PennHip method.

2: A diagnostic x-ray technique to interpret hip joint laxity. Three different x-rays are taken to show and measure the distraction view, the compression view and the hip-extended view. The trained veterinarians are able to take precise measurements of joint laxity and congruity.

3: A database that is used for scientific analysis and research. The measurements are then compared to other same-breed dogs in the large world-wide data base. Here are some sample x-rays using the PennHip method.

Finally!

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