Canine hip dysplasia a challenge for dogs, owners, veterinarians

As a small-animal veterinarian, I would have to say I spend more time discussing canine hip dysplasia than any other condition.
Veterinarians, drug companies, and now even pet-food manufacturers have made the pet-owning public more aware of CHD. I, for one, am pleased to see pet owners more concerned with this, because increased knowledge of the condition should lead to more dogs with CHD being treated appropriately and fewer high-risk dogs being bred.
Hip dysplasia is a developmental condition that is the result of a combination of many interrelated factors. Looseness of the hip joint is the primary factor. Looseness of the hip allows the head of the femur (the "ball" of the ball-and-socket) to slip partially out of the socket.
As the ball and socket interact in this abnormal way, the bones are placed under tremendous stress. The body responds by remodeling the affected bones; the physical structure of the joint literally changes. The remodeled joint is abnormal and further stress is placed on the joint surfaces. As this cycle continues, the cartilage on the joint surfaces erodes, leading to arthritis. Arthritis pain may be characterized by difficulty rising, limping, reluctance to play and vocalizing.
Diagnosing hip dysplasia is relatively simple. A thorough patient history, physical exam findings (such as pain upon hip manipulation) and X-rays are used to confirm CHD.
Treating CHD can be a challenge because different dogs have different pain thresholds and treatments vary in scope and cost. Most commonly, CHD is treated medically with NSAIDs and other pain-relieving drugs. Nutritional supplements thought to help protect the joint cartilage (such as glucosamine and chondroitin) are often used alongside pain relievers. Many pet-food manufacturers have developed new diets to aid dogs with CHD.

There are now "large breed" puppy foods aimed at "leveling" the growth curve of large breeds in an effort to decrease the incidence of CHD. Some dog foods even contain large doses of glucosamine and chondroitin; these diets hope to protect the joints and help control the pain of arthritis.

Several surgical options exist for treating dogs with CHD. These include procedures aimed at realigning the joint to prevent damage, total hip replacement to build an entirely new joint, and salvage procedures that simply try to alleviate pain.

I prefer to prevent hip dysplasia whenever possible. This is best accomplished by breeding only dogs that have had their hips evaluated and certified. There are two primary certifying methods — OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) and Penn-HIP (University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program).