Hip Dysplasia In Dog Breeds

Many large dog breeds are prone to a disabling disease, hip displasia, that makes their life and that of their handlers difficult at times, to say the least. In many instances it shortens their lifespan considerably. Small dogs rarely suffer from this illness. It is also much rarer in mixed breeds, even if one of the parent breeds is subject to this disease.
Since it has a genetic component owners of certain breeds ought to be aware that their beloved pet could be subject to this affliction only because it is of a certain breed. In recent years hip displasia, has become more frequent, mainly due to indiscriminate backyard breeding.

Anyone interested in one of the following breeds must be aware of this risk and, whenever possible, acquire their new family member from a reputable breeder. Of course, that puts dogs in animal shelters at a disadvantage because there is no practical way of determining the chances of a particular dog having the genetic component for dysplasia before acquiring the pet.
Hip displasia does not manifest itself in young animals. Normally it does not show until the dog is middle aged or older.
The good news is that there are procedures to correct the condition to a certain degree and other methods of ameliorating the effects of hip dysplasia. Talk to your vet or check some of the many Internet sites for treatment methods and ways to make life more comfortable for your pet.

Those of you who consider getting a new dog from an animal shelter, rescue group or even a breeder should have a look at the following list of dog breeds that can suffer from hip displasia. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals has ranked dog breeds in order of frequency with which they suffer from hip dysplasia as follows:

"Among them, in order of frequency are Otterhounds (54%), Neapolitan Mastiffs (48%), St . Bernards (47%), Bloodhounds (26%), Newfoundlands (25%), Catahoula Hounds (25%), Chesapeke Bay Retrievers (21%), Rottweilers (20%), Golden Retrievers (20%), Norwegian Elkhounds (20%), Mastiffs (20%), Chows (19%), German Shepherds (19%), and Old English Sheepdogs (19%)."

Go to http://www.offa.org/hd_grades.html for detailed information and X-Ray pictures. Besides this very informative general material, they also let you search for certain breeds and individual animals of that breed which were tested by OFA.

Does this all mean that you should never own a German shepherd or a Golden? No, you just need to be aware of the possibility that your pet might eventually suffer from the effects of this disabling disease. Good nutrition, veterinary care and controlling strenuous exercise in later years will keep your pet active and happy for a long time.
PJJ