How young can you detect hip dysplasia?

Amstaffer

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#1
I am trying to decide if my next dog will be a rescue or from a breeder. I am wondering what is the youngest age you could go to a good vet with a dog/puppy and get a good Idea whether the dog will have hip dysplasia?
 

Amstaffer

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According to the ACVS (American College of Veterinary Surgeons), " ...Stress radiographs can be used to detect breed susceptibility to hip dysplasia as early as 4 months."

Full article here ... Hip Dysplasia in Dogs/
Interesting article. Thanks

How about with a regular exam? Could a good vet be able to give you any clue at 4 months with an exam?
 

colliewog

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Interesting article. Thanks

How about with a regular exam? Could a good vet be able to give you any clue at 4 months with an exam?

I would think a good vet, with an ortho background, could tell if there were joint laxity, or even uneven muscle development (one side having more than another can be a sign of an early problem, i.e. the pup is favoring one side thus building muscle on the 'stronger' leg). I've worked for a few that had this ability and they were never wrong ...
 

bubbatd

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#6
From birth on , I was always happy to see pups in a bear rug position .
 

colliewog

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From birth on , I was always happy to see pups in a bear rug position .
Funny thing with that ... some will swear that is a sure sign that a dog HAS hip problems!! ;) We had an OFA certified dogs that would frog out like that, and others that wouldn't ... it really depends on muscle mass more than hip conformation.
 

corgipower

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I would think a good vet, with an ortho background, could tell if there were joint laxity, or even uneven muscle development (one side having more than another can be a sign of an early problem, i.e. the pup is favoring one side thus building muscle on the 'stronger' leg). I've worked for a few that had this ability and they were never wrong ...
I had a few vets with had ortho background believe that Ares was becoming dysplastic. When we took x-rays, we were all quite surprised to find out that his hips look great.
 

Pops2

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#11
x-rays are the only way to be 100% sure
also the ability to detect it depends on severity as well as age. the more severe the easier it is to pick it up early.
 

bubbatd

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I can't dispute you Collie ....but I've never seen it . I agree on the Xray ,though , but bad cases can be suspicioned with manipulation .
 

corgipower

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#14
There's always that one that stumps everyone! lol
Yes. And pleasantly so in his case. :) Our best guess is that what we thought was beginnings of HD is actually muscular issues and that it's caused by him switching his weight off his front end because of arthritis near his withers and his back end just can't support it.

Sometimes what looks like HD in physical exams is actually a chiro problem - the spine out of alignment pulling hips out of position. This can even look like HD on x-rays and if you do chiro and redo the x-rays the hips will look better.
 
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#15
Amstaff, what is the huge worry with HD? Did one of your dogs turn up with it and now you are super worried? Nothing wrong with being informed and knowledgeable on the subject, but I was just wondering.

My advice, whether you choose breeder or rescue, is to pick a dog that has a normal gait and no stiffness or soreness or reluctance to play. Keep the dog in good muscle tone and at a good weight. HD is bad, but its not the end of the world, and its most certainly not the only thing that can happen.

God luck!
 

Amstaffer

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#16
Amstaff, what is the huge worry with HD? Did one of your dogs turn up with it and now you are super worried? Nothing wrong with being informed and knowledgeable on the subject, but I was just wondering.

My advice, whether you choose breeder or rescue, is to pick a dog that has a normal gait and no stiffness or soreness or reluctance to play. Keep the dog in good muscle tone and at a good weight. HD is bad, but its not the end of the world, and its most certainly not the only thing that can happen.

God luck!
No Sal is good and Athena didn't have HD but I did have a Rottie with HD. I just want to make the best decisions possible. I am just trying to try to avoid problems in the future. I am not sure what you are saying by "Huge worry" it is important and something I would like to avoid and if a few people can give me advice on how to see it early....what is wrong with asking?
 
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#17
No Sal is good and Athena didn't have HD but I did have a Rottie with HD. I just want to make the best decisions possible. I am just trying to try to avoid problems in the future. I am not sure what you are saying by "Huge worry" it is important and something I would like to avoid and if a few people can give me advice on how to see it early....what is wrong with asking?
I didn't mean to offend, I just saw your post here and one earlier in the breeding forum about HD. Absolutely I agree with being informed and making good descisions.

The general rule that OFA tells breeders is, you can expect the puppies to be within two grade of the parents. Therefore, if both parents have an "excellent" hip rating you can expect that none of the puppies will fall below a "fair" rating. If one parent is a "fair", you could end up with a "moderate dysplastic" or an "excellent" or anything inbetween. Of course, they don't guarantee this it just a rule of thumb really. Good breeders will have a clause on hips. Very few do a lifetime gurarantee, but most good breeders will give you 24-36 months to get an OFA done. For a shelter dog, you can ask to have it evaluated by your own vet before taking it. I would suggest this not only for physical soundness but parasites as well. Our local shelter is famous for having outbreaks of parvo among other things.
 

colliewog

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#18
I can't dispute you Collie ....but I've never seen it . I agree on the Xray ,though , but bad cases can be suspicioned with manipulation .
I wasn't hinting that your dogs had a problem, just that I've heard about 50/50 comments on that exact thing ... half say it's a sign of a problem, the other half say it means no problem. I was just making conversation ... :)
 

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