Hip Dysplasia in GSDs

[Jynx]

I don't think your exercising him to much,,since he's been ill, walking is a good way to keep muscle tone on him..

Since I do agility with my dogs, I always xray them from stem to stern just for piece of mind and it's good for future reference IF something ever crops up. I don't OFA, since I don't breed, but knowing where they stand structurally keeps me informed..I xray not only hips, but elbows(lot of elbow dysplasia in dogs!), spine, knees, hocks and shoulder.

As for supplements, it's never to early in my opinion. Altho I don't normally start supplementing my dogs until they are around 6 months old..Depending on the dogs' needs, I give salmon oil, (and lots of fresh boiled salmon), MSM with glucosamine, kelp..Keeps those joints lubricated.
diane

 

[panzer426]

actually hd is purely genetic, it can not be present for 10 or more generations in the direct lineage (parents, grandparents, etc) and then show up in one or more pups, or it can be present in every generation. supplements wont prevent hd, but they can help slow its progression and help prevent other joint problems.
and I didnt mean to say that you were over excercising, I was only saying that over excercising a young dog whos bones and joints are still growing can cause problems.
I have heard of dogs being certified good/fair at 2 years old and later in life developing minor/mid hd. good or fair means that they dont have full blown hd but that they do show some signs of possible very minor hd in 1 or more joints...minor enough that it probably isnt but "could" be. I would not breed to or buy a puppy out of a dog with good/fair ofa rating. 2 dogs with excellent ratings can produce a pup or more with hd, but a dog with good/fair is that much more likely to produce it.
a dog with good/fair or lower rating can develop hd, but this is most likely to happen if/when the dog begins developing problems from arthritis or other joint problems...like a domino effect sort of. not too say every dog or even half the dogs with good or fair ratings will develop hd if they get arthitis, just saying that joint problems can improve the chances of other joint problems.
honestly I seriously doubt your gsd has hd or will get hd, I wouldnt get paranoid about it right now while there are no symptoms, and I would imagine the chances are low. I would still recommend that you have him/her x-rayed at some point just so you know. hd and other joint problems are easier to treat (reduce/prevent pain or atleast have a longer life before pain begins) if you know early and can start them on meds and supplements that reduce the pain and symptoms.

 

[rky]

We just got the news today that our Lab has it. Vet said it was a severe case, or as severe as she's ever seen. Butter is a little over 7 months old, we got him August 13th. When the breeder talked to us about hip dysplasia i'll have to admit, I had no clue.

Soon after we got him, maybe 2 months later, I noticed him stretchin alot, havin sort of a lazy sit, having a difficult time with stairs and almost every other sympton to the letter.

Vet said he wasn't in pain all the time, I kind of found that hard to believe but I guess she's the expert. We did get some medication for those days when he's noticebly havin a hard time. He's very well takin care of on the diet side and has always been a touch under his average weight (58lbs now). Never over exercised from day 1, he was in charge of the house (well to a point, you get the idea) He was the baby and nothin was left to chance with his health. But this just came out of nowhere. I swear one week he was bunny hoppin at the door to see ya come home, then it went downhill fast within 2 or 3 weeks.

Kinda rambling right now Anyhow, all the advice in this thread and anything anyone can add was and will be greatly appreciated.

On a side note, if anyone had to get this dog, i'm glad my girlfriend and our family did

 

[panzer426]

I've never had a dog with it but have known several people who had gsd's with hd. all of them and everything I have ever read or heard about it (I'm sure your vet mentioned this) says try to limit how much he jumps. the jumping itself isnt a problem but the landing is. the jarring will wear down his joints and can (guess depends on how bad the hd is and how far the jump is) cause joints to dislocate.

 

[rky]

Since we noticed the symptons his jumping off things was all but stopped, he either couldn't or wouldn't anyhow, unless very excited to see someone.

Vet mentioned the same thing tho

 

[Athebeau]

I think that HD is part genetic but also part environmental. Things like diet, too much hard exercise too young, allowing them to grow too fast, all contribute to conditions that can cause HD. If your pup is growing too fast, you are running him hard, and not feeding him the right food, you are just as much at fault if he gets it especially if he comes from lines that have not had many instances of HD.

DanL, just to inform you that these Newf's were never exercised hard it's a Newf. haha. They did not "grow" too fast (these breeders have been breeding quality dogs for over 20 Years). All the dogs have eaten the same foods and these lines never had HD. When you are breeding purebred dogs and the gene pool gets smaller and smaller....remember there is no new blood coming in. Then you are going to produce genetic faults, it happens. Breeds that have never experienced Elbow Dysplasia are now developing this Genetic disorder. Dogs that never had luxating patella problems are now developing them. It's a risk you take breeding for purebreds...there is no new blood coming in. It's the law of genetics.

Another lady who has been breeding Bernese Mountain dogs for years. Is a well known reputable breeder had a whole litter of dysplastic pups which she destroyed. Both lines were free of HD. It happens, sometimes its due to genetic, sometimes it's due to breeding for disfigured dogs (angulation, straight hocks what ever), sometimes it can be environmental and food related.

 

[DanL]

Yes, I understand that it is genetic, but a lot of GSD people told me stuff like panzer said, about limiting their jumping and hard exercise (try that with a pup who hasl launched himself down 5 steps to get to the yard since he was 6 months old), and rapid growth and diet could have an effect. Maybe doing those things with a dog that was at risk could make it get HD. If a dog is going to get it bad from day 1, like the Lab pup above, there isn't much you can do about it. I've read that pugs are the most likely to get it out of all breeds but our little guy seems to be fine. Who knows. I just try and do the things that aren't going to exacerbate the situation as best I can but still let the pup be a pup.

 

[bubbatd]

I agree it's touch and go... I had one new owner of one of my pups who went into a high growth food and and high drive puppy playing and he ended up with hip problems. It was not a genetic problems... just a stupid owner problem.

 

[JR0579]

Thanks for all the help. I think I'll have to think about it because I am kind of confused. I am not sure if the majority of you agrees or disagrees with having Roy's hips and elbows X-rayed.
He runs a lot and jumps occasionally but not that high. He also stretches a lot but I don't now if that's normal, laziness or an indication of a problem.
In the mean time, I will try and stop him from jumping until we see the vet.

Thanks so much

 

[fillyone]

at 7 months old you can take your GSD to vets for hip and elbow x-rays
your vet will send them to OVC - Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph to be read by a Radiologist. This is only a prelimb.
At 18 months old you can re x ray and have them certified
if the dog passes that is.
OFA is American and they rate excellent, good or fair - but only after 2 years of age.

OFA also does a prelim anytime after I think it's 4 months. They use the same ratings for the prelim

 

[fillyone]

Also, you would not send away x-rays to be scored for pet quality dogs. That would only be for people who plan on breeding.

Actually I had my GSD's hips x-rayed and sent to OFA when he was neutered at 14 months. I also plan on having his hips and elbows x-rayed and sent at 2 for certification.

Obviously I'm not going to breed him since he's neutered but I think it's my duty as a responsible GSD owner to have him x-rayed and the results made public. This way anyone that is looking at the same breeder can see results.
It's also in my contract, but I would do it anyway.

 

[owned by dogs]

Hip dysplasia in and of itself doesn't always cause problems. It's usually the arthritis that results from the hip joints not fitting together well that causes pain for the dog.
You can tell with many dogs whether or not they have hip dysplasia by looking for the following symptoms:
1. Sway walk - when they're just walking along, the back end swings from side to side
2. Lazy sit - their legs are not folded and at their sides - they'll often put them off to the side, or out in front.
3. They do not lay on their stomach with their legs folded and next to their bodies. The "frog lay" can often be a symptom that a dog has hip dysplasia.
4. Limping-especially after playing, difficulty getting up, reluctance to play are all signs that the dog may be in pain.

If you have the symptoms, I'd get Roy x-rayed. If not, why look for trouble.
Of course, this is my opinion only.