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Puppy Questions
Dear Dr. Berg,
I am looking into getting a German Shepherd puppy and have heard that Hip Dysplasia is a problem with this
breed. What exactly is Hip Dysplasia? Can it be treated? How can I tell if the puppy I choose has it or not?
C.L., Wilmington
Dear C.L.,
. GOOD JOB for doing your homework before buying your puppy. Remember to not only look at genetic problems,
but also imagine what he will be like when grown, and what his physical needs will be. Some Shepherds get to be
130 lbs. and can require quite a bit of exercise.
Hip Dysplasia is a genetic disorder of the hip joints that affects many breeds that are common today, including
the German Shepherd dog that you are investigating. Other breeds that I often see with this problem include St.
Bernards, Golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers, Newfoundlands, Malamutes, to name a few. In general, hip dysplasia
is seen more commonly in the larger breeds of dogs.
,
Diseases such as hip dysplasia are a very important reason why I recommend leaving the task of breeding and whelping
puppies to the experts. Knowledgeable breeders are better able to care for a pregnant dog and their special needs,
can carefully deal with the many potential problems that may be associated with pregnancy, and are able to selectively
breed those dogs who can best represent the breed in health and conformation. Responsible breeding programs require
a lot of work and attention to detail, but it is through these breeding programs that the breeds we now have can
be improved and maintained for all of us to enjoy.
Hip dysplasia is an abnormal development of the hip joints in a puppy that results in excess looseness and discomfort
in the hip joint. The hip joint is a "ball-and-socket joint", much like your fist fits into the palm
of your hand. It is the cupping of the palm of your hand and the fist fitting firmly into your palm that makes
the two work smoothly together.
With hip dysplasia, the cup portion of the joint becomes very shallow, as if you flattened your cupped hand
out and still had your fist against it. This makes the joint very unstable and the head of the femur (your fist)
moves around loosely. The ball section of the joint also becomes misshapen, becoming thickened and uneven. Imagine
that you now put a mitten on your fist, and that the mitten was very uneven with knobby hard spots on it. It would
now be even harder to keep your fist tightly against your palm, and the hard spots would hurt when you moved it.
In time, the joint may change shape so much that the leg bone is constantly out of the joint, and large deposits
of calcium are laid down all around the joint, making it very painful to move the leg.
On the outside, there are certain telltale things you can look for that will give you a hint that your dog may
have hip dysplasia.
A dog with hip dysplasia will tend to bunny hop" when he runs. When they run, they tend to run with both
rear feet moving together, much like when a bunny is hopping.
Dogs with hip dysplasia also tend to stand with a NARROW STANCE, with the hind feet closer together. And the
rear legs have LESS BEND at the ankle joints, giving their rear legs a "stilty" appearance. Dogs with
hip dysplasia gradually shift their weight towards their front legs to relieve the pain, and this makes their back
legs appear straighter. It's no wonder that dogs with hip dysplasia tend to develop shoulder problems secondarily
due to the double-duty their shoulders must do.
The classic symptom that signals hip dysplasia is a stiffness in the hind legs that is most prevalent when a
dog first gets up, but that the dog seems to "warm out of". Extreme periods of exercise will accentuate
this effect. If the neighborhood puppy comes over to play for 3 hours, a dog with hip dysplasia will be especially
sore when he gets up from the long nap that follows that period of heavy activity.
Hip dysplasia is best diagnosed by taking radiographs of the rear joints. Radiographs may show dramatic changes
in the shape of the hip joints, like with the flat palms and bumpy gloves. Tolerance to the pain of hip dysplasia
may be extremely variable, however. We have detected some badly-misshapen hip joints when we were doing radiographs
looking for swallowed balls and socks, and the owner of the dog (and the dog himself) were unaware that there were
any hip problems.
There is new type of radiograph that can be performed to detect hip dysplasia, called a Penn Hip X-ray. Veterinarians
who perform Penn Hip X-rays must attend a special course to learn how these films are taken and interpreted, and
must purchase special equipment to take the films.
The good thing about Penn Hip X-rays is that hip dysplasia can be detected at a much younger age. This is extremely
important in breeding programs, allowing breeders to select the dogs with the best hips for their future litters.
Done properly, PennHip X-rays and diligent breeding can help to lessen the big problem that we have with hip dysplasia
in some breeds today.
Another organization that helps out with the hip dysplasia problem is an organization called OFA, which stands
for Orthopedic Foundation of America. To send films to OFA, your dog must be at least 2 years old and must be carefully
radiographed under sedation by your veterinarian. The films are then sent to a panel of veterinary radiologists
for "grading". You will receive the radiographs and a certificate, which states the conditon of your
dog's, hips back.
When you are looking for a new puppy, it is reassuring if the breeder has had either the OFA or PennHip X-rays
done so that you know the condition of the parent's hips. And if you have 2 generations of "good hips",
the likelihood of your puppy developing this crippling disease will be very low.
So do your homework when you purchase your new family member. Ask questions about the hips, OFA, and PennHip.
Ask to see the mother +/or father. Check their temperament, their size, how they look. Because it's the genes from
which your puppy was made that make all the difference!
Back to the Puppy Page
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