Hip Dysplasia in GSDs

[JR0579]

I have always thought that as long as a GSD is running and jumping there could be no problem with its hips until I met a 2 year old GSD at the dog park with HD in both hips. He runs, trots and jumps like a champ but still his owner told me that he has HD in both hips. How do you find out about HD ? Are there symptons that show ?

Thanks

 

[sheps4me]

I have always thought that as long as a GSD is running and jumping there could be no problem with its hips until I met a 2 year old GSD at the dog park with HD in both hips. He runs, trots and jumps like a champ but still his owner told me that he has HD in both hips. How do you find out about HD ? Are there symptons that show ?

Thanks

There are symptoms but the only way you'll know for sure is by taking an X-ray of the hips.

 

[AmberwayGSD]

That dog likely has mild HD.It can show up in young dogs as well.Xray is the only way to tell if a dog has it though.

 

[GSDMom]

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.

 

[Athebeau]

We had a rescue Newf in that ran and played wonderfully in at the kennel...the Newf had no hip sockets! didn't stop him

Sometimes a good indication is the lazy sit, or they can have concave looking hips. As mentioned the only way to confirm is to have x-rays done. I knew just by looking at Athena when I rescued her that she had HD...just by the lazy sit and the way she moved. I had X-rays done just to see how bad, they were bad.

With my Rottweiler, she has very bad HD. You would never know it and she has even surprised a few new Vets who didn't believe the X-rays in her file. I use holistic and homeopathic methods with a superior kibble/home made raw diet with supplements to keep her in tip top shape. She has come along way from the dog I first rescued with much more mobility and flexability in her hips and rear. It's amazing what you can do with holistic methods.
There are many dogs that also show great hip scores at 2 that still develop HD later in life.

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.

 

[bubbatd]

All of the above good advise ....but I'd like to add, please do not let your dogs put a lot of stress on their rear legs with high jumping... for frisbies, sticks ,balls etc until they are at least 1 yr. old . or are Xrayed. Better to be safe than sorry. I always liked it when I saw my pups sleep stretched out on their tummys with their legs back in " frog" position. No dog with hip problems will do this.

 

[Mordy]

I always liked it when I saw my pups sleep stretched out on their tummys with their legs back in " frog" position. No dog with hip problems will do this.

actually this has been proven to be a myth. even some dogs with lax and/or dysplastic hip joints do this and some normal, healthy dogs may not do it at all either.

 

[JR0579]

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.

As usual, members of this forum keep on impressing me with their speed, number and quality of responses and advice. Thanks so much to all of you.

I am not going to breed Roy. He's already neutered. But I would like to get his hips X-rayed for my own peace of mind. From what I have heard and read HD can be painful and crippling. Do you guys think it's a good idea ?
Thanks again

 

[bubbatd]

Guess you're never too old to learn, Morty ! I do know that a lot of dogs don't sleep in this position, but always thought that one with bad hips couldn't do it comfortably.

 

[DanL]

joyfulroy, I see nothing wrong with getting the xrays done if it gives you peace of mind. Have the elbows done too. We're going to do this with Gunnar soon.

 

[panzer426]

you can get him x-rayed now and there are treatments that prevent or slow down the progression of hip displasia. it isnt like cancer where a dog with mild hd is going to progress and have extreme hd by the age of 5 years old, but if they catch it early they can help. if a dog has hd certain excercises can create other problems as a result of the hd.
if your dogs parents had excellent hips and are well known for producing low-no hd then you have a pretty good guess (everyone purchasing a gsd should check into that, ask the breeder, see parents ofa certificates, see toher relatives ofa certs, and get a garauntee), you can right now get x-rayed, and you can get ofa cert at 24 months. even in ontario you can do ofa. I know breeders in germany, belgium and australia who get their dogs ofa certified, as well as using their own countries certifiers because ofa is the most highly know, respected and trusted.
and I think that everyone who owns a large breed dog with the slightest reputation (the breed) for having hip displasia should have x rays done. some dogs with mild hd are not in enough pain for the owners to know for a long time, but dogs are extremely well practiced at hiding pain. hows the saying go? something like "when you know your dog is hurting, you know he has been in major pain for a while." it sounded a lot better the way I have heard vets say it.

 

[JR0579]

you can get him x-rayed now and there are treatments that prevent or slow down the progression of hip displasia. it isnt like cancer where a dog with mild hd is going to progress and have extreme hd by the age of 5 years old, but if they catch it early they can help. if a dog has hd certain excercises can create other problems as a result of the hd.
if your dogs parents had excellent hips and are well known for producing low-no hd then you have a pretty good guess (everyone purchasing a gsd should check into that, ask the breeder, see parents ofa certificates, see toher relatives ofa certs, and get a garauntee), you can right now get x-rayed, and you can get ofa cert at 24 months. even in ontario you can do ofa. I know breeders in germany, belgium and australia who get their dogs ofa certified, as well as using their own countries certifiers because ofa is the most highly know, respected and trusted.

Actually the parents and grandparents have excellent OFA and I did get a 1-year guarantee from the breeder. It's just that I am kind of paranoid about things like
I am being told that the vet. should examine Roy first before actually getting him x-rayed. Is that true ? Does anyone have an idea about the cost of the elbows and hips getting X-rayed in Ontario ?

Thanks

 

[Athebeau]

Just to mention, I know many breeders with OFA excellent sire/dam and certified excellent lines still produce dysplasitc pups. There is no real guarantee.

For any medium to large dogs I always give them Glucosamine, chondroitin to protect the joint cartilage. I have 2 dogs with perfect hip scores and they were OFA certified...I still give them supplements so they won't develop any problems later in life. I have been giving Cassie these supplements since she was 2 years of age and even at 10 years of age she has perfect hips.

For myself, I had Athena's hips x-rayed just because I worked at a Vet clinic and it was free. I didn't do anything differently after I found out than when I didn't know. I made sure when I rescued her that she was getting good nutrition, plenty of omega 3 fatty acids the Glucosamine supplement with Chondroitin and MSM, Vitamin C and Magnesium and vitamin B complex...with anti inflammatory herbs such as ginger, turmeric, Yucca root and dandelion root I also add to all my dogs diets. I give them a variety of herbs from alfalfa etc. and antioxidants to prevent free radicals from damaging the joints.

So, for myself I would give your shepherd at least the Glucosamine supplements...they certainly won't hurt and are good as a preventative. Get plenty of omega 3 fatty acids which will help as a preventative as well.

If the x-rays hadn't been free I probably wouldn't have had them done unless I was planning on showing/breeding. That's just my opinion, unless your dogs is showing definate signs of lameness in the rear...I personally don't think I would put a dog through the stress of x-rays just to see how the hips look. That's just my opinion. I have seen many dogs lead a long healthy life with HD, swimming is great for joint health and for any dog consistant exercise is a good idea...no weekend warriars then couch potato the rest of the week...that can be bad for any dog which is prone to joint problems.

Good luck.

 

[JR0579]

So, for myself I would give your shepherd at least the Glucosamine supplements...they certainly won't hurt and are good as a preventative. Get plenty of omega 3 fatty acids which will help as a preventative as well.

If the x-rays hadn't been free I probably wouldn't have had them done unless I was planning on showing/breeding. That's just my opinion, unless your dogs is showing definate signs of lameness in the rear...I personally don't think I would put a dog through the stress of x-rays just to see how the hips look. That's just my opinion. I have seen many dogs lead a long healthy life with HD, swimming is great for joint health and for any dog consistant exercise is a good idea...no weekend warriars then couch potato the rest of the week...that can be bad for any dog which is prone to joint problems.

Good luck.

Thanks for the advice Athebeau. This is just what a colleague at work, she also shows Irish Wolfhounds, was just telling me. It's not worth the stress especially if he is ok isn't having any issues. I think I'll cancel it. Like I said before I'm just paranoid about HD.

 

[panzer426]

thats sort of what I was trying to say...that if the parents, grandparents, siblings etc have great hips he PROBABLY will but that isnt a garauntee. there isnt a single german shepherd bloodline (american, canadian, german, czech, australian etc) that has a 100% record of not producing hd...they all have or will at some point.
here in the US having the vet do the x-rays is not that expensive (maybe $100 US depending on how many he/she takes), no idea what a canadian vet charges. I would ask them how much it is and if you can afford it, deffinetly have it done just to know one way or the other. aside from that you can give the supplements and monitor your gsd's activities depending on age. gsd's like many medium - large breeds can over excercise and damage their bones and joints at a young age.

 

[bubbatd]

As I have posted before.. all my dogs were OFA tested and I would never breed my male to a female was wasn't tested...yet with careful breeding, one pup had HP. I may be uninformed today ( it's been a long time) but I have always believed that the tendency may be there from birth and doesn't show up until later... I don't believe that a dog with good hips at 1 year will develop HD later on. Suppliments are good , but won't prevent it.

 

[Athebeau]

I don't believe that a dog with good hips at 1 year will develop HD later on. Suppliments are good , but won't prevent it.

Supplements can help keep joints in good condition and prevent damage due to exercise etc. As for developing HD later in life, yes, it can happen. A friend who breeds Newf's has had Newf's certified excellent at 2 years of age only to have them get HD later on in life. One male in particular started getting bad hips at about 7 years he was OFA certified at 2 years of age. On some large breeds I think it can be wear and tear and can be prevented with supplement which help the body repair before damage sets in

 

[bubbatd]

Good to know,,, never too old to learn!

 

[DanL]

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. Too many people want their GSD to get real big and grow real fast. Slow and steady wins the race. A dog's size is genetic (aside from being overweight). A GSD that is going to get to 25" and 85lbs is going to get there no matter what, so by feeding him the correct diet and allowing him to grow slowly, you are going to have a healthier dog in the long run. If he's 80lbs at 6 months, that's too big and you might end up with problems. People who have these 120-130lb GSDs are so far out of the breed standard, and most likely their dogs are way overweight, and conditions like that contribute greatly to poor health. This is all theoretical, not saying you are doing any of these things, but I wanted to put this out there.

 

[JR0579]

Thank you all for the help. Information is great. Roy is 8.5 months and is about 69lbs. I am gradually switching him to Royal Canin Large Breed. He was on Iams Smart Puppy which I heard wasn't that good.

As far as exercising goes, before his illness, we used to go for about 1.5 hour walk every day [ 30minutes in mornings and 1hr in the afternoons ] plus 1hr /week [ sometimes 3hrs. /week ] of free run at a dog park. Since his illness and with the freezing cold, we haven't been going for any walks but he runs a lot around the house.

Do you guys [ & ladies ] think that his nromal exercise routine is too much for his age ? Personally, I don't think I am over-exercising especially that he spends the mornings sleeping while I am at work.