Canine Hip Dysplasia – Does Your Lab Have it?
To sum it up:
Difficult to prevent and treat, canine hip dysplasia is among the most studied and the most frustrating diseases in veterinary medicine.
Canine hip dysplasia is a developmental orthopedic disease in which an abnormal formation of the hip leads to looseness in the hip joints, causing cartilage damage. Progressive arthritis can result, and when it does, it can be crippling. Hip dysplasia is not the same thing as arthritis in the hips rather, it is the most common cause of arthritis in the hips.
An illustration of one of the posssible surgical solutiond available for canine hip dysplasia
Canine hip dysplasia is characterized by varying degrees of hip joint laxity (looseness), subluxation (partial dislocation), and ultimately, severe arthritic change. Clinically, the symptoms range from having no clinical signs in some affected dogs to crippling disease in others. In addition, the severity of the clinical signs does not necessarily correlate with the degree of radiographic (x-ray) or pathologic changes seen. Breed and individual differences in temperament may also affect the amount of discomfort exhibited.
