Labrdor Hip Dysplasia Diagnosis
X-rays are the best way to diagnose Labrador
Hip Dysplasia in a dog but, with
the disease being largely inherited, hip tests should also be carried out. Certainly when you are looking to purchase a
Labrador puppy you have to insist on observing the hip scores of both parents.
Don’t just look at the fathers hip score. A puppy who’s father is a male with a perfect hip score can still develop
hip dysplasia if his mother has hip problems. Any reputable breeder will show you the hip scores of both parents.
An x-ray is taken to allow the
vet to evaluate the joints though any visible symptoms. The vet will also be take into account the fact that quite often an x-ray won’t show the full extent of the Labs pain. So the
vet will also examine how the dog moves and look for evidence of lameness before making his prognosis.
It may sometimes be necessary to anaesthetise the dog prior to the x-ray since the
vet may need to manipulate the hip into different positions to make diagnosis easier. This might be very painful for the Lab suffering from Hip Dysplasia so using anaesthetics or some other form of sedation is usually required to get the best x-ray results.
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