Dysplasia is a condition that affects both animals and humans. When it comes to dogs, it usually appears in larger dog breeds, rather than the smaller ones, and it is quite common.
This is an “abnormal formation of the hip socket” and can lead to crippling and painful joints. It causes arthritis in hips and it is one of the most studied conditions in dogs.
When the abnormalities appear, the first thing that happens is that the body tries to repair the hip and keeps creating a new layer of cartilage. This is a very long process though. Because this does not work in a timely manner, the joints then become degraded and will not be able to properly support the weight of the dog, causing him a lot of pain.
If your dog suffers from dysplasia, you will see him trying to reduce the movement on the affected hip. He will start hopping like a bunny or remain stiff.
Normally, in order to diagnose dysplasia, your vet will have to take some x-rays. Unfortunately, it might not be shown on the x-say by the time the dog is around 2 years old. There are dogs that do not show any symptoms, there are others which show them even before seven months of age. This happens because the pain comes and goes and it might not be obvious when your dog has issues in standing up or playing around.
Treating a dog with dysplasia might be challenging, as every case needs to be treated independently and there is no clear recipe for the treatment.
The bad news is that there is no complete cure for this condition. You have plenty of options to alleviate the symptoms and clinical signs, though. This way, you can offer your dog a better life.
You need to continuously assess the state of your dog, this being an inherited condition, which changes with time. If the condition is not severe, you can help your dog with just providing him proper medication. In case it is severe, the vet will suggest surgery, because medication cannot help your dog deal with the pain.
Surgery can work in two ways. One is to reconstruct the hip of the dog and the second is to actually replace the hip with an artificial joint, something very similar to the replacement of a human hip.
It is difficult to find out that your dog suffers from dysplasia, but it is better to know as early as possible. As soon as you see any symptoms in your dog, go to the vet to have him examined. The doctor will perform a full examination before giving a diagnostic. If your assumption was right, then you need to start treating it immediately and bring your dog to regular check-ups to keep the condition at a lower level.
Even if you feel sorry for your dog being in pain, you have to support him as much as you can and he will be close to you for a long time.
