Hip Dysplasia? Not in My Line, You Don’t!

(Published in Spaniels In The Field Summer 1990)

Ok, time’s up! In spite of what you may have heard 20 years ago from the travelling feed salesman, the answers to all the above questions are “false”. (We had to design this so it would he easy for Art to grade)!

Unfortunately, hip dysplasia affects all dogs regardless of size, breed, and for the most part, bloodline. Yet we frequently hear breeders parrot the statement that hip dysplasia does not occur in field trial lines, imported lines, and certainly not in their line! “So”, you might ask, “If it’s out there, why don’t we hear more about it?”

There are several reasons. First, it is true that the incidence in “field bred” springers is quite low; but, don’t fool yourself into believing it’s still not a significant problem. The second reason is that when an acquaintance sells a puppy of his breeding to a hunter and hears back a year later that the pup is dysplastic, you’re not apt to hear about it. At least most dog breeders that frequent my practice don’t sit out in the reception room telling everyone about each imperfect puppy they ever produced! If you expect veterinarians to broadcast the news, wrong again! Discussing the findings in one client’s pets with another would be a serious breach of confidentiality. The last and most common reason though, is one we can correct. You can’t diagnose hip dysplasia unless you look for it! Dogs may be only mildy affected and never show severe enough clinical signs to motivate the owner to have him X-rayed. Other dogs may be normal but throw affected offspring that, again, may never be diagnosed so the owner of the sire or dam is unaware of the genetic problem and may continue to breed the dog.

To develop guidelines for preventing and treating hip dysplasia it is essential to have a basic understanding of the condition.

Hip dysplasia is a develop-mental problem that results in a laxity, or looseness, in one or both hip joints. The normal “ball and socket” conformation of the joint is more shallow than normal. As the dog moves, the laxity stresses the ligaments and joint capsule. The joint surfaces can be bruised and even fractured as they wobble. In time, the joint becomes arthritic as a result of the chronic inflamation and pain. The joint then behaves like any other arthritic joint and continues to slowly become more deformed and roughened the more it is used.

Hip dysplasia is diagnosed by X-ray. In spite of what the old geezer who works down at the feed store and cured three lame dogs and `usta work for a vet once sez; it doesn’t make any difference whether the pup lays spraddle-legged or not, bunny hops when running or even if he hikes his leg at an odd angle on the fireplug. If you don’t take an X-ray, you don’t diagnose the problem. Most dysplastic dogs will show evidence of the disease on an X-ray by two years of age.

It is important to know that there are two critical elements involved in the development of dysplasia. First, an affected dog must be genetically predisposed to develop the disease. Then, various environmental factors influence whether or not the dog actually develops the problem or the extent to which it affects him. The most important environmental influences are nutrition and exercise.

The pattern of genetic inheritance involves multiple genes and is exceedingly complex. Because of the variability of expression of these genes due to the environmental influences, it is impractical to expect that we will ever know the exact mode of dysplasia inheritance by studying pedigrees. The most important fact is: ALL clinically affected dogs are genetically affected but NOT ALL “normal” dogs are necessarily genetically free of hip dysplasia. In other words, a dog may have excellent hips, be an excellent athelete, have beautiful X-rays, and still throw dysplastic puppies. So if you’re a breeder its important to monitor the quality of hips that your dog is throwing.
While the experts continue to debate the possible modes of inheritance of this disorder, we need to be utilizing the knowledge we already have.

First, select a puppy from hip dysplasia free parents. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) based in Columbus, MO. is the non-profit group recognized for being the final authority on hip certification. Upon receipt of a properly identified X-ray of your dog, the necessary form and fee of $17.50, OFA forwards the X-ray to three Board certified radiologists. The hips are given a grade and ones that are within normal limits are assigned an OFA certification number. Many breeders will list this number on the dog’s pedigree. By purchasing a pup from parents with OFA numbers, you are assured that the breeder has done his/her part to assure that the pups are normal. Next, comes the part you can control-the environment.

Research has shown that proper feeding of very good puppy foods can reduce the incidence of hip dysplasia in those individual puppies who are genetically predisposed. There can be too much of a good thing, however. Fat puppies tend to develop a higher incidence of dysplasia. Over supplementation, particularly with calcium and phospherous, can cause the same problem. So buy the best puppy food you can afford, don’t supplement the diet, and its much better to keep the pup a little lean than allow him to ever eat. Usually this isn’t a problem with young active spaniel puppies as they tend to have little trouble burning up the calories.

Activity level also influences the expression of dysplasia in puppies. As with most things in life, moderation is the rule. Excessive exercise is about as good for a puppy as putting a yearling colt on the racing circuit. Puppyhood is a great time for play and obedience lessons – save the triathalon training until after he’s two.

Finally, when the pup turns two, consider having him/her X-rayed. This is especially important if you plan to use the dog for breeding or if you’re about to make a serious committment in time and money to train and campaign him. If his films look good, send them to OFA and you can tell the world. If not, its a heartbreaker.

Certainly, arthritic hips are going to be a much greater handicap to a performance dog than a couch potato. Contrary to what is heard, veterinarians are rarely asked to euthanize a dog because he is dysplastic. Dogs with mild cases may live a perfectly normal life including a few hunting trips each fall and never show symptoms. Other individuals may be quite disabled. In most cases, however, these dogs do very well with moderate levels of activity and make excellent pets. Most are able to hunt at least as frequently as their owners.

Can we prevent dysplasia altogether? Probably not. While progress has been made in some breeds over the years through selective breeding practices, hip dysplasia still is a widespread problem. Because of its obscure mode of inheritance, the problems associated with progeny testing, and the problem of normal carriers, it promises to plague us for a long time tocome. Even though a breeder assures us that there’s never been a dysplastic dog in the past six generations (though, it seems quite unlikely anyone could really be sure of that), it’s no guarantee that it won’t pop up in the next. Even Uncle Sam got involved and spent millions developing their “Superdog” sentry dog program and failed to eliminate the problem. Come to think of it, that was a military program so why should we be surprised at the cost/benefit ratio??!!

I’ve lived with two affected dogs (non-spaniels). I never told the first one she had it. She never found out and was active and happy until she died of unrelated geriatric problems at age twelve. The other is now six and sometimes is a little slow getting out of bed in the morning – kind of like her owner. She still eats less aspirin than I do though, and is my daughter’s champion 4-H obedience dog. She still can handle the jumps and is having a good time. I’ve also owned a stud dog with good hips who I learned threw some dysplastic dogs. Having now confessed my own experiences, I’ll part with the guidelines I’ve developed for myself and my clients who ask.

1) Select from OFA stock if possible.
2) Feed and raise them right.
3) X-ray your dog at two years of
age or before breeding,
whichever is first.
4) If your dog produces a dysplastic pup:
a) Have your dog’s mate X-rayed, if it hasn’t been done already,
b) Contact owners of litter mates to appraise them of possible problems and encourage them to X-ray their dogs,
c) Don’t repeat the breeding,
d) Re-evaluate whether or not
this individual is worthy of
breeding again.
5) If your dog produces dysplastic pups from more than one litter, I would seriously consider spaying or neutering.
6) If your dog is dysplastic, spay or neuter. Don’t dispair, there’s life, and hunting after dysplasia.