Dog care, symptoms, health issues, and dog health advocacy from an owner's perspective. In loving memory of Jasmine.
Hip and elbow dysplasia are a common cause of lameness in dogs. They sound like they should be the same thing, just involving different legs. Are they, though? Definition The word dysplasia has a rather broad meaning. It is from Greek, and it stands for malformation. In the context of veterinary medicine, dysplasia means abnormal development or growth. Both hip…
Can physical therapy help your dog with hip dysplasia? What is hip dysplasia? Lots of people think hip dysplasia is a tight, sore, arthritic hip. However, it is really a hip that is too loose and lacks stability. The hip consists of a ball-and-socket joint formed by the head of the femur (ball) and the acetabulum of the pelvis (socket)…
Here’s an interesting fact: all (or nearly all) puppies are born with normal hips. So how does hip dysplasia in puppies develop? Hip dysplasia timeline Radiographs taken of their hips appear normal for the first few weeks of life. Puppies with hip dysplasia will start showing changes in the shape and congruity of the hip joint as early as 2…
Femoral head osteotomy (FHO) is the surgical removal of the ball and neck of the femur, in the hip joint. It is used in cases of advanced hip dysplasia where the hip joint has also become arthritic in complex fractures cases of avascular necrosis (lack of blood supply to the bone–a genetic condition called Legg Calve-Perthes, seen mostly in toy…
Lots of people think hip dysplasia is a tight, sore, arthritic hip. However, it is really a hip that is too loose and lacks stability. Thank you, Ron Rutherford , for sharing Ruby’s story. Ruby’s journey with hip dysplasia Ruby was a purebred German Shepherd. She was the sweetest canine companion I’ve ever known. Capable of being fierce, she was…