golden retriever

 

Clinical signs:

 

· Resistance in moving the affected joint

· Pain

· Decreased rising

· Lameness on hind legs, which can get even worse after a strenuous physical exercise

· Enlargement of shoulder, due to more pressure being exerted on the fore limbs than

compared to the hind limbs

· Loss of muscle mass in the thigh

· Reduced walking, running or jumping

· Distance between the hind limbs becomes unusually narrow

 

Treatment:

 

for treatment of hip dysplasia, surgical and non-surgical procedures can be applied. in initial stages, when hip dysplasia is not that prominent hydrotherapy can be a very good option. it facilitates easy movement of the joints, hence fixing the bones perfectly together. it also in the due course reduces pain and inflammation. Surgery on the other hand will depend on many factors like the patients age, size, degree of joint looseness, amount of pain and the financial conditions of the owner. apart from surgery another way of treatment is weight control. the weight of your dog must be controlled when it is suffering from a disease like Canine Hip Dysplasia in order to reduce the amount of pressure applied to the affected joint when the patient is walking. Weight can be controlled by designing special diets for your dog. this will certainly cure the disease faster. however for very young dogs(7 months or less), Juvenile pubic Symphysiodesis surgery is usually performed where a part of the pelvis is fused together in order to provide stability to the hip joint.