Young GSD hip question. - Page 1

I was playing tug with my 8 month old female GSD about 5 days ago, and she appeared to twist her rear leg or hip area and began to cry. She quickly recovered, and we gave it a rest. She has since seemed tender in the hip area. We had her examined by the vet the day after it happened, and he said it was probably a strained groin. After staying tender, we had her x-rayed today, and her hips appear to not be fully in the socket. The vet was not concerned, and said that she would probably grow into the sockets. He explained that this is the reason that OFA does not x-ray until the dog is 2 years old. Am I over concerned, or is his diagnosis not accurate? She has no bad hips in her lineage looking back over 6 generations.

Your female is young, and at this age her ligaments are quite loose. That is why most of us stress to be very careful during the first two (2) years, and especially during the first year of life. I am curious as to what type of exercise she receives. Don't get the wrong idea about exercise, as too much too soon can cause severe damage, especially if the joint is not fully seated due to loose ligaments. Does she stay crated or in the home a lot, etc.? With loose ligaments, she sounds like a perfect candidate for swimming exercises. Swimming will help tone the muscles hence tightening the surrounding ligaments. But be careful with this as you are dealing with a female. She should not be allowed in water just before, during, and after her heat cycle due to the chance of a uterine infection. There is a big difference between human hips and canine hips. Ours are held together largely by gravity, and to a lesser extent by surrounding ligaments. But, of course we walk upright. Canine hip sockets are much more shallow for more freedom of movement, and rely much more on the strength of the muscles and the corresponding tension of the surrounding ligaments to keep the joint tightly together. In essence, a perfect joint can be destroyed if there is too much joint laxity combined with excessive exercise such as much running or repeated jumping from high places. I would be careful with her and let her recuperate for a couple of weeks, and then start with short walks and light play. If she is not in season I would definitely try to find someplace where she could swim. If I fully understand your statements about your veterinarian's opinion, I tend to agree with him. Was your female anaesthesized during the examination? Was it done early in the morning or before she had a chance to exercise a bit and "tighten up"? Did the veterinarian accidentally pull the femur balls from their sockets when her extended her legs for the x-ray? Typically, the O.F.A, preliminary examination is done at nine (9) months of age, with the final examination done after two (2) years of age. This is due to the fact that hip quality can change. Just because a dog scores "good" on the preliminary evaluation means that she will PROBABLY score "good" after two (2) years of age. Of course the final score can be better or worse. In the end, you should help her recuperate with careful, light exercise, and allow her to swim as much as possible. If you are still concerned, after she is past nine (9) months of age have your veterinarian make an x-ray for the O.F.A. preliminary exam, send it to them, and let them determine the results. Good Luck, Bob-O

Bob - O Just wanted to congratulate you on such an informative answer to the above question. I think the advice given is excellent, and I had never even given a thought to a female nearing oestrus from the swimming aspect. Thank you so much. Mo Lakin. www.mascangsd.co.uk

sorry - my website should read www.mascanigsd.co.uk - Mo

Mo, you're welcome. Bob-O

Bob-O Thanks for the respones. The answers to your question are as follows: She is never crated, but does spend a lot of time in the house. She was sedated at the time of the x-rays, and was basically given an OFA style x-ray package with the elbows looking good. She had not been exercised before the x-rays, and I'm not sure about being over extended. After talking to my wife, who is the the Vet tech who helped with the x-rays, she said that what you have described sounds very much like what she saw. Incidentally, she did say that the Vet told her that in his training, he rarely pays attention to x-rays from a dog this young, and has not heard of any new developments or research that would cause him to be concerned. Again, thanks for your explanation.

NSO123, I suspected that she is a house dog, that she had not been allowed to exercise, and was sedated during the examination. Of course she had been injured, and should be kept quite until the examination is finished. This is all very normal. I agree with the veterinarian about the age issue. The ligaments are very loose at this age as the female is growing. Hence, my questions about exercise and sedation. I typically do not use sedation, but that is for older dogs who are receiving the final exam. And these dogs receive some exercise in the morning before they are x-rayed in the afternoon. At the age of your female, the only way to really test the hips for proper form combined with acceptable joint laxity is to use the Penn-Hip method, and your veterinaran may not offer that programme. Personally, I would let her heal, then gradually build up her exercise, being very mindful of sharp turns and jumps. After a month or two I would do an O.F.A. preliminary x-ray if you still suspect a problem. About three (3) years ago, I was exercising a young male that I own. As I was preparing to toss the Frisbee; he suddenly ran behind me, leaped straight up into the air to the end that his head was over mine, and to my horror fell belly-down with one (1) leg extended. He got up and began to walk with a rear-leg limp. I immediately walked him to kennel and kept him quiet for several days, knowing that he surely had damaged at least one (1) hip joint or severely stretched or tore some ligaments. He recovered, and at the age of two (2) years had very nice tight hips and passed with an O.F.A. "Good". Because of that, I think and hope that is what you will experience. Bob-O