Radiograph Xray - Page 1

Hello Everyone,

I just got my six year old male german shepherd xrayed and the vet said he is severely dysplastic. Samson has always been a very active dog. Tremendous ball drive he has never limped a day in his life. Can you all take a look at the xrays and tell me what you think. And if he is Severely dysplastic can you tell me why he is not showing any pain.

Wow I have to agree with your vet. Every dog with HD is different. Why did you xray him if he was not limping?

I'm not great at reading these, but the necks look huge to me, and the ball on the left looks a little pointy towards the bottom.  Sometimes dogs just dont show symptoms of HD even though the hip conformation is bad from what I can tell.

I'm sorry :(

~Cate

His hips look terrible.  Mainly from boney formation changes - there is a great deal of calcification (thickening) on the femur necks, as well as re-forming bone on the femur heads - lots of changes here.  Was he x-rayed as a younger dog?  If not, he could have had bad hips throughout, some dogs show pain, some show it less, some not at all.  I knew a dog years ago - actually the first Schh dog I ever knew - who was OFA Severe in both hips, noone ever told him - he was working sound (Schh3) until he was retired, then continued to come to club for "fun grips" and other than some bunny-hopping which any older dog might do - he was happy and comfortable for his lifetime.  Other dogs with similar hips need surgery to make them comfortable.

molly

I have seen worse, actually.  I would guess that part of why he's not showing pain is that he has very little "socket" left, so that there's not as much friction as there would be on a dog w/femoral heads that were constantly rubbing on the sockets b/c of subluxation. Remember, it's the arthritis that causes the pain, not the hips being out of place. I would put him on glucosamine w/ester C if he's not already on those things.

I agree with your vet but alike I have seen much worse and seen much less where dogs are in pain.   You say your dog is very active which may be a good reason why he doesnt limp because he will be well muscled which is a big help. Glucosamine , condroitin , vit. c. should help maintain it.

Seen same and no limp work all day and never would guess....seen worse and same  , never limp , fast as greased lightning and never show any signs.......

too bad you didnt do it at 24 mos, .possibly ..could have stopped some of it....Ester C and raw meats and gluco/chrondrite every day...

I agree with your vet but alike I have seen much worse and seen much less where dogs are in pain.   You say your dog is very active which may be a good reason why he doesnt limp because he will be well muscled which is a big help. Glucosamine , condroitin , vit. c. should help maintain it.

There were most likely dogs running in the Iditarod with much worse hips than these. Many dogs show no discomfort until they are very old if ever. 

Take a deep breath.  Don't get upset. These Xrays are not that bad for a six year old dog.  Definitely not severe dysplasia.  Only mild to moderate (at the worst) with some arthritic changes.  Look, the balls are still in the socket and have some roundness, they are not totally flat or severely eroded like typically seen in severe in a 6 year old GSD.  In severe HD, there is typically also some dislocation. I suggest you don't use the dog for breeding, but don't let your vet get you upset over the xray since it isn't as bad as he stated.  This is an old stick to induce folks to think more vet care may be justified and further your dependence.

A GSD at this age who is not overweight and is in good shape with moderate muscle mass in the rear legs can easily live out a normal life with no limping or disability.  Giving the dog Glucosamine/Chondroitin every day is a good idea (use human grade adjusted to his weight).  Now if the dog ever does start limping, has pain or some weakness in the rear, you can likely obtain an RX for him Rimadyl from your vet and give it to him in low doses (1/2 half the normal dose may be enough which is 1/2 tab chewable each day, ask you vet to prescribe this if the need arises).  Just don't over exercise the dog, allow moderate mild exercise, no climbing or jumping, feed a high quality food, keep him lean and I predict he will be just fine for the rest of his normal life, especially if you give him Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplements each day or every other day.  Chondroitin is by far the more effective of the two since it is actually a Cox 2 inhibitor without the typical side effects of other ones (NSAIDS).

If you relax and use good common sense your GSD is going to live out his life normally.