HIPS- GOOD VS. BAD...FOR DEBISUE ET AL - Page 1

 DebiSue mentioned in another thread that we should start a thread involving good hips vs. bad hips for educational purposes. I said I'd try to find some bad ones. I found one old set. If we post bad right next to good, I think people struggling to see what to look for can learn pretty quickly. We won't be radiologists, but it sure is nice to have some basic comprehension of what we're looking at during those dreaded weeks waiting for official ratings. 

I took the name and reg# off these films since the dog was sold and I do not own him. While they are my xrays, I do not own the dog and will not post his name. If the owners feels like chiming in later, that's their decision.

This is a 2yr old male (at the time)...he's 5.5 now, if I remember his birthday correctly. Very well-bred. I had him sold for a lot of $$$ until I got these...then that all went out the window. Found him a phenomenal home and he's doing great. Nobody told him his hips are bad! 

Below, is my bitch who just OFA'd "excellent" so these should be an easy way for people just learning to decipher xrays to see the general idea.

HOLY CRAP that's like night and day. Great for comparison, thanks for the post.

Oooh thsoe are gross! Square not round. Yikes.

Jenni,
Great topic, thank you for posting.
Not sure if I'm right, but all of his bones look very square and gagged, even his pelvic area, etc.  And a lot of thinning and thickening in areas too.
I'm glad he's living a good life and doesn't know his condition.

Brandi

That is good the 2 x rays give people good and bad

 MsColeson...we can plainly see how the dog is tilted, but regardless of positioning, which can make hips look more subluxated or less round, certainly, there is just no way to disguise the fact that the poor dogs joints are a myriad of jagged angles. Envision the joints being where they should be...and the sockets are still a trainwreck! Mentally tilting the pelvis back where it should be renders one hip a tad better and one a tad worse. At the end of the day, they still suck, lol! 

Now, there are many many degrees of "good" or "bad" between the two examples, but these were just the most opposite I had on hand.

I'll again stress that last I heard, he was still totally asymptomatic and a happy boy. His owners do not treat him as if he is breakable, and I think that has a lot to do with why he is in such fine shape today. 

Very interesting, thanks for posting. 

Jenni,

My very first GSD was from American lines (I didn't know much about the breed at that time).  He had began his life as a show dog, then the people got into a different breed, putting the GSD in the basement in a crate with only a few hours out a day.  Anyhow, I adopted him at the age of 4 years.  I had him neutered and while under, had an x-ray done of his hips.  The Vet. told me they were the worst arthritic hips he had ever seen in a 4 yr old.  With that said, I still kept him, putting him on Glyco-Flex.  I was sure he'd be crippled before dieing of old age but low and behold, he lived a very active life as long as he got the Glyco-Flex.  I did end up placing him in another home a couple years later because he had came down with SEVERE Separation Anxiety.  I was not experienced enough at that time to teach him how to coup.  He was taken care of until the day he died (of old age). 
Anyway, so I can understand how your boy can live a happy, healthy life without knowing his condition.

Brandi