HOD Hypertrophic Osteo Dystrophy - Page 1

Hello everyone, I have a client who purchased a puppy from me that the vets have diagnosed with HOD. I had never even heard of it before this. This pup was extremely sick, with high fever, no appetite and lameness with swelling in the joints that were hot to the touch. This pup is now approx 15 months old and their vet said that if the dog did have the symptoms go away by one year that they probably would never go away. He stated that the dogs bones are finished growing by one year of age. I told her that I certainly had never heard of that before, that the dogs bone structure is usually finished growing by 2, hence the OFA will certify at 2 years. This lady is very nice and I have offered her a replacement puppy if this boy does not get better. Has anyone else had any problems with HOD? What are your opinions about the bones being done growing at 1 year? I pretty much told her I think her vet is wrong about this. HOD seems to be a problem with growing too fast. The puppies in this litter grew way too fast. At 4 weeks of age they were approx 10 lbs a piece, I'd never had any pups this FAT at this young of age. They were also very slow to mature (temperamentally). Several pups in the litter had PANO. One puppy in the litter was born with her eyes open, which all of you said was extremely unusual. I had posted it to the list. This was an unusual litter that I've never had these types of problems before. Thanks guys! Peggy

The first thing one needs to know is how this was diagnosed and all lab work etc. This is something that can be misdiagnosed. It is also something that a given dog might get over. You are correct in that a GSD grows many, many more months beyond one year. There are a variety of thoughts, but no firm proof for cause. Cause has been related to specific gene malfunction, vaccinations, too much ascorbic acid, impropper calcium levels in food, metabolic problems, infection with bacteria and certainly with large breeds growing fast. This can be treated successfully and, in all but the most rare cases, the animal probably need not be put down. It would be interesting to know the basis on which this condition was diagnosed.

Thank you for responding, Hodie. Yes, that is what I have read also. I also just read that it also depends on the course of treatment and whether or not it was implemented early on in the early stages of the disease. I sent the owner a copy of the article I had just read and am looking forward to hearing back from her about what treatments were used. Apparently for the dog to be diagnosed with HOD, there has to be a HOD line. I do not know if this dog has this line or not, but it will be informative to know. thank you! Peggy