Devasted.... My 11 month old VA pup has dysplasia. - Page 1

I suppose the signs were there but maybe I just didnt want to believe this would happen to my pup.He always did have slightly wiggly hips and swung his leg out when he walked sometime, but he is perfect in every other respect... He didnt really seem to be bothered in any way and has always run like a trooper, but as I said he just had a very slightly odd gait-though not always. I suppose it was slightly worse as a puppy and I thought it was just because he was somewhat gangly and that the different growth spurts of his bones were perhaps throwing him off balance. Anyway decided to get an xray just to satisfy myself. We anaesthetised him and examined him first, after the anesthetic. Vet said he has very tight hips with no laxity and could not elicit ortolani/barlow signs. Good news I thought, but lets look at the xray. Strapped him up accordingly and took the xray. I have to admit that although the xray is not perfect, with the pelvis having a very slight rotation to the left, it shows a slight difference of the left head of the femur, this one being slightly smaller than the right and with more of a gap between the socket and head compared to the right. Good socket development though and norberg angles about 100-105 degrees on the left. overall the vet said it is mild only with no obvious arthrtic changes yet, but will probably worsen. Said needs definitive xray in one year, but doesnt sound hopeful. Today however, my pup seems stiff and bunny hops, which of course he would be as a result of the strapping and manipulation under anaesthetic aggravating his condition. I suppose that if he had a normal hip the manipulation shouldnt have caused any pain or stiffness-not in a 11 month old pup at least. Anyway I am completely devastated for the pup as well as bursting my own show/ breeding and sports training bubble completely.

Until x-rays have been reviewed by OFA or the SV, do not get too upset. And depending on what the review says, consider re-doing them in several months. The bottom line is that IF the pup does not pass then he should not be bred. You can still show him for a while just for fun. As well, unless you note some stiffness or other problems, you may well be able to do sport with him. As you probably already have read here time and again, it is important to keep the dog lean, feed him a quality diet and make sure he gets APPROPRIATE exercise relative to his condition and tolerance levels for the exercise. Many dogs are dysplastic to one degree or another and NEVER show any real trouble. As far as dysplasia worsening, it may or it may not. So though I think you have reason for concern, I do not think you should panic just yet. Again, do you have a contract? If so, what does it say about the hips? I suggest taking a deep breath and getting some definitive information first and then talking to the breeder if there really is an issue. Good luck.

Klekoni, my statements are not intended as a second guess to the observations of your veterinarian. I commend you for making a medical analysis rather than a subjective analysis by merely observing the dog in motion. You say the pelvic socket was well developed (I presume both sides), at least on one has a decent Norberg angle displacement. If you wish to have a more definitive answer, I suggest that the puppy is examined again in the future and a good example of the x-ray is sent to the O.F.A. for a preliminary evaluation. I would not write off the future of this dog just yet. The tight hips are a definite plus for any puppy. I would wait a few weeks and examine again the puppy. You have probably read here about hips that are score "a"3 by the S.V. at twelve (12) months of age, and later pass as O.F.A. Good at twenty-four (24) months of age. While it is not the norm, it does happen. Occassionally a pair of hips does improve slightly. The observation of a "bunny hop" is merely a clinic sign, and not a scientific analysis. Even dogs with good or better hips sometimes have this type of motion in the rear carriage due to lack of coordination-especially while young. But, I know that we all get nervous when we see this. I advise to be careful with the puppy, but give the puppy a chance. Perhaps the observed movement is due to a severe sprain that may take weeks to heal-been there myself and the examined puppy had decent hips. Good Luck, Bob-O

Hi Hodie and Bob-o, Thanks for your comments. I bought the pup from a german breeder, without a contract-(non existent in Germany), who to be fair has always showed an interest in the progress of my pup and emails me from time to time. I explained the situation and he suggested I emailed him a copy of the xray to have it looked at by his vets in Germany. He said he also had a pup in a previous litter with so-so hips at nine months but by 14 months hips were fine, so I will do that. Bob-O, firstly the right side is perfect. Its the left side which is slightly worrying but maybe it is the quality of the xray(as i said pelvis is slightly rotated) but the femoral head is slightly smaller and mildy displaced. His bunny hop, left limp, has only just showed itself today-the day after his xray- from all the examination/manipulating the vet did to him. Its just that I cant imagine the examination causing pain enough for him to bunny hop if there was not a preexisting problem with the hips. You would have thought if a dog possessed normal hips then a routine examination of the hips would not lead to pain the next day. I suppose it's a case of suck in and see.

We imported one that was prelimed A3, then at 2 years of age, OFA came back NORMAL. I agree with the rest, wait this out. I would also take care as stated above, watch the jumping and amount/type of excerise. Even a Normal hip dog can be sore after the vet has examined the the hips.

Forget to mention that one femural head being smaller that the other will probably not prevent a GSD from getting an OFA fair assuming there is no subluxation or DJD.

Thanks Blitzen for that. The femoral head looks only slightly smaller but I was on Ed Frawleys website and saw how important the positioning of the xrays is, and can give you false positive results. Looking at my xray I am sure the pelvic rotation has distracted the left head slightly giving this picture. I need to get 1-2 second opinions and of course further xrays in about 6 months.Started pup on a good gag supplement just to be on the safe side. regards

If it were my dog, I'd do what you're going to do. The pelvis needs to be symetrical to get a true picture. Any deviation can cause one head to appear smaller, the other larger and one socket deeper than the other.

I would also never go on an 11 month old x-ray. Development is NOT done until 18-24 months. My vet (who is an expert and has been a 'witness' for OFA on more than one occasion) kept his own records on all hips he x-rayed (and the number as staggering as everyone goes to him!!!). You have to book 3 months in advance. There used to be a certifying body in California (they have since malgumated with OFA) that certified at a year. My vets studies showed MANY changes between a year and 18 months (didn't see any changes after that). He does not support one year registeries as he does not feel that hip x-rays are necessarily accurate at this age due to what he has seen. Positioning is also crucial!! I know people will fail OVC (Canada's certifying body) and then have the x-ray redone by a vet who positions correctly to pass OFA. Your dogs hips might not be excellent but that does not necessarily mean dysplastic either.

I thought that the diagnosis of "dysplastic" means that there are changes in the bones of the joint, period?