hips? 6 month puppy - Page 5

Improving hip joint conformation in HD-prone puppies Hip dysplasia is a common problem affecting various breeds, and still there are controversies about the best time and method of early recognition to choose the optimal treatment for each individual dog. This article in cooperation of DVM Newsmagazine and the American College of Veterinary Surgeons describes juvenile pubic symphysiodesis (JPS), a very promising minimally invasive surgical procedure for puppies at risk. The procedure is still investigational but shows promise for improving hip joint conformation in treated dogs. The procedure was proposed in 1996, and investigated in a guinea pig model as a possible method of creating acetabular rotation in growing dogs with excessive hip joint laxity. In that study, JPS performed on immature guinea pigs resulted in pubic bone shortening with subsequent external acetabular rotation, and narrowing of the caudal pelvis. Composition The canine pelvic symphysis is composed of a fibrocartilagenous center with hyaline cartilage laterally. This hyaline cartilage is the medial pubic physis and is responsible for much of the longitudinal growth of the pubis. By causing premature closure of both medial pubic physes, JPS results in shortened pubic bones while the rest of the pelvis develops normally. As growth occurs, the acetabula rotate outward theoretically resulting in improved coverage of the femoral heads. This rotation is similar to the effect gained by a triple pelvic osteotomy, but without the potential pain, expense, and gait abnormalities associated with that procedure. The canine pubic symphysis is approached through a small ventral midline (female) or parapreputial incision. Soft tissues are cleared from the pubic symphysis (approximately 1.5 cm long in most large breed puppies) which is then ablated with electrocautery. Precautions are taken to protect the soft tissue structures within the pelvic canal. The ischial symphysis (caudal half of the pelvic symphysis) is not disturbed. The animal is neutered during the same anesthetic episode, and can be discharged the same or following day. There has been no need to restrict activity. What studies say JPS has been investigated in both normal (Greyhounds) and dysplastic dogs. The dose of electrocautery needed to result in growth plate closure has also been defined. These studies have found that acetabular rotation has occurred without any significant complications. Measures of hip joint laxity improve when compared to untreated controls i.e. hips that are Ortolani positive often become Ortolani negative following JPS, and PennHIP® distraction indices improve. At present, we believe that JPS is optimally performed between 16 and 20 weeks of age. This means that puppies, of breeds prone to hip dysplasia, must be screened for hip laxity at 16 weeks of age using the PennHIP method. Puppies with excessive laxity and no radiographic evidence of degenerative joint disease are currently considered candidates for this procedure. It is mandatory that ovariohysterectomy or orchidectomy be performed at the same time to eliminate the dog from the gene pool. Optimal timing We hope to learn more about the optimal timing of the procedure in a variety of breeds. Most sporting breeds evaluated to date have approximately a 20o per hip improvement in acetabular rotation if JPS is performed at 16 weeks of age. By 22 weeks of age there is minimal improvement using JPS. It is not currently known if this window of opportunity can be extended for giant breed dogs. It must be stressed that this technique is still investigational and we do not feel that widespread use is warranted at present. A cooperative clinical trial is under way with several surgeons around the country. Longest follow-up to date is three years, and the results continue to be encouraging; however, more information regarding the ultimate outcome of dogs undergoing JPS must be collected. Source: Kyle G. Mathews (2001): Investigational procedure shows promise for hip dysplasia-prone puppies. In: DVM Newsmagazine May 1, 2001. www.dvmnewsmagazine.com/dvm/

The times they are a changing.

My friend Toni Eames travels to vet schools to give talks about dealing with assistance dogs and their partners. This grew out of an experience her husband had with his guide dog years ago at a very prestigous NYC vet hospital. As part of the exam, they dilated the dog's eyes w/o telling him and then sent the two of them back out into NY traffic. ARRGh!

I have gone with Toni to a number of these presentations and there are three dogs with us, her guide, Ed's retired guide and Nemo. At the end of the presentation we always make the offer that they are welcome to come say hello to the dogs. Out of an audience of 50 to hundred maybe 5 students will come up to do so. It's explained that Nemo is a pituitary dwarf so you would think there might be at least some scientific interest in that but nope. The rest are hurrying off probably to the next class on how to increase the revenue in your practice ( look at any vet school curriculum and over the last two decades there is an ever increasing number of courses on the economic side of vet practice plus unfortunately quite a few courses developed and sponsored by animal rights folks.)

Thank God, I have a wonderful vet who has years of experience , is willing to listen  to the owners thoughts and is very pragmatic about his prices. When discussing whether to spay an older bitch he said you do know on the average that intact animals live longer than neutered ones. I nearly fell over since what I see at other vets I had tried was the constant message ( on phone waiting, on the big screen tv in the waiting room, in person) that your animal should be spayed by 4 months.

I had heard about JPS and was appalled just at the whole idea. Even more appalled at the mandatory neuter. Plus it makes me angry that once again we see bad science. The article mentions it had been investigated in "normal" dogs = Greyhounds. Years ago it was thought that Greyhounds did not get HD but in fact they do showing that their gene pool has at least some of the factors that cause HD despite generally having incredible muscle mass (mm thought to be a predictor of good hips). So the "investigators" of this procedure don't even know some of the basics about the disease they are supposedly investigating.

Years ago I wanted my puppy owners to x-ray so I could have more data since we know one of the factors to look for in a good hip pedigree is sibling depth but no longer.

What I have learned is humans change dog's lives. If the dog is not to be bred, I don't encourage x-rays ( barring a problem) because if the result is less than perfect the owner becomes disappointed and his attitude toward the dog changes. If he was working the dog, he stops working it using the excuse he doesn't want to stress the dog despite being told the best thing he can do is to keep the dog active and engaged. If the dog was just a companion dog now he is viewed as less than, defective. Dogs don't read x-rays. More often than not a dog w/ less than perfect hips lives a completely normal life. ( and yes I've owned dogs with HD - the last one herded until he was 13)
 

My mom's springer was a bit of a disaster. He had epilepsy, hip dysplasia and ruptured a cruciate ligament when he was about a year old.(Fell off the back deck... ...yup, that'll do it!)

The epilepsy was very well controlled with medication, and the dysplasia only seemed to bother  him in the last year of his life (he had trouble doing stairs.) He was euthanized at the age of 13. They warned her the epilepsy meds would shorten his lifespan. I think he had a pretty good life, despite all the problems!

Oh, and just in case you're wondering, he was field bred, not a show dog. The previous dog, a spinger who got her show championship, died at the age of 17.

Completely agree with what TIG says, it chimes with what I
have observed among buyers of my mentor's pups, and others.
A dreadful pity, because the more dogs are Xrayed the more
we get to know about HD and how to fight it.