Burning Staff American Staffordshire Terrier

American Staffordshire Terrier

Dysplasia Hip & Elbow

 

The hip joint is composed of the ball and the socket. The development of hipdysplasia is determined by an interaction of genetic and environmental factors, though there is a complicated pattern of inheritance for this disorder, with multiple genes involved. Hip dysplasia is the failure of the hip joints to develop normally (known as malformation), gradually deteriorating and leading to loss of function of the hip joints.

 

Hip dysplasia is one of the most common skeletal diseases seen in dogs. Gender does not seem to be a factor, but some breeds are more likely to have the genetic predisposition for hip dysplasia than other breeds. Large and giant breeds are most commonly affected, including the Great Dane, Saint Bernard, Labrador Retriever, and German Shepherd. Rarely, small breed dogs can also be affected, but are less likely to show clinical signs.

 

Hip dysplasia often begins while a dog is still young and physically immature. Early onset usually develops after four months of age. There are also cases of later onset, where hip dysplasia develops later due to osteoarthritis, a form of joint inflammation (arthritis) that is characterized by chronic deterioration, or degeneration of the joint cartilage.

 


 

Symptoms depend on the degree of joint looseness or laxity, the degree of joint inflammation, and the duration of the disease.

 

• Early disease: signs are related to joint looseness or laxity


• Later disease: signs are related to joint degeneration and osteoarthritis


• Decreased activity


• Difficulty rising


• Reluctance to run, jump, or climb stairs


• Intermittent or persistent hind-limb lameness, often worse after exercise


• “Bunny-hopping,” or swaying gait


• Narrow stance in the hind limbs (back legs unnaturally close together)


• Pain in hip joints


• Joint looseness or laxity – characteristic of early disease; may not be seen in long-term hip dysplasia due to arthritic changes in the hip joint


• Grating detected with joint movement


• Decreased range of motion in the hip joints


• Loss of muscle mass in thigh muscles


• Enlargement of shoulder muscles due to more weight being exerted on front legs as dog tries to avoid weight on its hips, leading to extra work for the shoulder muscles and subsequent enlargement of these muscles

 


Influences on the development and progression of hip dysplasia are concurrent with both genetic and environmental factors:

 

• Genetic susceptibility for hip looseness or laxity


• Rapid weight gain and obesity


• Nutritional factors


• Pelvic-muscle mass

 


 

Your veterinarian will perform a complete physical exam on your dog, including a blood chemical profile, a complete blood count, an electrolyte panel and a urinalysis. Inflammation due to joint disease may be noted in the complete blood count. As part of surveying the physical symptoms and fluid work-ups, your veterinarian will also need a thorough history of your dog's health, onset of symptoms, and any possible incidents or injuries that may have contributed to your dog's symptoms. Any information you have on your dog's parentage will be helpful as well, as there may be a genetic link.

 

X-rays are crucial for visualizing the signs of hip dysplasia. Some of the possible findings may be degenerative disease of the spinal cord, lumbar vertebral instability,bilateral stifle disease and other bone diseases.





 

 

Elbow dysplasia is a condition caused by the abnormal growth of cells, tissue, or bone. The condition is characterized by a series of four developmental abnormalities that lead to malformation and degeneration of the elbow joint. It is the most common cause of elbow pain and lameness, and one of the most common causes of forelimb lameness in large and giant-breed dogs. Labrador retrievers,Rottweilers, Golden retrievers, German shepherd dogs, Bernese mountain dogs,chow chows, bearded collies, and Newfoundland breeds are the most commonly affected. The age for onset of clinical signs is typically four to ten months, with diagnosis generally being made around 4 to 18 months.

 

One type of the condition is more likely to affect males than females: when the bone fragment is located at the inner surface of the upper ulna. The ulna is one of the bones of the foreleg, just below the elbow joint. Otherwise, there are no known gender differences.

 


 

• Not all affected dogs will show signs when young


• Sudden (acute) episode of elbow lameness due to advanced degenerative joint disease in a mature patient are common


• Intermittent or persistent forelimb lameness that is aggravated by exercise; progresses from stiffness, and noticed only after the dog has been resting


• Pain when extending or flexing the elbow


• Tendency for dogs to hold the affected limb away from the body


• Fluid build-up in the joint


• Grating of bone and joint with movement may be detected with advanced degenerative joint disease


• Diminished range of motion

 


 

The causes are genetic, developmental, and nutritional.

 


 

Your veterinarian will want to rule out several possible causes for the symptoms before arriving at a diagnosis. For example, whether there has been trauma to the joint, or whether there is an infection that has brought on, an arthritic condition will need to be explored. A tumor may account for the symptoms, and this possibility will be taken into account as well, with x-ray images taken of the affected area for closer examination. Both elbows will probably need to be x-rayed, since there is a high incidence of disease occurring in both legs. Your doctor may also want to order a computed tomography (CT) scan, or magnetic resonance image (MRI) to look for fragments. A sample of fluid will be taken from the joint with a fine needle aspirate for laboratory testing, and an arthroscopic examination (by use of a tubelike instrument for examining and treating the inside of the joint) may be utilized to help for making a definitive diagnosis.