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hd — hip dysplasia
part 3. clinical symptoms and diagnostics
• clinical symptoms
To owners' luck only 20% of dogs with affected joints have apparent clinical symptoms (Tarkevich). Slight changes do not lead to sensible clinical symptoms and owner mostly doesn't see them. Extended affliction picture is usually seen on older than 5—6-month-old dogs. Apparent clinical symptoms emergence depends on individual pet features. Though it usually occurs not later than a year old, what is related to the start of training. In other cases symptoms are absent or too weak to affect dog's wellness and service.
In a mild case puppy or young dog shows slight weakness of legs, sometimes one or both endings limbing after long moving or overload. Movements may stay free, but the dog loses endurance and unwillingly performs vaulting, step becomes flail. Starting from the second stage subluxation or dislocation may occur, up to full side displacement of femoral head due to too shallow femoral acetabulum.
In heavy cases there are pains and tiredness after long standing, dog can hardly stand up, limps, more when starts moving. There's apparent endings weakness and instability on a flat floor. Movements are complicated, step is usually constrained and stressed. Sitting hip is turned in (rotation) so dog gets unnatural pose. Further gluteal muscles atrophy develops, large femoral axis is well defined, joint work is unnaturally apparent on moving.
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1
HD –
Free
Normal joint without dysplasia signs
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2
HD +/–
Intermediate
Hip joint dysplasia suspicion
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3
HD +
Slight
First, slight hip joint dysplasia degree
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4
HD ++
Moderate
Subluxation, heavy hip joint dysplasia degree
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5
HD +++
Heavy
Hip dislocation, highest hip joint dysplasia degree
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Compensatory hypertrophy of front endings girdle is apparent. Leg is turned out on subluxation or dislocation. Keeping the ending dog may completely cease stepping it. Passive hip lead is usually limited, affected ending may be shortened. On heavy forms of affliction click symptom may present on passive hip lead. Leading hip to the side there femoral head moving along the acetabulum may be palpated. Bilateral dysplasia is especially apparent as dogs can't raise and favor affected endings. They either crawl, or draw up forward thrusting to front endings and keeping legs apart. Both joints shall be examined to diagnose at the same time.
Sometimes on heavy case distinct movement disorders appear right after the birth, or in the first weeks or months. Congenital hip dislocation is defined by newborn puppy inability to push by legs and move; also by forced pose on tummy with hips put aside. On exit examination of the litter every puppy shall be examined moving.
«Late stepped» puppies, ones with gliding legs on non-glib floor and not keeping the stand shall alarm. Puppies with slight disorders may be left for re-examination 2 weeks later, but even on full movements normalization they take the first place in the risk group. At the same time some puppies who 30 days old (and some adults) take the pose with stretched and put aside endings feel absolutely comfortably and easily jump up, have radilogically healthy joints, though this statement shall be finally statistically proven. Elder (2—6 month old) puppies shall alarm if have weak pelvis after short runs (puppy tends to sit or lie, turning backside), poor coordination, avoiding movements with joint overload (bouncing, short change of direction while moving, etc.)
Later clinical dysplasia is featured by intermittent limb, dog prefers to lie, gets up hardly, unwillingly and constrainedly walks by stairs, showing painful endings. Late stage of affliction goes up to gluteal muscles atrophy (as a result of disuse and backside motor disorders); joint ossification and hardening process starts. 4—5–year-old dogs have already hardened consolidation in the hip joints.
• diagnostics
Not every clinically healthy dog is dysplasia-free. There's no proven relation between HD radiograph and clinical signs complexity, and affected ending functionality decrease, though dogs with wrong position and visible leg structure faults show most percentage of affected on X-ray examination. There are messages in the literature that congenital anomaly of hip joint development may be stated by palpation showing more loose moving of femoral head in the acetabulum. Regular cynologist or vet seems to be not equal to this task.
Final conclusion is given on the finish of bones grow, i.e. about an year age, on X-ray examination. X-ray diagnostics method is the only one reliable and true after the end of osteal-ligamental apparatus forming.
Unified FCI X-ray HD-check system had been formulated by Utrecht congress related to HD fight issues. Radiographs are identified by individual seal of the pet, which shall also be ste on the radiograph together with registration number, breed and date.
To get good radiograph some rules shall be kept:
1. Dog shan't be fed in the examination day, and must be well walked out.
2. Bitches shan't be examined during seasons, or right after that.
3. Skeletal muscles relax favors more faithful portrait of the joints.
4. Dog shall be fixed on the back. To make general (first) radiograph projection endings shall be totally unbend, maximally pulled back and turned in for about 15 degrees.
5. Parturient and feeding bitches mustn't be examined though X-ray examination is absolutely harmless.
It seems possible to make one general projection only.
Deciphering the radiograph it's to be kept in mind that meaningless differences between norm and pathology which may be seen on radiograph are quantitative only, without pass to qualitative.
14 June 1991 there was a FCI seminar on dysplasia issues in Dortmund, where 15 FCI members countries had been represented by their specialists. As there was no unified acknowledged international classification, current national classification shall be on the back of the certificate. Number of countries participating this scheme may be extended due to countries accepting this methodics.
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Hip dysplasia degrees 
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FCI
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ADRK
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VDH
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— Free (no dysplasia)
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A 1|2
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HD –
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HD 0
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— Intermediate (dysplasia suspicion)
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B 1|2
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HD +/–
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HD 1
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— Slight (first dysplasia degree)
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C 1|2
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HD +
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HD 2
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— Moderate (moderate dysplasia degree)
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D 1|2
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HD ++
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HD 3
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— Heavy (highest dysplasia degree)
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E 1|2
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HD +++
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HD 4
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— N/A
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—
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HD 0
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—
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table 2
Classification table with literal indexes for every grade (selectional indexes)
Most countries realize HD fighting programs more or less successfully. Best results achieved by countries with centralized obligatory head-to-head X-ray check of breeding dogs and their litter, with phased excluding of affected and disadvantaged dogs from the breeding work. Voluntary check and rejection programs and measures taken by few breeders can't appreciably effect the affection dynamics.
Orthodox programs proposing exclusive use of dogs with absolutely healthy joints won't let to promptly liquidate the affliction due to it's inheritance nature and healthy carriers presence. At the same time abrupt exclusion from breeding of large number of dogs with other valued signs will lead to irrecoverable and inadequate harm to breed.
Realizing any program, genetics data shall be kept in mind. Wide spread breed heritable disadvantage appreciably decreased in the first years of fighting. Further the process slows down. Genetics consider mass selection the only way to liquidate this polygenic heritable breed malady. So, HD fight measures success depends on selection work set.
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