Pitbull Guide

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Most Common Pit Bull Disease- Hip Dysplasia



Canine hip dysplasia
is of late very common in dogs of all breeds. The pit bulls are the worst affected by this problem. This orthopedic problem results due to improper hip and thigh bone connection. As the result the affected dog will experience severe pain and the disease problem may result in permanent crippling in advanced cases. Canine hip dysplasia is genetically transmitted disease but the problem here is that as more number of genes involved, preventing the disease is bit complicated. One can not rule out the environment factor in this canine hip dysplasia. Environmental factor like growth factor influences the onset of the disease and hence the canine hipdysplasia poses great challenge to the scientists.

In general canine hipdysplasia affects the larger breeds but many canine hip dysplasia cases noticed in all breeds of dogs irrespective of the size. Good news is that the scientists are working hard to find the preventive measures for this hip dysplasia and they will succeed very soon. The pit bull dog owners can concentrate of detecting the problem early so that the dog’s life can be saved and the dog can be made to lead relatively comfortable life.

As we discussed earlier early detection is the key in canine hip dysplasia. But the early detection is not all that easy, one should understand. In case of any doubt, the dog should be taken to the veterinarian without wasting any time. The veterinarian will examine the dog physically. The vet will subject the dog to sit, stand and walk and will observe the movements very closely.
The veterinarian will look for suggestive signs such as lameness, side to side swinging gait, over developed front leg, arched back etc. then the vet will examine the hip joint very closely. The range of motions of the hip joint and the pain in the joint will be examined. The vet will also look for the click sound at the hip joint while making the dog walk and grating sound of the bone will also be watched to assess the loss of cartilage. Finally the vet will take the radiograph of the hip joint to confirm the diagnosis.

There is no need for the pet owner to get panic once the canine hip dysplasia is confirmed. There are so many medical and surgical procedures available to relieve the discomfort and to restore the mobility of the affected dog. The medical procedure generally aimed at reducing the weight of the dog and to reduce the pain and the inflammation of the hip joint. In case the medical procedures are not bringing about desired results, one can think of orthopaedic surgery. Now a days the orthopaedic surgery is so advanced that the doctors can completely replace the affected joints if they could not correct the mechanical defectes caused by the hip-dysplasia. Most of the veterinarians will attempt three pronged medical treatment. The first attempt will be at reducing the weight of the dog in order to reduce the stress on the affected joint. The second attempt will be at reducing the activity of the dog. The third will be surgical intervention.

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