[ VIDEO TRANSCRIPT BELOW ] Dr. Wooten: Hi there, I’m Dr. Sarah Wooten. I am here with Dr. Robin Downing, and we are here to talk about pain in dogs. So why don’t you let our viewers know who you...
Hip dysplasia is an abnormal forming of the hip joint, also known as the ball and socket joint. The joint that connects the pelvis to the long bone of the back leg. This can cause arthritis in that joint and it can cause a dog to be stiff and to have pain and difficulty getting around.
Hip dysplasia is usually present from birth, but oftentimes, we don’t see the signs until later. In that case, it can seem that the dog was normal one day and abnormal the next. It can be scary when it happens, but many times a dog's hip can simply pop out of joint, or they subluxate their hip joint.
There are several things that you can do to try and prevent hip dysplasia in your dog, or any dog that you are considering adopting or bringing into your home, especially puppies. Learn about some of the things that you can do to prevent hip dysplasia.
Hip dysplasia does not necessarily cause any disease in front legs, so it does not cause any developmental problems in the formation of any of the joints in the front legs. However, with severe hip dysplasia, a dog does not want to use their hind legs at all because it hurts.
Swimming is an excellent exercise for dogs with hip dysplasia. It strengthens muscles and improves circulation. Click to learn more great exercises for your dog!
In this post in our Ask The Vet series we discuss ACL injuries in big dogs with Dr. Scott Perry, DVM, a preferred Provider with Vet24seven’s community spoke with us at length about various injuries that can befall our beloved big dogs.
