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What are the Symptoms
of Canine Hip Dysplasia?
There are a number
of symptoms of canine hip dysplasia. Some
dog
owners only say that their dog
didn’t walk right. Others say they
saw no symptoms at all, or just that their dog began to limp. Following is a list of common symptoms
mentioned by the dog owners who share their story in "Dog Owners Speak
Out on Hip Dysplasia" Your dog may have some of these symptoms
and not have hip dysplasia. Only, x-rays can diagnose if your dog
has hip dysplasia.
Bunny Hopping: The dog tends
to use both hind legs together,
rather than one at a time. This occurs when the dog is running, or
going up
stairs.
Side Sit: Also called lazy
sit, slouch or frog
sit. When the dog sits, its legs are not
positioned bent and close to the body. They
can be loose and off to one side, or one
or both legs may be
straight out in front.
Sway Walk: Also called a
loose walk. When the dog is walking, the
back end sways
back and forth because the hips are loose.
Unusual Laying
Position: Legs are straight out and
off to the side when the dog is laying on its stomach orlegs are
straight out
behind the dog. (All dogs lay with their
legs behind them on occasion, many dogs with hip dysplasia lay like
this all
the time.)
Limping: The dog may favor
one hind leg or the other,
and may alternate legs that it is favoring.
Quiet Puppy: Puppies who are
already in pain from hip
dysplasia tend to be very good puppies. They
do not rough house the way that normal
puppies do. They also tend to sleep for a
long time after
playing or going for a walk. Some owners
describe their puppy with hip dysplasia as
the best puppy they’ve ever had.
Dog Doesn’t Jump: Not only
do they not jump on you, they seem
to pull themselves up by their front end onto furniture as opposed to
jumping
up.
Underdeveloped Hind
Quarters and Overdeveloped Chest: Dogs with Canine Hip
Dysplasia may actually shift their weight forward onto the front
legs.
Diagnosing
Hip
Dysplasia
The only way to diagnose hip dysplasia is with
x-rays.
Some
dogs with seemingly mild hip dysplasia are in a lot of pain, while
other dogs
with apparent severe hip dysplasia do not display symptoms....so you
should treat the dog and not the x-rays.
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