Hip and Elbow Dysplasia is a common hereditary skeletal defect found in most large breed dogs (including Golden Retrievers) and giant breed dogs although it is occasionally found in smaller breeds. If affected your dog may experience discomfort (best case) or complete lack of use of one or more limbs (worse case). While not all dogs in the higher risk breeds are noticeably affected, most will experience some amount of it in their geriatric years. Dogs tend to be stoic and don’t show minor pain or discomfort typically but we at Texas TLC Goldens know from experience that it can be debilitating in the geriatric years. Of the many dogs we’ve owned, only one was noticeably affected (Aussie mix: Lexi) but it was a horrible experience and was eventually what ended her at 17 years, 7 months of age.
Disclaimer: We at Texas TLC Goldens are not veterinarians nor trained experts. The information contained in the article is based on our painful personal experience and extensive research. While be believe our words to be accurate, you should do your own research and consult your veterinarian for expert information.
What is Dysplasia?
Dysplasia is a malformation of the joints in the hips and elbows. It causes the joints to not fit as well as we wish causing excessive wear on the joint and triggers accelerated osteoarthritis. Hips are typically more affected since they support more weight but elbows can also be a problem. It is incredibly rare for a large or giant breed dog to have zero dysplasia so measuring the amount becomes a really important thing.
What are the symptoms?
It’s possible for puppies to start showing signs as young as 4 months old. It is more likely to appear in their older years as Osteoarthritis combines with Dysplasia to accelerate the condition. In extreme cases (like our Lexi in the last year of life), complete loss of the use of limbs is possible.
The pethealthnetwork.com lists these possible symptoms for the hips:
“Bunny-hopping” or swaying gait
Weakness in one or both hind legs
Pain when touched in hip or pelvis area
A change in behavior: reluctance to rise/difficulty rising, unwillingness to play or climb stairs, exercise intolerance, reduced activity levels
Audible clicking sound coming from hips while walking
Shrinking of hind leg muscles (atrophy)
What can I do?
Know the parents. There is no way to completely prevent the issue as the severity of the condition is almost always inherited from the parents. Knowing the parents is the single most important thing you can do to try and prevent issues but is not an absolute guarantee. The best bet to begin with is to choose responsible breeders that test and openly publish test results. Texas TLC Goldens policy is to never breed an Golden Retriever that is not rated OFA “Normal” or better on both hips and elbows ir if they are at or below the PennHIP mean score. We used OFA for Harley but has since been using PennHIP. Either is acceptable and depending on circumstances at the time, we might use either one but there are pro’s and con’s to both.
The industry standard test for canine hip and elbow dysplasia is administered by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) and has been around for a very long time. It is reasonably accurate for dogs over 24 months old but is still subjective and is based on a single hip X-RAY, usually taken without anesthesia. There is instruction available for vets concerning taking OFA X-RAYS but I am unaware of any certification requirement as of this writing. The evaluation and grading of the X-RAYS themselves is performed by experts at OFA. You should look for results in both hips and elbows of “Normal”, “Good” or “Excellent” (note that “Excellent” is exceedingly rare based on the benchmark OFA uses). OFA will evaluate tests before the dog is 24 months old but will only certify the joint condition after 2 years old since that is the age where the dog is considered fully mature physically and because it is harder to visually view a puppy’s X-RAY and form an opinion.. OFA publishes the results online the ask the breeder for a link to the results so that you can verify. You can also search the parents in the OFA database based on name, AKC registration number and other criteria.
The PennHip tests cost us $500 per dog after much shopping around and is much more expensive than OFA testing but is also completely objective and more accurate. It is based on three different X-RAYS, taken under anesthesia by trained and certified Veterinarians and then actually measured for objectivity. PennHip claims accurate testing any time after 4 months of age but we recommend a minimum of 6 months old. PennHIP results are harder to interpret since they don’t use the fuzzy “Good, fair, normal, excellent” descriptions. They instead use a “Distraction Index” (DI) fraction to measure the “Tightness” of the joint and each hip gets it’s own score. A huge database has been kept for all tests over the years and accurate averages for each breed are known. Any score that is lower than the breed average is considered acceptable for breeding dogs. As of this writing, the average (mean) DI score for Golden Retrievers is .54.
There is no objective way to compare specific ratings between OFA and PennHIP since the tests are so very different and because of the margin for human error in OFA testing.
Figure 2 below came from a very good document written in 2009 by Simon Verge, DMV who was also a breeder. The thing to note in figure 2 is the WIDE disparity of DI Ranges compared to the OFA categories. The DI is objective while OFA is subjective. Both are valid, but PennHIPP is considered more accurate since it is an objective test using math and measurements. Note that Figure 2 compares tests for Burmese Mountain Dogs but that breed is VERY similar to the Golden Retriever as it relates to Hip Dysplasia.
Courtesy www.hautbois.ca
Feed your puppy properly. Be sure to get a good quality commercial food that is specifically designed for large breed dogs. The correct food can regulate the puppy’s growth properly. Growing too fast or too large can dramatically affect the joints.
The American Kennel Club has this to say on the subject:
Slowing down these breeds’ growth allows their joints to develop without putting too much strain on them, helping to prevent problems down the line.
We feed our puppies Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Focus Dry Dog Food but it’s not the only choice out there. Do your own research but avoid home made diets, boutique foods, table scraps and fad foods (like grain free).
You should also control your dog’s weight for their entire life. An overweight dog puts substantially more stress on the joints. Golden Retrievers tend to overeat so you, as the human parent in control, should control this and feed a really good, healthy diet using good quality and scientifically proven commercial foods in the proper amounts. Most people apparently misunderstand what healthy weight actually looks like so consider reading the article I wrote on the subject.
Supplements like Glucosamine are safe, help slow progression and in some cases help recover active joint problems to some extent. If you use this supplement we suggest adding to to food to make regular usage simple. Some commercial dog food’s actually include this supplement. We started giving it to Lexi during the last 3 years of her life since her food at the time did not include it and she lived to 17 years, 7 months. This supplement does not guarantee no problems but it does seem to help somewhat.
Moderate certain physical activities while puppies grow. OK so this one is the hardest. Excessive running and hard turns on hard surfaces like concrete or tile floors or hard packed dirt cause repetitive impacts to the joints while growing and can affect how they fit in their older years. Also avoid excessive jumping, especially from heights for the same reason. These things are very hard to do with Golden Retrievers since they are so very energetic and excitable but do your best. If you must throw a ball for them as we do, try to make the throws short and on grass while they are young. Try to prevent your puppy from jumping off the back of the couch (yes, they will try to do this) or truck tailgates. Agility training is fun but hard on their joints. If you plan to do this before 2 years old, try to moderate the jumping and tight turns but frankly, that is VERY hard to do in this case. You get the picture I hope.. The goal here is to moderate the behavior, not stop all their (and your) fun.
Summary
Canine hip and elbow dysplasia is a thing and should be something you care about. The single biggest thing you can do to increase your chances of a good skeletal life for your new puppy is to KNOW THE PARENTS since genetics is the biggest contributor. Feeding a proper diet is very important. Supplements and moderating physical activities that can aggravate the problem can help. As always, consult your veterinarian.
About the Authors
Bryan and Terri Curry love all dogs in general, especially Golden Retrievers. They have had dogs for all but 6 months of their long lives and all have lived happy and much longer than average. Bryan and Terri are co-owners of Texas TLC Goldens; a small responsible breeder producing high quality Golden Retriever puppies.
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