What Are the Treatment Options for Canine Hip Dysplasia?

There is no real cure for canine hip dysplasia (CHD) just yet,
but there are conservative or non-surgical ways to relieve its
symptoms. These include the use of drugs to relieve pain and
inflammation. Rimadyl, Ectogesic and Deramaxx are effective and
have given a lot of suffering dogs the relief needed to live a
normal life. Weight loss programs, controlled exercise and
physical therapy are also very effective in certain cases.

When conservative treatment is not enough, the only other option
is surgery. Surgery can be very effective as it corrects the
underlying cause of hip pain which is a malformed joint. Surgery
is approached in two different ways when dealing with hip
dysplasia. Prophylactic surgery is done to prevent the
progression af arthritis while therapeutic surgery aims to treat
already arthritic hips.

Triple pelvic osteotomy is the primary preventive procedure
available. It involves cutting the pelvis in three places and
rotating the hip sockets to provide better coverage. This
procedure is effective as long as it is done before arthritis
sets in or before the joint is damaged. Another kind of
preventive surgery, although still being studied if it is
effective or not, is pubic symphysiodesis. This involves
manipulating the way the pelvis grows to ensure a tighter hip.
This procedure is done on very young dogs.

Therapeutic procedures include total hip replacement and femoral
head ostectomy. Total hip replacement is performed mainly on
larger dogs. High density, medical plastic is used to replace
the socket and a high-quality, non-corrosive alloy is used for
the ball. This procedure has a high success rate, almost
completely eliminates pain and enables the dog to completely
resume activity.

Another therapeutic procedure for hip dysplasia is femoral head
ostectomy. It involves the removal of the top of the femur which
then eliminates the painful grinding at the hip joint. The femur
is then allowed to float freely causing the formation of scar
tisue which then serves as a false joint. This procedure is not
recommended for mild cases of arthritis and is generally
effective only on smaller, well-muscled dogs.

For more answers on questions about canine hip dysplasia, please
visit us at AllAboutPetArthritis.com and read our report, "Your Questions on Canine
Hip Dysplasia - Answered".