Orthopedic problems in dogs
Here we’re going to talk briefly about orthopedic issues in dogs, such as hip and elbow dysplasia, as well as growth plates in puppies, appropriate exercise and the implications of early spay and neuter.
Age appropriate exercise
When you get your 8 week old puppies, please keep the below images in mind. Their bones do not even touch yet. They plod around so cutely with big floppy paws and wobbly movement because their joints are entirely made up of muscle, tendons and ligaments. Nothing is fitting tightly together or has a true socket yet.
When you run them excessively or don’t restrict their exercise to stop them from overdoing it, you don’t give them a chance to grow properly. Every big jump or excited bouncing run causes impacts between the bones. In reasonable amounts this is not problematic and is the normal wear and tear that every animal will engage in. However, when you let your puppy jump up and down off furniture, into/out of the car, and take them for long walks, you are damaging that forming joint.
This also applies to exessive games of fetch, allowing the puppy to slide or scramble on tile or hardwood floors, climb stairs, or engage in inappropriate rough play with other dogs.
Above: X-ray images showing open and closed growth plates in a puppy and adult dog.
Left: X-rays from a 62 day old puppy (VeterinarianKey.com)
The general rule for puppy exercise is no more than five minutes for every month of age. So that means, at two months old, your puppy only needs to exercise or walk for 10 minutes per day. At three months of age 15 minutes of exercise and so on. Please note this only applies to structured exercise such as leash walking, it doesn’t include things like free play, sniffing and ‘noodling’ around.
You only get the chance to grow them once. A well built body is something that comes from excellent breeding and a great upbringing. BOTH, not just one. Once grown, you will have the rest of their life to spend playing and engaging in higher impact exercise.
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Health implications of early spay and neuter
Growth plates are soft areas that sit at the ends of the long bones in puppies and young dogs. They contain rapidly dividing cells that allow bones to grow longer until the end of puberty. Growth plates gradually thin as the hormonal changes approaching puberty signal the growth plates to close. In puppies, this closure normally completes somewhere between 12 to 24 months.
Current research suggests optimal timing of spay or neuter is after the growth plates have closed. Results from a number of studies show a significant increase in the risk of orthopedic problems of dogs neutered before sexual maturity. In addition, early desexing can also cause a delay in growth plate closure, resulting in elongation of the long bones altering conformation and muscular anatomy.
As well as joint disorders such as canine cruciate ligament ruptures, hip dysplasia, and patellar luxation, there also appears to be a relationship between sex hormones and cancer, with early desexing shown to increase the incidence of some cancers.
For these reasons, we ask that you don’t desex your puppy until they have reached adequate maturity. This is from 12 months at the earliest, or after at least one heat cycle for females (whichever is later). If you can wait until 24 months, even better. Remember, what may be a temporary inconvenience to us humans, has lifelong benefits for your dog’s health.
Orhotpedic and joint problems
Hip and elbow dysplasia
Dysplasia presents in dogs as instability of the hip or elbow joint. In a normal hip, the femur is connected to the hip joint with the ball sitting tightly in the socket. In dogs who develop dysplasia, the ball doesn’t fit as well in the socket, resulting in joint laxity (looseness). Because the ligaments become overstretched by the looseness, the joint attempts to re-establish stability by laying down new bone, creating spurs and scar tissue. This, together with the degeneration of cartilage, is what eventually causes lameness and painful arthritis in the joint.
Prior to breeding, our dogs have had their hips and elbows assessed by a radiologist under the Canine Hip and Elbow Dysplasia Scheme (CHEDS). Under this scheme, there is a number of criteria which are evaluated, with scores allocated for each. The scores for the right and left hip are then added together to give a total score. Hips can be scored between 0-106, with lower being better. Your puppies parents are scored 4 and 7 respectively.
A genetic predisposition to dysplasia can be amplified by environmental factors such as over-exercise, poor nutrition, being overweight, disruption of hormones (such as desexing before sexual maturity), repetitive stair climbing, and excessive jumping.
As the puppy owner, you have a responsibility to control the environmental influences by following exercise guidelines, feeding a healthy diet, not allowing your puppy to become overweight, and supervising the type and level of activity.
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Above: notice how shallow the sockets are on the dog with severely dysplastic hips. The ball is only partially in the socket and there is thickening of the neck of the femur (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals).