Hip displaysia in my GSD?

I have no idea who Dr Harry is, but I do know that there is NO reliable "look-&-see" way to diagnose elbow dysplasia or hip dysplasia.

A pup in our 1968 litter was collapsing in pain at 3-4 months old. Our vet back then knew almost nothing about HD, so sent us to the profs at our veterinary university who were testing out ideas for diagnosing HD.

Zacki passed all their physical/visual tests with flying colours, including dancing in the waltz position with one of the profs. And why not? - she was FIT, and on one occasion while we were out shopping had done a standing leap to come inside through the open window 7+ feet above her run (whereupon she opened the fridge, ate the meat that was supposed to be her dinner for the next 3 nights, then polished off a dozen eggs, shells and all - and when the clock showed doggy-dinner-time she had the cheek to ask to be fed!)

Then they xrayed her - and found that she had Grade 4 HD. :-(

BTW - both those profs later moved to your country - Dr Wyburn is in WA, but I've lost track of Dr Rix .

Both elbow dysplasia (which is actually a group of disorders, not just one, and can also affect the shoulder joint) and hip dysplasia are developmental disorders. Which means that they develop as the pooch does, the main factors being (a) a collection of recessive alleles, (b) the weight of the pooch at each age, (c) how fit the muscles are vs how much stress is placed on each joint by high impact exercise - fitness is good, high impact is bad.

You can read about the disorders in the Links => Diseases_&_Disorders section of this group:

• Add http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/The_GSD_Source to your browser's Bookmarks or Favorites so that you can easily look up such as rescue groups, feeding, vaccinations, worming, clubs, weights, teething, neutering, disorders, genetics.

The amount of lubrication in the joint is also a factor. So that clicking sound COULD indicate a lack of synovial fluid or a ruptured lining that is supposed to keep the rubbing-surfaces slightly apart.

As you had to ask your question here (instead of being able to ask his breeder and the people at the club where you train & compete) you probably don't know who bred your pet, don't know whether your pet's parents have been officially xrayed.

But if you DO know his kennel-name and/or his sire's name, have a look at the information in http://www.gsdcouncilaustralia.org/schemes.htm#GSD... to get an indication as to how risky his genes are.

As you WON'T have bought him for breeding purposes, you don't need to pay for xrays while he is pain-free. But unless you have a fat wallet it would pay to take out & maintain comprehensive veterinary insurance in case he starts showing pain in a couple of years' time and xrays reveal that he needs one of the very expensive bone surgeries.

There are weekly/monthly injections, and there are supplements such as glucosamine, that will relieve the arthritic pain that is often the first sign of joint dysplasia. But they are NOT cures, and the disorder keeps on worsening throughout the sufferer's life.

• To ask about GSDs, join some of the 400+ YahooGroups dedicated to various aspects of living with them. Each group's Home page tells you which aspects they like to discuss, and how active they are. Unlike YA, they are set up so that you can have an ongoing discussion with follow-up questions for clarification. Most allow you to include photos in your messages.

Les P, owner of GSD_Friendly: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/GSD_Friendly

"In GSDs" as of 1967

The problem with all these joint issues is they may not be showing any sign of pain early on, when they are still young. However, when old age approaches, unsound joints can often go to being arthritic. Clicking in any joint has the potential for this but although not immediately necessarily anything to worry about, it's worth bearing in mind for later on - and it would be as well to keep the weight off your GSD, to minimise stress and injury. If you are worried about the 'crack', have your vet check it out, as I did with my young Basset. He was x-rayed, and premature closure of the growth plates of the ulna, both sides, was found.

Dogs that have pain related to hip dysplasia might move in a certain way to relieve pressure and minimize joint movement, but observing a dog's movements alone is not enough to give a hip dysplasia diagnosis, plus some dogs can have severe HD without showing any symptoms.

The only way to know for sure is to x-ray the adult dog. If you get your dog x-rayed you might as well get him checked for elbow dysplasia while you are at it and mention the wrist cracking to the vet as well.

If he is fully matured (over 2 years old) an ex-ray at the vet will tell you. I don't know anything about the *hip swinging* thing.

There are some GS people on this site. Maybe they can help you.

Yes this can be a sign..There are different levels of H.D, ans severity.The boy in the pic had it severe,he cried in pain at age 3 and required a hip replacement.My girl now swings as you state but handles it without pain meds.You don't say how old he is but you can start on a supplement of Glucosimine/Chrodontin for at most any store.1500mg-2000mg daily to help control it and also walks to build the mucsle around the hip joint helps.But first see your Vet..

ADD,,3yrs old yes she will have Hip dysplaysia..