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Probably the most commonly known health fault that can occur in German
Shepherd Dogs and other large and giant breeds is canine hip dysplasia (CHD).
While not the most devastating and life threatening, it is the one of the most
common and most widely publicized health problem affecting GSDs and is thus of
high concern to puppy buyers. While less widely known amongst the public, canine
elbow dysplasia (CED) is just as common and in most cases much more
debilitating.
What dysplasia is.
The term “dysplasia” is a catch-all phrase used to describe an improperly formed
joint. There are many ways a joint can be malformed; socket is shallow and not
sufficiently deep to hold the femoral head, femoral head is flattened or pointed
instead of rounded and thus does not move freely in the joint causing excessive
wear and tear, there is sublaxation (looseness) and the ball and socket, even if
properly formed, are not tight again causing excessive wear and tear due to too
much free movement of the bones forming the joint. Likewise with elbows, there
are many different forms of joint malformations combined together under the term
elbow dysplasia.
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Figure 1: OFA Good (free
of dysplasia).
Note the properly formed and sufficiently deep sockets, round femoral heads, and overall consistency and tightness of the joint.
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Dysplasia is genetic.
Many breeders and other "experts" will claim that dysplasia is
environmental, not genetic. This is entirely false. Dysplasia is a polygenic
genetic disorder. Environmental factors such as excessive strenuous
exercise, obesity and improper nutrition can influence the age of onset and
severity of symptoms. But they cannot cause dysplasia. The only way a dog
can develop dysplasia is if he has the genes for it.
Environmental Factors
Dysplasia is genetic, and anyone who says differently is ignorant or lying.
But environment can have enormous effects on the age of onset, and severity,
of any symptoms experienced by a dog who has the genetic predisposition
toward dysplasia. Therefore, it is important for the owner of any large
breed dog prone to dysplasia to understand these factors and work to
minimize the impact the disorder can have on their dog's quality of life if
he does have the genes for it.
The most common, and most potentially damaging, environmental factor is
obesity. Puppies grow at rapid, but inconsistent rates. It is important to
monitor food intake carefully and adjust it accordingly so that the puppy
remains thin. Carrying extra weight on developing joints can lead to
developmental problems within the joints. When puppies and dogs are
overweight, it causes unnecessary stress on the joints. And as obese dogs
are generally lacking muscle tone, this puts additional stress on the joints
because the muscles are not strong and able to bear some of the load.
Obesity and lack of physical fitness equates to excessive wear and tear on
the skeletal system, which will over time lead to the development of
arthritis. This will in turn magnify the severity of arthritis developing
due to an improperly formed joint. Dog's should be kept fit, and thin enough
that when the dog is standing the owner should be able to feel all of the
ribs easily. If the ribs can’t be felt easily, the dog is overweight.
It is also important to feed a good premium, holistic dog food or well
researched and planned homemade/raw diet, and be careful to avoid overuse or
inappropriate use of supplements. Though there are many excellent
supplements out there, many are fads and are unnecessary when the dog is fed
a quality food. Many a good intentioned owner has supplemented his pup's
diet with calcium in an attempt to try to prevent dysplasia, only to find
this can cause more problems and actually contribute to dysplasia by
interfering with the natural calcium/phosphorus balance in the growing pup's
bones and joints.
We also recommend switching German Shepherd Dog puppies to adult food by the
time they are 4-5 months of age in order to slow down the growth process. At
our kennel, our puppies are weaned directly onto adult food and are never
fed puppy food. Puppy food is a recent advent of the dog food manufacturers
and little more than a marketing ploy directed at the uninformed, but well
meaning public. Wild canid puppies eat the same food as the adults, as did
domestic puppies until a couple decades ago when a marketing guru came up
with the idea of puppy food. And they all did just fine. Feeding your pup
adult food won’t stunt his growth. He’ll still reach the same adult size,
but will take longer to get there allowing his bones and joints to better
keep up with his development and causing less stress on his skeletal system.
In addition to obesity, over-exercise at too young an age is a contributing
factor to the onset and severity of dysplasia. Complete calcification of a
German Shepherd Dog’s bones does not occur until 10-14 months of age. It is
important to avoid exercise that can strain the joints and any excessive,
repetitive activity on hard surfaces until this process is complete. We
recommend that new owner’s avoid as much running, jumping and stair-climbing
as possible with their puppies until they are at least a year old. This
certainly isn’t to say the pup should be kept cooped up and not allowed to
run around and play. Puppies will be puppies and are by nature energetic,
and need exercise. A lack of exercise is every bit as detrimental to
physical and mental development as too much. But owners should use common
sense. Allow the pup to self limit his exercise, and when he’s tired don’t
make him keep going. Pups are silly in that regard, and will keep chasing
the ball as long as you keep throwing it, regardless of how exhausted they
are. This means you as the owner need to pay attention to your dog, and stop
the game when he’s getting tired and let him rest. If your goal for the dog
is sport competition, save the hurdle jumping training until he’s older. And
if you want your GSD to be your next jogging partner, it is best for the
health of his joints to wait until he is over a year old before you start
having him accompany you on your morning runs. All of these things will help
lessen the development of skeletal problems, particularly if your dog has a
genetic predisposition toward them.
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Figure 2: Mild Hip
Dysplasia.
The overall shape of the socket and femoral heads is this particular case is decent, but there is excessive laxity in the joint, particularly the hip shown on the right. This is a situation where environment would play a significant role in the future development of arthritis and the dog experiencing symptoms. Keeping the dog at an appropriate weight and in overall good physical condition, combined with the use of joint supplements, will help this dog remain symptom free for a long time. Likewise, obesity, lack of proper diet, and poor muscle tone will hasten the development of arthritis bringing about pain and stiffness at a younger age. |
The impact of dysplasia on a dog's quality of life.
One of the common myths about hip dysplasia is that it equates to a
death sentence, or a life of crippling pain for a dog. The truth is that
this is rarely the case. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, the
premier hip certifying organization in the United States, grades CHD in
3 categories based on severity; Mild, Moderate and Severe. In all but
the most severe cases, it isn’t the malformed joint that causes pain,
but rather the arthritis that develops in the joint because of the
malformation. While all dogs, like humans, are likely to develop
arthritis with age, dysplastic joints hasten this process because of
excessive wear and tear that occurs due to things not fitting together
properly.
Most dogs with Mild dysplasia, and a good number of those diagnosed with
Moderate dysplasia, lead perfectly normal, active, health lives with
few, if any, symptoms. Many of these dogs even go on to have illustrious
careers in physically demanding dog sports such as schutzhund and
agility, and as working law enforcement and search dogs. They will
likely develop some arthritis in the dysplastic joint as they age, but
then most dogs even without dysplasia will suffer from some form of
arthritis in their later years. Proper exercise and nutrition, along
with joint supplements such as glucosamine, chondritin, MSM and vitamin
C can help slow the development of arthritis in dysplastic joints.
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Figure 3: Moderate Hip Dysplasia. Not only is there excessive
laxity in the joint, but the socket is shallow and the femoral
heads are poorly formed; rather than a thinner shaft with a
larger, round head the shaft is thickened and the heads are
flattened and pointed. This will cause significant wear and tear
in the joint, leading to arthritis. |
In some few cases, though, more intervention is needed. Severely
dysplastic dogs are more prone to symptoms, and at a much earlier age.
Arthritis will develop early, and often the joint itself is so malformed
or so loose that it causes pain and stiffness itself. Dogs with Severe
dysplasia are also more prone to injury, particularly in the case of
severe sublaxation, where the excessive looseness of the joint can lead
to dislocation. For these dogs, there are many surgical interventions
that can help significantly. The most common are TPO, FHO and total hip
replacement. While expensive, these surgeries will in almost all cases
allow the dog to lead a normal, pain free life.
Fortunately, the vast majority of dogs diagnosed with dysplasia fall
into the Mild or Moderate category. No surgery is required, and the use
of joint supplements combined with common sense regarding the dog's
weight, physical fitness and exercise regime can manage the condition
quite well and allow these dogs to lead long, full lives.
Many pet owners never even think to x-ray their dogs unless the dog does
show symptoms, and if the dog shows symptoms it's dysplasia is most
likely Severe. Likewise, if the joint is bad enough, or the arthritis
sufficiently advanced, to cause symptoms, in many times it is too late
to manage the condition through diet, exercise and supplementation. It
may even be too late for many of the surgical options. This tendency to
not check the joints until symptoms are apparent leads to the common
misconception that a dysplasia diagnosis means the owner faced the
choice of expensive surgery or putting the dog down, when in many cases
a more proactive approach and earlier intervention would have allowed
for more options in treatment and a better overall outcome.
These severe cases and situations of "too little, too late" are the ones
we hear the horror stories about, but truth is they are relatively
uncommon. Indeed, there are many dogs running around with Mild or
Moderate dyspalsia and their owners don't even know it because they
never bothered to have an x-ray evaluation done, and the dog shows no
symptoms so the owners assume everything is fine. Fortunately, many good
breeders are now requiring all of their customers to x-ray their dogs
for dysplasia, even if it is a spayed/neutered pet. This allows breeders
to better keep track of the incidence of dysplasia in their bloodlines
by ensuring that every dog is evaluated, which in turn helps breeders
make more informed breeding decisions. It also helps ensure the welfare
of the dogs by using early x-ray evaluation to check for signs of
dysplasia when it's still early enough to affect the long term outcome.
Over time, this practice of encouraging or requiring x-ray evaluation on
all dogs will also help better educate dog owners on the truth about
dysplasia, and dispel the myths that dysplasia is a life threatening
condition. It's not good.. but it's not the end of the world either.
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Figure 4: Moderate Hip Dysplasia. While the formation of the joint and femoral heads isn't horrible, it isn't good either. The really bad news is that these hips have severe laxity. Severe enough that dislocation of the joint (particularly the hip on the left) is a distinct possibility. While proper diet, muscle tone and supplementation would help this dog, the excess laxity in the one hip would indicate that surgery should be considered. |
How can we prevent dysplasia?
Breeders have long pondered this question and as of yet there is no
clear answer. The unfortunate fact is that any German Shepherd Dog, or
other large breed puppy, can develop dysplasia despite the best efforts
of breeders and owners alike. The reason for this is rooted in the very
nature of the disorder.
Responsible breeders will try to eliminate as much of the genetic
potential for dysplasia as possible by breeding only dogs with good hips
that descend from bloodlines with good hips. As a puppy customer, it is
important to look for hip certifications on breeding stock, particularly
the perspective parents of a litter. Fact is, the only way to clearly
and definitively determine if a dog has dysplasia is by taking x-rays of
the joints and sending the x-ray films in for evaluation by an
objective, qualified party. As dogs with Mild or Moderate dysplasia are
most often symptom free, it is a mistake to assume that because the dog
acts fine that the hips are good. Likewise, the many wives tales about
watching a dog’s gait, or evaluating his structure, are false. Dysplasia
can only be diagnosed by x-ray. Don’t take a breeder’s word for it.
Don’t take a veterinarian’s word for it either, as few general practice
vets are skilled at the proper interpretation of radiographs for
dysplasia. Always ask for proof that the dogs are certified as free of
dysplasia by a legitimate organization. There are many organizations
that will certify hips. In the USA we have the Orthopedic Foundation for
Animals (OFA), and the new PennHip system. In Canada there is OVC, and
in Germany the A-Stamp program. Most other countries also have their own
hip certifying program available.
Unfortunately, while it is a huge step in the right direction, the use
of only hip certified breeding stock is not a guarantee. X-ray
evaluation allows us to look at the phenotype (the genes the dog
expresses) but does not allow us to look at his genotype (the full
genetic make-up, including hidden genes that exist in the DNA but are
not expressed).
Dysplasia is a polygenic trait, meaning that there are several genes,
not just one, involved and they must come together in a certain number
and combination in order to cause the development of dysplasia. Thus, a
dog can carry a few of the genes but not be dysplastic himself and, for
this reason, dysplasia can remain hidden for generations, only to rear
its head when a specific genetic combination comes along. This is why it
is possible for dogs that are themselves certified as free of dysplasia,
to produce offspring that do have the disorder. This also explains why
it is possible for one or few puppies from a litter to have the disease
while their littermates do not.
As of now, the only tools available to breeders to attempt to eliminate
dysplasia are x-ray evaluation and research into the incidence of
dysplasia within a bloodline (the more dysplastic dogs, the higher the
likelihood of that bloodline carrying a high number of bad genes). We’re
hopeful that scientific advances into gene mapping may provide a
solution, or at least more insight, in the future. But as of now, with
the tools available, it is impossible for any breeder to eliminate
dysplasia entirely.
Every breeder must live with the fact that a dog from his kennel may
develop hip dysplasia. And every puppy buyer must accept that there is a
risk of their dog developing dysplasia, regardless of the quality of the
breeding or bloodlines. The breeding of only hip certified dogs, along
with the careful research of pedigrees and bloodlines, will help
significantly reduce the chances of pups developing hip or elbow
dysplasia, but it cannot eliminate all risk. Thus, anyone considering
purchasing a dog from one of the large or giant breeds, or any breed
where dysplasia is a concern, should educate themselves about dysplasia.
Not only as it pertains to selecting a breed, dog, breeder or bloodlines
but also with regards to fundamentals of dysplasia and options for
managing the disorder should his or her dog develop hip or elbow
dysplasia.
For additional information about
dysplasia, please visit the
Orthopedic Foundation for Animals Website.