What is Hip Dysplasia and what causes it?

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• We have put this article together in conjunction with our vets using the information that we  give our clients to enable them to have  the best success in raising a healthy dog. Specifically in regards to hip and elbow issues in dogs focusing on German Shepherds especially.

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While there is no way of ruling out or stopping hip and elbow issues there is alot that can be done to try prevent and minimize it as it has a raft of causes that are not all genetic.

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Hip and elbow dysplasia is categorised as developmental disorders caused by dysmorphic and lax joint formation. This consequentially results in abnormal wearing of bone over time, inducing the secondary development of osteoarthritis (OA) or arthrosis, and degenerative joint disease.

 

Here at Sabella Farms we work closely with our vets to ensure we are breeding healthy happy dogs by DNA testing, hip and elbow scoring and having our dogs certified by our vets to be used for breeding.

 

We also work very closely with our vets to understand dogs health and the over all importance  of the dogs first 2 years of life.

 

After we do all the testing we do, and our dogs get certified, we only have the pups for the first 8 to 9 weeks of their life, so how our pups are grown once they leave us is a huge factor in preventing issues from occurring in the joints and their ability to live a long and health life.

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As you know here at Sabella Farms we look very closely at lot of things in our dogs. One of the main ones is a flat back, which we feel is very important to the health and well being of the German Shepherd breed. Many breeders are breeding a very deformed hind end which has caused the breed to have many issues over the years. So we look very closely at a nice flat back. This is backed up well with our hip and elbow scoring our dogs are all tested under.

 

Once the dog leaves us at 8 of 9 weeks there are a huge range of factors that will come into play once the pup leaves us and continues on their journey to maturity. As a breeder it's critical that dogs be tested and approved by a vet, but once the pup is in the care of their family what they do the first 2 years of growth has a huge impact on the dog and its joints.

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So what causes it?

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Hip dysplasia is generally seen in larger dogs, however any breed of dog can be prone to it.

 

If the dog has come from well tested parents then the usual cause(s) is excessive growth rate, types of exercise (too much or not enough), improper weight, injury and unbalanced nutrition.  It's so important that dogs be tested fully before being used for breeding as this can help eliminate awful genetic diseases and have very low odds of having a dog with joint issues, however this testing does not mean issues with joints will not occur. 

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Dysplasia is a very generic, blanket term given for a raft of issues and causes in joint problems. A dog can have an injury and subsequently have issues growing correctly from the injury and that could be classed as hip dysplasia. Arthritis can also be classed as hip dysplasia and many more, so its a term that covers a very broad range of issues that can cause hip dysplasia diagnosis to be applied.

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In most cases when a dog has issues in only one joint it's more likely an injury has occurred and been missed or ignored. A dog with genetic issues generally has issues in more then one joint. Other causes can be the dog growing incorrectly due to poor food/diet. over or not enough exercise, etc.  

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Any and all breeders should be breeding responsibly and testing their dogs . This ensures that we are only breeding from healthy dogs and it significantly reduces the chances of a dog having issues however it does not mean they will not have issues at any point in their life.

 

There is never any guarantee in anything when it comes to animal health but we can use all of the testing we have at our disposal to make sure we are bringing in to this world beautiful pups go onto have a long and happy life with a family. So as a breeder I am very proud of our dogs and we are doing all we can to ensure our dogs have wonderful life with their families.

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What is a german shepherd?

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The German Shepherd or Alsatian is a German breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz using various traditional German herding dogs from 1899. It was originally bred as a herding dog, for herding sheep.

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Since that time the breed has become incredibly popular world wide. Coupled with the demand there were also changes of the breed standard requirements to win in the show ring. As such breeders trying to meet demand and people who want to start showing have to ensure you get a Shepherd from a breeder who is breeding to the showing breed standard. Leaving you with a high possibility of having a dog with issues. 

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The breed has changed significantly over the past hundred years with the hind end becoming more and more deformed. The focus of breeders and the breed standard they have to breed to has made this situation worse as a deformed hind end  is part of what the dog must have to go into the show ring to win. 

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Here our main focus is breeding FLAT backed, well natured and well tested dogs. There are so many breeders out there breeding the very sloped hind end however we are very proud of our dogs and you can see it in the pictres and videos of them.

 

 

 

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