# Hip dysplasia is not a congenital defect:By Carol Beuchat PhD



## TEZPUR1976 (Jun 29, 2014)

Source: The 10 most important things to know about canine hip dysplasia - The Institute of Canine Biology

Hip dysplasia is a hot topic in dogs, if it's possible to stay "hot" for 50 years. Researchers have been working hard for decades looking for solutions, and breeders have been doing their best to reduce the risk of producing affected puppies. But still the problem remains.

There are some simple things we could do to reduce the incidence of hip dysplasia now if we understand a few basic things. Here are the 10 most important things you need to know.

_*1) All puppies are born with perfectly normal hips*_
Hip dysplasia is not a congenital defect; it is not present at birth. Multiple studies have demonstrated that all normal puppies are born with "perfect" hips; that is, they are "normal" for a newborn with no signs of dysplasia. The structures of the hip joint are cartilage at birth and only become bone as the puppy grows. If a puppy is going to develop hip dysplasia, the process begins shortly after birth. This is the hip joint of a 1 day old puppy. The cartilage tissue does not show up on an x-ray until the minerals are deposited that form bone. Proper development of the joint depends on maintaining the proper fit between the head of the femur and the socket (acetabulum).

_"The hip joints of all dogs are normal at birth. The joints continue to develop normally as long as full congruity is maintained between the acetabulum and the femoral head... The acetabular rims are stimulated to grow by mild traction applied by the joint capsule and gluteal muscles attached along their dorsal borders, and from pressure by the femoral heads upon the articular surfaces... The morphologic characteristics of the complex hip structure show that biomechanical behavior is the prime influence in the growth of this joint." (Riser 1985)
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_**The rest of the article may be read at the link. Post was edited for both copyright and because of length of the article. ADMIN**
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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

Interesting that it says that puppies should not be fat, but I did not see were they said to keep puppies lean or underweight.


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## gsdluvr (Jun 26, 2012)

So, if there is deformity in the rear legs (tibia) at birth, that would be a huge contributing factor to hip dysplasia?


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

When my golden got hip Dysplasia I questioned the genetic part of it because there was no history of it pretty much anywhere. I don't know where my GSD with hip Dysplasia came from so I can't say genetics or not. Now what I do know is that neither puppy was over-weight(all my dogs are kept slim), we didn't do any strenuous exercises and they were on a high quality kibble. The GSD is tall and she grew upwards consistently. There was no injuries when they were smaller. So I keep going back to what happened before I got them? They were both about 12 weeks old, so if I got them at 8 weeks, would the end result be different? I don't know.


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

llombardo said:


> When my golden got hip Dysplasia I questioned the genetic part of it because there was no history of it pretty much anywhere. I don't know where my GSD with hip Dysplasia came from so I can't say genetics or not. Now what I do know is that neither puppy was over-weight(all my dogs are kept slim), we didn't do any strenuous exercises and they were on a high quality kibble. The GSD is tall and she grew upwards consistently. There was no injuries when they were smaller. So I keep going back to what happened before I got them? They were both about 12 weeks old, so if I got them at 8 weeks, would the end result be different? I don't know.


Study shows early neutering poses health risks for German shepherds


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

If the dog has shallow sockets, or underdeveloped femurs, are they telling me this is environmentally induced as opposed to born that way?


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## RunShepherdRun (Oct 5, 2009)

'Congenital' means 'present at birth'. By itself, it does not imply whether or to what degree a trait is due to genetic predisposition or environmental factors. Researchers agree that both contribute to the development of HD.

Quick summary of the argument Carol Beuchat made based on the available literature:

HD is not congenital, i.e. pups are born with well fitting hip joints. HD develops due to laxity of the joints, a ligament issue: 
"The teres ligament should hold the head of the femur securely in the socket of the growing puppy while the muscles that will support the hip develop and grow stronger. But in some puppies, the ligament shows evidence of damage before they are even a month old (Riser 1985). The abnormal forces on the femur and acetabulum that are caused by joint laxity result in the trauma that causes hip dysplasia and osteoarthritis of the hip."

Among the environmental factors identified to contribute to joint laxity:
- Slippery surface of the whelping box (e.g. kiddie wading pools without added carpet) due to the movements it forces the pups to make
- Nutrition 
- Body weight
- Exercise

A multifactorial genetic component is undisputed among researchers. Using the ZW in mate selection is crucial.


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

So where do malformed femurs come from if HD isn't congenital? I'm confused!


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

Cliff one study that I read recently suggested that the ball and sockets change shape as they are injured by bruising and (ths mentioned more than once) micro tears and repairs . 
The ligaments , cartilage and muscle were what held everything together .
This is why Penn-Hip test for laxity (ligament integrity) . 
Billinghurst has a section with advice on limiting exercise of young dogs to self selected natural movement - no abrupt stops and stops and twists and turns .

A geneticist friend (senior research scientist) can go in and delete deleterious genes - DM for example , because that has one location . HD is scattered throughout the genetic makeup - and , in his findings , has come to the conclusion that epigenetics , the response of genes (DNA) to outside influences - chemicals (teratogenic) , food/nutrition, exercise , etc etc . make it impossible to eliminate .


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

Oh, I'm well aware that injury and environment can affect the physical form of femur/sockets, but having seen hundreds of X-rays over the years, it is apparent that in some cases the formation naturally of the socket and or femur was malformed and not due to trauma and or environment.....it would seem to me to be congenital just like congenital defects that occur in other mammals and can be seen before delivery. Maybe I'm missing something?.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

So are we, the owners of young pups, now to blame for all the HD issues?


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## Julian G (Apr 4, 2016)

I can't agree with this, here's why. If breast cancer runs in a family, a newborn child will not have breast cancer until later in life. Bones develop through out the first year or so of a dogs life. Bad hips should not show in a newborn pup, as the pup grows into his body, his genetics begin to show. Maybe I'm not reading this correctly but that's just my take on it.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Julian G said:


> I can't agree with this, here's why. If breast cancer runs in a family, a newborn child will not have breast cancer until later in life. Bones develop through out the first year or so of a dogs life. Bad hips should not show in a newborn pup, as the pup grows into his body, his genetics begin to show. Maybe I'm not reading this correctly but that's just my take on it.


Pups are born with loose hips. From what I'm reading the whelping box can be part of the issue. The tims they start moving until they go to their new homes are pretty important. Just think about it this way, you go see a pup, it stands up in the box, maybe goes spread eagle in excitement. That happens ovef and over as people come to see them--they are slipping and sliding everywhere.


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## Deb (Nov 20, 2010)

So basically this is saying that doing x rays of hips prior to breeding isn't necessary...?


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

@ Deb....necessary for what?
I know in most mammals incest can be the cause of higher mental and physical abnormalities. Are any of our breeding practices comparable to incest. Why does the SV forbid 2-2 or closer breeding. 
I'm not saying that there is any singular cause of HD as it is a multi faceted phenomena, but I also don't believe all pups are born with perfect sockets/femurs and some form of nuture or injury is only causation. But my opinion is based on anecdotal experience and not scientific study.


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## Deb (Nov 20, 2010)

cliffson1 said:


> @ Deb....necessary for what?
> I know in most mammals incest can be the cause of higher mental and physical abnormalities. Are any of our breeding practices comparable to incest. Why does the SV forbid 2-2 or closer breeding.
> I'm not saying that there is any singular cause of HD as it is a multi faceted phenomena, but I also don't believe all pups are born with perfect sockets/femurs and some form of nuture or injury is only causation. But my opinion is based on anecdotal experience and not scientific study.



Cliffson1, exactly why I wrote it. I agree with you. I find it hard to believe that the whelping box or early experiences are solely the cause for HD. If that is the case, then why are smaller breeds also not susceptive to it? If you take the percentage of pounds/bone, a smaller replica, then they should also be developing HD. (Not sure how to exactly say what I mean, so I hope you understand.)


Then PL (Patella Luxation) must also be due to early experiences in the whelping box and being raised? Only about 7% of puppies will show PL, most 'acquire' it as adults. It can happen through injuries. There are multiple afflictions that are tested for in adult dogs, varying by breed. Most do not show up until the dog reaches maturity, some not until they are past breeding age. All were fine as puppies.


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## armbrusteri (Jul 16, 2016)

The linked article is incredibly simplistic and seems to be making the argument that all genetic traits are present at birth which is not how genetics work. Genes are turned on/off all the time and many genetic traits only become apparent after certain developmental stages or exposure to certain environmental factors. Just because a puppy is born with "perfect" hips does not mean the environment is the sole cause of its hip issues later on. Not to mention that hip dysplasia is currently an extremely broad category that encompasses all dogs with hip-joint issues and the article only discusses soft tissue related issues.

Sure it's good to take steps to prevent the deterioration of the dog's joints once it is born, but that is not the entire story, and to omit or gloss over the role of genetics is a little baffling.


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## TEZPUR1976 (Jun 29, 2014)

The study suggests that the effect of genetics is upto 40 percent (not clear how the percentage is derived). But the findings suggest that there is a significant impact of of the upbringing of the pup on this issue. So for new owners what is means is that even if they have gotten a pup from HD free parents and grand parents, still lot care is needed especially that these days a number of pups are raised indoors. Especially for show line pups the some people take the pup on power walk, and long trot (upto 2 to 3 km) from 6 to 7 months before showing the pup in a puppy class. Now too much pressure before the joints mature may lead to significant problems even for pups from ED HD clear parents.


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## Muskeg (Jun 15, 2012)

This is not a study, it is one person's interpretation of selected studies. In human medicine, we are discovering more and more how important genetics are to all aspects of health and behavior. I highly doubt that environment plays a deciding role in hip dysplasia, in most dogs. While I think keeping a dog lean, fit, and intact is a good way to avoid joint-laxity, and other orthopedic issues, I just don't see those factors contributing to what I believe is very much written in the genes. 

You see weird behavioral tics passed on through lines of dogs. Genetics. All those dogs are raised differently, trained differently, exposed to all sorts of different things.

Sad to say (because we like to be in charge of our destinies), but genetics rule behavior, and physiology, and disease risks (cancer, bloat, etc). 

For example, plenty of babies are born with "perfect" hearts, "perfect" brains, etc etc. It is still genetics that largely determine whether that baby will suffer a heart attack, or whether that brain is susceptible to Alzheimer's or stroke. Pretty much a terrible, non-scientifically supported premise for the whole article that puppies are ALL born with "perfect" (and undeveloped) hips, and thus, for that reason, hip dysplasia is largely environmental.


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

Thank You!


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Muskeg said:


> This is not a study, it is one person's interpretation of selected studies. In human medicine, we are discovering more and more how important genetics are to all aspects of health and behavior. I highly doubt that environment plays a deciding role in hip dysplasia, in most dogs. While I think keeping a dog lean, fit, and intact is a good way to avoid joint-laxity, and other orthopedic issues, I just don't see those factors contributing to what I believe is very much written in the genes.
> 
> You see weird behavioral tics passed on through lines of dogs. Genetics. All those dogs are raised differently, trained differently, exposed to all sorts of different things.
> 
> ...


This is what makes sense to me.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

There are studies out there on the subject.

Here is one

https://www.usdaa.com/article.cfm?newsID=2288


"Although hip dysplasia is a hereditary condition, a recent doctoral research study by Randi Krontveit at the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science examined the role that environmental factors played in its development. Hip dysplasia is a genetic disease. Dogs are not born with hip dysplasia, but puppies that are genetically predisposed to it may develop it in varying degrees. The severity of hip dysplasia has an effect on when the dogs show symptoms of this disease and on how long they tend to live.

Any dog can develop hip dysplasia, but the condition is most common in large dogs such as the Newfoundlands, Rottweilers, Golden Retrievers, Saint Bernards, and German Shepherd dogs. Previous studies have indicated that rapid growth in a puppy and a high body weight were factors that increased the likelihood of developing hip dysplasia. But Krontveit's study showed something different.

Hip dysplasia (HD) in dogs is affected to a larger degree than previously believed by the environment in which puppies grow up. It is particularly during the period from birth to three months that various environmental factors appear to influence the development of this disease. During the puppy stage, preventive measures can therefore be recommended with a view to giving dogs disposed to the condition a better quality of life.

Another factor that may influence the development of hip dysplasia in dogs is exercise. Many breeders will advise against exercising a pup to prevent the development of orthopedic conditions. Nonetheless, veterinarians believe that gentle, low impact exercise can be beneficial for pups, but that all forced exercise beyond what a puppy would normally do should be avoided. Veterinarians maintain that running should be avoided until a puppy is physically mature, and that puppies should stay away from high impact sports such as jumping and agility. Both of these activities are believed to be traumatic on a puppy's immature joints."


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

I understand that damage can be done by diet and exercise to joints of a young pup. But I do believe genetically one can be predisposed to joint disease-hip dysplesia etc. all the healthy diet and proper exercise may not help the dogs who are genitcally predisposed possibly some. The one who are genetically predisposed everyday normal activity can cause much stress on those joints. A healthy immune system is also important.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Jenny720 said:


> I understand that damage can be done by diet and exercise to joints of a young pup. But I do believe genetically one can be predisposed to joint disease-hip dysplesia etc. all the healthy diet and proper exercise may not help the dogs who are genitcally predisposed possibly some. The one who are genetically predisposed everyday normal activity can cause much stress on those joints. A healthy immune system is also important.


Since I have one that had it with no history of it in the lines genetically I believe environment plays a huge role.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

I think with large dogs there will be hip dysplasia somewhere along deep deep within the lines that can always pop up that could of not been recorded,missed etc. that's why it's hard for me to believe in guarantees. But looking at parents /grandparents with good hips does make me feel better regardless. I believe environment, diet, immune health proper excercise all have an impact on health and joints.


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

There are NO German shepherds that do not have genetic predisposition for HD. No lines or individual dogs.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

cliffson1 said:


> There are NO German shepherds that do not have genetic predisposition for HD. No lines or individual dogs.


If this was in reference to my comment--the dog in my comment is Not a GSD.


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

Oh I'm sorry Lombardo, I thought this discussion was about HD in GS as opposed to other breeds. Of course there are other breeds that this malady is not problematic....I missed your connection to our breed...sorry.


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## cliffson1 (Sep 2, 2006)

Ok, now I see that you mean that your dog( which is another breed) that isn't known for HD, and does have it, which leads you to believe that environment played a large role. Do I have this right?


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## Kazel (Nov 29, 2016)

I believe that genetics and environment(nature vs. nurture) both play an important role. A dog with perfect parents that should have grown up healthy could have some sort of trauma or stress(heavy/extreme exercise for example) that could result in the puppy developing hip dysplasia. Neutering/spaying early has also been linked to dogs developing hip dysplasia and that is certainly environmental. It could also increase the severity of what could have been mild hip dysplasia in other dogs. So while environmental is certainly a concern, genetics are also a large concern. Because if you have a dog with severe hip dysplasia chances are it could have had all of the environmental benefits in the world when younger and still developed hip dysplasia.(except maybe surgery?) Just my personal opinion though.


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

there are various elements which comprise HD - I believe that hips can be environmentally affected BUT I also believe that structure is as genetic as set of ears, tail, length of forearm, angulation etc.....

I have x-rays of 5 littermates - you can see the structure is nearly identical in these....one failed OFA, and we all scratched our heads at this one as to the layman's eyes, the hips look better than a littermate who was OFA Good.....there was some element other than ball and socket structure that caused the failure....I think there are a total of 7 out of 10 pups who were rated out of this family (2 litters, same dam, Csabre, different sires) 
I have compared a sire (Xito)and son, both appeared fine, went Fair - again, identical to the layman's eye ....Csabre is also a Xito daughter, but I had her mother, Kyra FH who wer both OFA Good ....these two had nearly identical hips, along with 2 littermates (one OFA, one went to LE and they took them but did not bother to certify). I am totally convinced that the structure of the hip joint is genetic and do agree that there are environmental stresses that can cause other elements to result in dysplasia. (and FWIW - every elbow done so far has been normal for every dog done)


The problem is when you are breeding, you only see ratings, not the x-rays, not the reports, and not the whole family.


Lee


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