How common is hip dysplasia in puppies? Over the weekend, Aspen was out and about with my boyfriend's mom while she was picking up poo in the yard. She said he was trotting, and then whimpered and has been limping for about a day. It is on and off, and I am planning on taking him to the vet today if he is still limping when I get home. There's no ice or anything in his paw, and he has not winced when I lightly squeeze his paws/leg/move his leg. I know that limping means there IS pain, but we just let him rest yesterday. It happened yesterday morning. It is his right hind leg. When he walks he still puts weight on it, it seems like the limping turns off and on. He seems to have limited movement of his hind end when he is limping. His mom and dad do not have hip or elbow dysplasia. Aspen is 8 months old. I should add that he has no clicking, is active, is willing to go up/down stairs, and runs normally.
Yep vet check our choc lab beth had to have a new hip at under 1 year old running around the garden and pop she is now 5 years old
My last Lab had both hip and elbow dysplasia, but managed with nutritional supplements, and was fine overall, but did have a slight limp. We did so much research of the bloodline this time in the hope of avoiding it again, but I think it can just be a genetic throwback. I am keeping my new pup on shorter rations as rapid growth can be an exacerbating factor (last Lab grew unbelievably quickly), and want to limit his exercise - though he may have other ideas.
I would get him checked by the vet for a check and ask them for advice. My girl had this last year and it turned out she just tweaked a muscle.
Definitely get a vet check. It's more than likely just a tweaked muscle - happens all the time with puppies - but getting him checked out would put your mind at rest. If it's a persistent thing, it's worth getting x-rays of his joints to see if there's anything more serious. To answer your questions, yes, puppies can be born dysplastic and they can also become dysplastic through trauma. There's also cruciate problems that can develop at any age. The parents having clear health tests is a good start, but unfortunately isn't the whole story so dysplastic puppies can be born from zero-rated parents - and, as I said, the joints can become dysplastic through trauma, too. Your vet should have felt his joints already on every check-up and would have voiced any concerns he might have had, but sometimes an X-ray is the only way to go. But, like I said, if it disappears after a day or so, it's likely just a tweaked muscle.
Was your puppy guaranteed against Hip Dysplasia from the breeder? For example, I have read here and elsewhere that lab puppies should not be allowed to climb stairs until a year to prevent this. But my breeder says that my dog can climb stairs as soon as he can. But I should prevent him from jumping down stairs, or jumping up stairs or in any place where his weight is increased because of being higher off the ground. Its really kind of hard to stop him unless you keep him tethered, since the next thing I know he’s up the stairs chasing the cat. BTW, the cat is actually teasing him, since she gets away and then reappears again momentarily to repeat the scenario.
You could use a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs or, if they are open, a pen to fence it in so he can’t get up. The cat will still be able to get through but the dog won’t.
Yeah we have several,mostly for the grandkids. We actually prefer tethering(The Puppy Whisperer and Training the Best Dog Ever). People like us find that as we approach 70 years old, climbing over a grate to get up the stairs is more than an inconvenience. It stops us as well as the dog.
