On the etiology and pathogenesis of hip dysplasia: a comparative review

Abstract

A review of hip dysplasia research in the dog is given and the authors summarize the results of their long term study of hip dysplasia in the German Shepherd. Canine hip dysplasia is compared with congenital luxation of the hip in man. On the basis of this comparison, the authors arrive at the following conclusions regarding hip dysplasia in the dog. The disease cannot be diagnosed at birth. The most severe cases can be picked out at an age of about 14 days. It seems doubtful that the disease is congenital in the dog. There is strong evidence that the primary cause of hip dysplasia is a joint laxity very early in life. This laxity is genetically controlled but environmental factors are responsible for about 50 per cent of the variation of the severity of hip dysplasia. The cause of laxity is unknown and future research has to be focused on this problem.