CAM LIVE: Getting to grips with hip dysplasia with Mike Farrell

Dr Mike Farrell joins Hannah Capon to discuss hip dysplasia and to clarify some of the myths connected to this diagnosis:
- the majority of dogs have hip dysplasia with no clinical signs and go on to have a very normal life;
- hip dysplasia isn’t a case of you have it or you don't have it. There is a huge spectrum of severity of dysplasia with an equally huge spectrum of clinical severity;
- different breeds ‘deal’ with differing degrees of hip dysplasia differently;
- genetics play a huge role in the prevalence of the disease;
- other key players that MUST be taken seriously are diet as in body weight/ body condition score, exercise and neutering. Lifestyle is also mentioned - early access to stairs and slippery floors;
- being overweight is a massive NO NO. Aim for a lean body condition throughout life and tailor intake to meet that;
- supplementing in the early stages of life is not needed and could be detrimental;
- restricted exercise is a myth that needs to be tackled. The reverse should be encouraged i.e. increasing mixed exercise to build muscle strength and stamina to support the hips in the sockets. Consideration of what kind of exercise is important - high impact and unexpected torsional forces placed on inadequate soft tissues is not ok;
- a point blanket statement that early neutering is the cause of all orthopaedic issues is wrong and goes against the solid data collected, see below;
- within this live, Mike and Hannah also tackle different surgeries and when each is appropriate.
Additional resources:
What causes canine hip dysplasia (CHD)? www.vetlessons.com/hip-dysplasia (10 minute video)
How does diet influence development of CHD? www.vetlessons.com/diet Numerous scientific references are included at the end of the quiz.
How does exercise (not) influence development of hip dysplasia? Facebook discussion about wolves vs guide dogs: profile.php?...
Effect of environment on development of hip dysplasia in large- and giant-breed puppies: www.icbblog.org/.../Krontveit-....
Impact of long-distance running on Beagle puppies. Warning: This experiment involves treadmill running up to 40km per day and subsequent euthanasia of experimental dogs. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/.../1...
Nájera DD, Santana N, Peláez-Ballestas I, González-Chávez SA, Quiñonez-Flores CM, Pacheco-Tena C. Prevalence of rheumatic diseases in Raramuri people in Chihuahua, Mexico: a community-based study. Clinical Rheumatology. 2016 Jul 1;35(1):43-52: link.springer.com/article/10....
What is the breed-specific risk-analysis for neutering?
www.vetlessons.com/lameness (plain-English breed-specific risk-analysis summaries)
Hart BL, Hart LA, Thigpen AP, Willits NH. Assisting Decision-Making on Age of Neutering for 35 Breeds of Dogs: Associated Joint Disorders, Cancers, and Urinary Incontinence. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 2020 Jul 7;7:388: www.frontiersin.org/.../fvets....
What is the breed-specific risk for development of clinical CHD in young dogs with incidental radiographic CHD?
www.vetlessons.com/lameness (includes links to free-access citations like the one below)
Malm S, Fikse F, Egenvall A, Bonnett BN, Gunnarsson L, Hedhammar Å, Strandberg E. Association between radiographic assessment of hip status and subsequent incidence of veterinary care and mortality related to hip dysplasia in insured Swedish dogs. Preventive Veterinary Medicine. 2010 Feb 1;93(2-3):222-32
Mike Farrell BVetMed, CertVA, CertSAS, DipECVS, MRCVS, EBVS and RCVS Specialist in Small Animal Surgery: Mike graduated from the RVC in 1997. He completed internships at Bristol and Edinburgh Universities. He has worked in the USA and Switzerland as a veterinary anaesthetist and in the UK and Australia as a general practitioner. Mike completed a residency in surgery at Glasgow University in 2006 and gained his European Diploma in Small Animal Surgery in 2007. He is a specialist locum and the creator of vetlessons.com, a website offering free-access to unbiased and evidence-based veterinary orthopaedic decision aids.
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