Hip dysplasia is one of the most common developmental diseases in dogs, causing chronic pain and disability, but is significantly preventable through responsible breeding and puppy management.
Hip dysplasia causes chronic pain that ranges from mild discomfort to severe disability. Dogs with significant hip pain show reduced activity, difficulty rising and climbing stairs, and altered gait. The insidious onset means many dogs endure months of pain before diagnosis. Progressive arthritis causes daily suffering that, without adequate management, compounds over years. The preventable aspects of hip dysplasia - through genetic screening and responsible early management - make unmanaged cases in known at-risk breeds especially troubling from a welfare perspective.