Hip Dysplasia
Learn what the condition is, how it may be detected early, how it is treated or managed, and which breeds or species are linked to it.
Condition snapshot
A concise guide to the condition’s pattern, detection, management and urgency.
Breeding-screening conditionBreeding decisions should use an official hip score together with family and population information; one result does not remove genetic risk.
This snapshot is a general guide, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. New, severe or worsening signs require veterinary assessment.
About the condition
Hip dysplasia is a developmental disorder in which the ball-and-socket hip joint becomes abnormally loose during growth. The femoral head should fit closely within the acetabulum, but in a dysplastic hip excessive laxity allows abnormal movement. Repeated instability damages cartilage and stimulates remodelling of the joint, eventually producing osteoarthritis.
Genetics plays a major role, but inheritance is complex and involves many genes. Body size, growth rate, nutrition, exercise and body weight influence how severely the condition is expressed. Hip dysplasia is most common in medium, large and giant breeds but can occur in small dogs and mixed breeds as well. Normal-appearing parents can still produce affected puppies.
Some dogs show pain during rapid growth, often between five and ten months of age. Signs can include a bunny-hopping run, reluctance to climb stairs or jump, difficulty rising and reduced willingness to exercise. Other dogs appear comfortable while young and only develop lameness years later as osteoarthritis becomes established.
Several recognised scoring systems assess hip conformation for breeding purposes. Laxity-based techniques can also estimate susceptibility to later osteoarthritis in younger dogs.
Hip dysplasia is not simply “arthritis in an old dog.” The abnormal joint development begins much earlier, even if pain appears later. Early recognition creates opportunities for weight control, exercise planning and, in selected young dogs, surgical procedures that are no longer useful once severe arthritic change has developed. Long-term outcome depends on both the original hip anatomy and how well secondary osteoarthritis is managed.
The degree of looseness seen in a young hip does not always predict exactly how painful an adult dog will become, because body weight, activity, muscle support and secondary arthritis all influence clinical severity.
A normal puppy gait does not guarantee normal hip conformation, and a dog with an abnormal score may still show little pain.
Screening & Early Detection
Radiographic screening is central to hip-dysplasia prevention in predisposed breeds. Standard hip scoring is generally performed once the dog is old enough for the relevant scheme, using precise positioning and often sedation or anaesthesia. The images are assessed by trained scorers or radiologists so breeding animals can be compared using a consistent method.
Some distraction-based techniques can measure hip laxity at a younger age and may provide an earlier estimate of osteoarthritis risk. The appropriate method and age depend on the breed, registry and clinical purpose.
Seek clinical assessment before formal screening age if a puppy bunny-hops, struggles to rise, avoids stairs or becomes lame after exercise. Orthopaedic examination and diagnostic radiographs are then used to investigate pain rather than waiting for a breeding certificate.
Body condition should also be monitored throughout growth. Keeping a predisposed puppy lean does not change its genes, but it can reduce mechanical stress on lax joints and may lessen the severity of later osteoarthritis. Breeding decisions should use the official score together with family and population data rather than assuming one low-risk result removes all genetic liability.
Clinical severity does not always match the appearance of the hips on radiographs. Diagnosis combines orthopaedic examination with correctly positioned hip radiographs.
Treatment & Management
Management depends on the dog’s age, severity of hip laxity, existing arthritis and lifestyle. Many dogs can be managed successfully with a combination of lean body condition, regular low-impact exercise, physiotherapy and pain relief. Maintaining muscle around the hip improves joint support, while repeated high-impact activity that triggers lameness should be reduced.
Young dogs diagnosed before major arthritic change may be candidates for surgery intended to improve joint mechanics. Procedures vary with age and anatomy and can include juvenile pelvic procedures or pelvic osteotomy in carefully selected patients. Once severe arthritis is established, these reconstructive options are no longer appropriate.
For adult dogs with chronic pain, anti-inflammatory medication and other multimodal osteoarthritis treatments can improve comfort. Physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and environmental changes such as ramps or non-slip flooring may help mobility. In severe cases, total hip replacement can provide excellent function by replacing the diseased joint. Femoral head and neck excision is another option, particularly in smaller dogs, creating a functional fibrous joint rather than preserving the abnormal hip.
Treatment is individual rather than dictated by an x-ray score alone. A dog with marked radiographic dysplasia but little pain may need conservative management, while a dog with significant disability may warrant surgery. Ongoing weight control remains important after any procedure because excess load accelerates arthritis in both the affected and opposite hip.
Breeds or species affected
Affenpinscher
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Afghan hound
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Airedale Terrier
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Akbash dog
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Akita
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Alaskan malamute
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American bulldog
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American Cocker Spaniel
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American pit bull terrier
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American Staffordshire terrier
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American water spaniel
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Australian Cattle Dog
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Australian shepherd
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Australian stumpy tail cattle dog
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Basenji
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Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen
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Bearded collie
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Beauceron shepherd
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Belgian Malinois
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Belgian Shepherd Dog (Groenendael)
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Belgian Shepherd Dog (Tervueren)
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Bernese mountain dog
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Black and tan coonhound
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Black Russian Terrier
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Bloodhound
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Bluetick Coonhound
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Border Collie
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Border terrier
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Bouvier des Flandres
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Boxer
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Briard
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British Bulldog
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Brittany
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Brussels griffon
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Bull mastiff
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Canaan dog
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Cardigan welsh corgi
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Cavalier king charles spaniel
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Chesapeake Bay retriever
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Pug
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Shar Pei
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Chow chow
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Clumber spaniel
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Cocker spaniel
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English Cocker Spaniel
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Collie
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Collie (rough & smooth)
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Curly-Coated Retriever
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Dalmatian
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Dobermann
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Dogues de Bordeaux
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English Pointer
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English setter
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English springer spaniel
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Entlebucher mountain dog
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Eurasier
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Field spaniel
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Finnish lapphund
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Finnish spitz
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Flat-coated retriever
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French bulldog
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German shepherd
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German shorthaired pointer
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German Wirehaired Pointer
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Giant Schnauzer
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Golden retriever
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Gordon setter
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Great Dane
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Pyrenean Mountain Dog
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Greater Swiss mountain dog
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Havanese
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Hungarian Vizsla
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Irish red and white setter
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Irish setter
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Irish water spaniel
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Irish wolfhound
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Karelian bear dog
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Keeshond
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Kerry blue terrier
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Komondor
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Kuvasz
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Labrador retriever
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Large munsterlander
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Leonberger
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Mastiff
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Miniature Poodle
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Munsterlander
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Neapolitan mastiff
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Newfoundland
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Norwegian buhund
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Norwegian elkhound
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Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever
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Old English sheepdog
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Otterhound
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Pembroke Welsh Corgi
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Polish lowland sheepdog
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Poodle (standard)
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Toy Poodle
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Portuguese water dog
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Puli
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Redbone coonhound
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Retriever (flat or curly coated)
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Rhodesian ridgeback
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Rottweiler
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St Bernard
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Samoyed
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Schnauzer
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Schnauzer (miniature, standard)
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Schnauzer (standard)
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Shetland sheepdog
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Shiba Inu
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Siberian husky
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Soft coated wheaten terrier
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Spanish water dog
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Spinoni Italiani
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Springer spaniel
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Staffordshire bull terrier
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Sussex spaniel
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Swedish vallhund
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Tibetan mastiff
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Tibetan terrier
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Weimaraner
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Welsh corgi
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Welsh springer spaniel
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Wire-haired pointing griffon
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