Hip dysplasia (HD)
What - Abnormal development of the hip joint
Cause – Genetic predisposition, rapid growth rate, diet
Diagnosis – palpation of joint laxity, radiographs (distraction views)
Movement or posture – difficulty rising, decreased activity levels, loss of muscle mass in the hind quarters, bunny hopping gait
Elbow dysplasia (ED)
What – Developmental abnormality of the Humerus, Radius, ulnar. One, two or all three bones
Cause- Genetics, improper nutrition, trauma, osteochondrosis, trochlea notch dysplasia, asynchronous growth of the radius and ulnar, early neutering
Diagnosis – Palpation of joint incongruity, X-ray
Movement or posture – Limping or stiffness (usually worse after exercise and difficult to spot if both elbows are affected), Less enthusiasm to go for walks or play. Front paws pointing outwards and/or elbows held at a strange angle. Swollen, puffy elbows (in severe cases)
Luxation of the patella
What – Patella dislocates from the groove of the femur.
Cause – Torsional deformity, malalignment of the femur and tibia
Diagnosis – palpation of the patella, manual tests.
Movement or posture - Intermittent hopping/skipping - which usually lasts for a few seconds until the kneecap has slipped back into position. Stiffness which can affect one or both back legs and range from mild to severe.
Cranial Cruciate ligament injury (CCL) and TPLO and TTA Surgery
What – Common. Rupture of the Cranial Cruciate Ligament, ligament
Cause – Trauma, ligament degeneration
Diagnosis – palpating cranial drawer motion, and radiographs.
Movement or posture – sudden non-weight-bearing lameness, limping, altered gait.
TPLO surgery
Tibial Plateau leveling osteotomy
To reduce the amount that the tibia shifts forward during a stride. This is accomplished by making a semicircular cut through the top of the tibia, rotating the top of the tibia, and using a bone plate to allow the tibia to heal.
This realignment of the surfaces within the stifle helps to provide stability during a stride and helps to reduce future joint inflammation and osteoarthritis. By carefully adjusting the angle or slope of the top of the tibia, surgeons can create a more normal configuration of the knee joint and reduce mechanical stress. Healing from TPLO surgery is generally rapid.
TTA (Tibial Tuberosity Advancement)
The tibial tuberosity is cut and repositioned to change the dynamics of the knee joint. This alteration helps to shift weight-bearing forces away from the damaged ligament, reducing pain and allowing for better function.
Spondylosis
What - Spondylosis is a degenerative process that affects the spine of dogs. It is the formation of boney overgrowths in the lower and lateral parts of the vertebrae. It may be present in the cervical, thoracic, lumbar or at multilevel.
Cause – It is normally a degenerative condition that occurs over a period of years. It usually appears in older dogs but can affect younger dogs when their spine experiences instability due to various causes. Age, activity levels, neuter status, and size may all have an affect on spondylosis.
Diagnosis - Radiography
Movement or posture – reduced range of spinal movement, pain, weakness. Antalgic postures or gait. When severe, spondylosis in dogs can affect the central nervous system and affect motor skills.
Spondylitis
What - This is the swelling of the vertebrae as caused by either a bacterial or fungal infection
Cause - Several circumstances can increase the risk of this disorder developing. Previous infections such as UTI’s, abscesses, and contaminated wounds can move to the spinal column during treatment and proliferate unseen. Traumatic injuries that involve damage or fracturing of the bone can make it easier for the bacteria to invade the skeletal structure. Other conditions, such as chronic dental disease or post-operative complications, can influence the chances of this type of infection occurring.
Diagnosis – Physical examination, blood tests, spinal tap
Movement or posture – Reluctance to move, back pain or stiffness, collapse, depression, hunched back, lack of coordination, lameness, paralysis in one or more limbs, poor reflexes, shaking, staggering, tremors, weakness
DM Degenerative Myelopathy also called Canine Degenerative Radiculomyelopathy or CDRM
What – The nerves in the lower spine stop working properly. It causes weakness, paralysis in the back legs, and incontinence (both urinary and faecal), all of which get worse over time. In some rare cases, it can even affect the front legs. Degenerative myelopathy isn’t a painful condition, but in its later stages tends to severely impact quality of life.
Cause - degeneration in certain parts of nerve cells and affect spinal cord motor neurons (the nerve cells that control voluntary movement).
Diagnosis - Diagnosis of exclusion, blood work, radiographs, spinal fluid analysis, myelography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Electromyography and nerve conduction studies.
Movement or posture - Scuffing the back feet while walking, difficulty jumping, climbing steps, getting into cars, and walking long distances. Weak, wobbly back legs that become gradually more paralysed with time. Trouble getting up and down. Urinary and or faecal incontinence, Collapse, front leg paralysis
Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD)
What – If there’s any kind of damage to the vertebrae or if a disk moves, it causes pressure on the spinal cord. The disk — either bulges next to the spinal cord because of inflammation or ruptures because it’s damaged.
Cause – Body shape/size, genetics, jumping, hard landings, trauma,
Diagnoses – Observation, palpation, radio graphs, MRI.
Movement or posture - limping, dragging their legs, or hunching their back. Avoiding stairs, avoiding jumping on furniture, looking drunk while walking, dragging their hind legs, roaching their spine.
Medial Shoulder Instability
What -This is instability at the medial glenohumeral joint.
Cause -This can result from repetitive activity or overuse, such as jumping.
Diagnosis – Palpation with increased translocation of the humerus
Movement or posture - You may see pain-related muscle atrophy
Larger abduction angle +30deg
May refuse tight turns or be as severe as a weight-bearing lameness.
Abnormal walk or trot with a head bob on the affected limb
Sacro-iliac Joint disfunction
What – Pain in or around the region of a sacroiliac joint (SIJ) Altered biomechanics of the Sacro-iliac joint.
Cause – pain in or around the region of a sacroiliac joint (SIJ) rauma. Chronic overuse, microtrauma from daily repetitive activities, and hormonal relaxation in females may precipitate calcification. Arthritic changes
Diagnosis – palpation, range of motion, radiographs.
Movement or posture – SIJ dysfunction can be more obvious (i.e. non weight bearing on the dysfunctional side) or can be (and is usually!) more subtle:
Not sitting ‘squarely’ – i.e. sitting with one leg out to the side
Decreased weight bearing on one hind limb – this can be subtle (i.e. always shifting the body weight to the other hind limb when standing)
Always choosing to lie on the same side
Always wanting to turn in one direction, but not the other
Swinging hips more to one side when walking
GOLPP Geriatric Onset Laryngeal Paralysis Polyneuropathy
What - progressive degeneration of nerves
Cause - unknown. Linked to a condition called polyneuropathy. This means damage is happening to multiple nerves throughout the dog's body.
Diagnosis – Laryngoscopy, Neck X-rays, Chest X-rays, Esophagram, Neurological exam, Nerve and muscle biopsies, Electrodiagnostics, CBC (complete blood count), serum chemistry, and urinalysis:
Movement or posture – hind end weakness, reduced proprioception, distressed noisy breathing, reduced exercise, bark change, coughing, gagging.
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