What is Hip Dysplasia?
Hip dysplasia is a complex inherited condition where the hip joint does not develop correctly. As a dog gets older, the joint undergoes wear and tear and deteriorates, leading to a loss of function. This can cause varying degrees of pain, discomfort, stiffness and lameness. It is a genetically-transmitted condition but environmental factors may influence the effected on a dog. Typical signs of serious displaysia would be reluctance to exercise or stiffness in the rear leg/s after resting, difficulty standing up and moving around freely and easily. The Japanese Akita Inu is a breed affected by this condition along with a number of other large breeds of dog.
Treatment of this condition can be through careful management of exercise or joint surgery/replacement in extreme cases.
All responsible breeders will have their potential breeding dogs screened prior to breeding for this condition. The screening is carried out by veterinary professionals who assess the Xray plates and provide a scoring certificate to evidence a dog’s hip status. The lower the score the less affected a dog will be.
You can read more about this condition here
What is Elbow Dysplasia?
The elbow is a complex joint which involves the articulation of three bones. If the three bones do not fit together absolutely perfectly as a result of abnormal development, the consequence is abnormal concentration of forces on a specific region of the elbow joint causing much pain and discomfort to an affected animal.
In elbow dysplasia, the forces concentrated on specific areas of the joint will not only result in osteoarthritis (as happens with hip dysplasia) but also in discrete pathological entities like fractures within the joint that may need to be managed separately and alongside the osteoarthritis. Typically affected dogs show lameness of one or both front legs, stiffness (especially after lying down), and reluctance to exercise. Often the feet of the front limbs appear turned out.
Treatment mostly consists of management of the osteoarthritis or surgical joint replacement.
The Japanese Akita Inu can occasionally be affected by this condition so it is optional for breeders to conduct screening for this condition prior to breeding. The screening is carried out by veterinary professionals who assess the Xray plates and provide a scoring certificate to evidence a dog’s elbow status. The lower the score the less affected a dog will be.