Hip Dysplasia is a common problem in dogs, and becoming even more common. Despite the very best efforts from vets and dog breeders, there have been only limited progress in our attempts to reduce the incidence of this disease.
A similar condition exists in people too…called Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip – clicky hips in babies.
The Hip Health Project has been developed over the last decade as I have wondered if there is another way we can help our dogs with hip dysplasia, aside from surgery.
Physiotherapy and exercise therapy is often suggested, but there is little information at this stage in the scientific literature to support these treatments. Yet common sense and the knowledge we have from medicine, would suggest that movement is key to development, movement is central to mobility and arthritis has been called a ‘move it or lose it’ disease.
The Hip Health Project aims to collect information to support the implementation of exercise therapy for dogs with hip dysplasia, dogs with advanced arthritis, puppies that have hip laxity and puppies from predisposed breeds.
The Hip Health Project has been a professional passion, but has also been a personal passion, since our Golden Retriever puppy Manuka came to join our family.
Manuka is our Hip Health ambassador. And yes, she has Hip Dysplasia. We identified profound hip laxity at seventeen weeks with the PennHip method of screening and she has been happily exercising ever since.
The Hip Health Project aims to help dogs live their best life, despite a diagnosis of hip dysplasia.
