Anybody heard of canine hip dysplasia? (Don’t worry if you haven’t, you’ve come to the right place!) It seems to me that of all the congenital diseases we treat and diagnose, canine hip dysplasia (CHD) might be the one that more pet parents have heard of, or know something about. This familiarity is probably due to the fact that CHD is the most commonly inherited orthopedic disease in dogs. So, what does CHD mean for your dog? Dysplasia literally means “abnormal formation,” so hip dysplasia can be interpreted as faulty development of the hip. In practical terms, this means that the “ball-and-socket” joint of the hip is more lax than it should be, leading to excessive wear of the joint, and ultimately leading to arthritic pain.
While there is no specific “cure” for hip dysplasia, it’s a problem that, if recognized early in life, can be treated with medical or surgical therapies with relative success. And, since hip dysplasia can clinically affect young dogs, it’s one of the major reasons for making sure a Petplan pet insurance policy is in effect BEFORE your pet starts to have problems.