Canine Hip Dysplasia
In nauseating detail

(Not for the faint of heart; there's a lot of reading. But it's good information, and there are lots of good pictures to illustrate each point. You will see hip models, hip x-rays, hips all over the place. And you will learn a little Latin, which is never a bad thing.)

So ... what's dyplasia and why do I care?

Everyone has heard of hip dysplasia, but do you really know what it is? It's obviously a hip problem, just from the name. But what the heck is dysplasia' and what does it do?

The prefix dys- means abnormal, or bad (think of words like dysfunctional and dyslexia). The suffix plasia means molding or formation, specifically during growth. So dysplasia means abnormal formation. Easy enough!

Hip dysplasia, then, refers to an abnormality in the formation of the hip joint. It doesn't mean a change in the hip joint after the animal is mature, but during the development or formation of the joint. By definition it is a problem that starts in puppyhood, when bones and joints are growing and changing. At some point in that development something goes wrong, and the joint becomes abnormal.

Onward and upward ...

First floor: Hips - normal anatomy and x-rays
Second floor: Hip dysplasia - abnormal anatomy and abnormal x-rays
Third floor: The whys and wherefores of prevention (?) and recognition