No Symptoms but Trouble on Horizon I was reading a book other day about hip dysplasia in dogs. Before going further, I should add that this applies to cats as well. The article was written by a veterinarian and it had something very important to say about this painful condition.

An incredible 65-70% of young puppies display hip dysplasia when screened with an X-ray. That includes young pups that are not demonstrating symptoms; with no lameness or other symptoms of pain that would be visible.

Now, this number is staggering when you consider that this veterinarian was talking about puppies less than one year old.

What is Hip Dysplasia? Hip dysplasia is basically a "ball and socket" kind of condition. In short, joint does not fit right or it "pops" out of line. A cat or a dog may be born with this condition; or, it may result from activity and stress. Veterinarians face several different scenarios here. As I have said in previous articles this is a condition that larger breed dogs are prone to developing. However, this veterinarian was describing all young puppies he had studied.

The more fundamental question is this. If young animals have this condition, it generally worsens. Even though they are not demonstrating symptoms this early in life as it progresses, pain and disability are inevitable.