Hip dysplasia is a common orthopaedic condition that primarily affects dogs and occasionally affects cats. It is especially common in larger breeds such as Great Danes, Saint Bernards, Labradors, Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds, to name a few. It is a genetic disorder with multiple genes involved in its inheritance, and certain environmental conditions can influence the expression of the disease.
In all cases, the hips are normal at birth, but proceed to develop abnormally. This process results in “laxity” or “looseness” of the hips. With the increase in laxity across the hip joint, comes an increase in stress and concussive force across the hip joint when the dog is moving. This creates recurrent stretching of the hip joint capsule. The increase in hip laxity allows the hips to subluxate (partially dislocate). This exerts a recurrent traumatic force across the hip joint. It is this abnormal force across a small area that leads to the inflammation and eventually boney changes of the hip joint – also known as osteoarthritis. When the cartilage in the joint becomes damaged, hip pain and osteoarthritis develop.

Some environmental factors that contribute to hip dysplasia include: rapid growth, excess body weight, excessive activity or exercise, too much calcium and phosphorus in the diet and age of desexing.
Hip laxity – the ability of the hip to subluxate (partially dislocate) over time will lead to osteoarthritis of the hip joint. Early detect of hip laxity in puppies is important as they may be a candidate for a procedure called JPS (Juvenile Pubic Symphysiodesis).

The JPS procedure involves us triggering early closure of the growth plate of the pubic bone of the pelvis, which allows the pelvis to grow differently and improves how well the socket of the hip covers the ball of the hip. If we can improve the depth of the socket that the ball of the hips sit in, the hips will subluxate less/or not at all. This will lead to less trauma on the hips and therefore less arthritis in the future.

Around 90% of dogs will benefit from this preventative measure as they will not display any sign of arthritis or require any advanced surgery for their hip joint. This procedure is not super invasive and has low morbidity with similar recovery time and discomfort to a desexing procedure.

Optimal age for the JPS procedure is between 12-16 weeks old, with 20 weeks old being the higher end of the age cut off. To determine if the patient is a candidate for JPS surgery, hip x-rays are taken under general anaesthetic and submitted for PennHIP testing, which is the gold standard in the evaluation of the hips for laxity and congruency and is used globally. PennHIP testing is accurate in puppies as young as 16 weeks old, which is why x-rays are usually recommended at 16 weeks old in asymptomatic puppies. However, if the puppy is showing discomfort in their hips or lameness, we may recommend doing the x-rays from 12 weeks old so that we can time their JPS procedure a little earlier to achieve optimal outcomes.

Doug’s JPS Procedure and Outcome
Doug is a German Shepherd cross Malamute who is an at risk breed for hip dysplasia. He is Dr Jaimie’s fur baby and she opted to do the screening hip x-rays for hip laxity at 15.5 weeks old. This involved Doug having a general anaesthetic and special x-ray views of his hips taken under general anaesthetic by Dr Jenny. His distraction index (DI) was between 0.4 – 0.7 (normal hip with no laxity has a DI of ≤0.3), which made him a candidate for JPS surgery.

Doug was booked in the following week for JPS surgery – at 16.5 weeks old. This involved him coming in for a general anaesthetic, having his pelvic region shaved and a small incision made over his pelvic region. An electrocautery pen was used to trigger early closure of a portion of the pubic growth plate. He then had internal stitches to close his skin.

Dr Jaimie knew this procedure was relatively lowly invasive, however she was still a bit concerned her little boy would be sore and sorry for himself. Doug received the same level of pain relief our desexing patients receive and felt great. So great in fact that he was back to being a mischievous puppy by that evening and was very difficult to keep quiet in his post operative period. Doug received some additional medication called trazodone to help keep him relaxed and quiet so he would be properly rested in his recovery period. It is recommended that patients are kept rested for 7 days after the procedure, and in our experience, Doug was not the only puppy who required trazodone to help with this!

Doug is now a 2 year old very handsome man with normal hips! He was desexed last week at GAH, and while under his anaesthetic, Dr Jenny repeated his hip x-ray to assess the level of hip laxity he has after the JPS procedure he had nearly 2 years ago. His results are fantastic, showing he has no hip laxity/hip joints are now within normal limits. This is a great relief to his parents knowing that the procedure was successful and will mean he will not experience hip dysplasia/arthritis as he ages.

Below are Doug’s values at 15.5 weeks old prior to the JPS procedure, and now at 2 years old.

Mast cell tumours (MCTs) are a common type of tumour in dogs and unfortunately can be bad news. Here’s what to monitor your pet for, and how we can help.

What do MCTs look like?
MCTs commonly occur on or just underneath the skin of dogs. These tricky tumours generally can’t be diagnosed by their outward appearance alone, as they can present in a variety of ways and may look similar to other types of tumours. Hence their reputation for being the "great pretenders" 

MCTs may also wax and wane in size due to the intermittent release of inflammatory substances from within the tumour.

Are MCTs a worry for affected pets?
MCTs can vary in their “behaviour”, ranging from more benign, slow-growing lumps to aggressive tumours that can spread locally or invade distant organs such as the spleen and liver and cause severe illness.

How can MCTs be diagnosed?
Ideally, our vets will be able to take a sample from the lump so that the tumour cells can be assessed under the microscope. In cooperative pets with easily accessible tumours, MCTs can usually be diagnosed during a consultation by the process of fine needle aspiration - this involves passing a fine needle into your pet’s lump several times, and then transferring the contents of the needle onto a microscope slide for examination.

However, to definitively confirm the severity of a MCT, affected pets are required to undergo further testing. In most cases, this involves surgically removing the tumour (under a general anaesthetic) and sending it for lab testing, also referred to as histopathology. Pets with more advanced or aggressive tumours may also be recommended to have additional scans or lab tests.

The bottom line?
If you notice a new lump on your pet, it’s best to bring them in for a prompt assessment with our experienced vets. Early, proactive treatment gives your pet the best chance of a complete recovery.

See our blog on "why we test lumps" if you want more information on the topic.

Did you know that just like us, cats can suffer from asthma, too? It is estimated that up to 5% of cats may develop feline asthma, also known as feline allergic bronchitis. So, take a deep breath and learn more about the ins and outs of this issue.

What is feline asthma?

Feline asthma is an inflammatory problem affecting the lower airways. Usually, it results from allergies to airborne particles such as dust, cigarette smoke, pollens, fragrances or household chemicals.

What are the symptoms of feline asthma?

Most cats with feline asthma show intermittent coughing (which may be confused with them “bringing up a hairball”), wheezing, and breathing difficulties.

Symptoms may occur year-round or seasonally, depending on the pet’s triggers. Some cats may also suffer sudden, severe “asthma attack” type episodes requiring emergency veterinary treatment.

How can we diagnose feline asthma?

If you ever suspect breathing abnormalities in your cat, we advise a prompt consultation with our feline-friendly vets. As well as a full physical examination, we will generally recommend that your cat undergoes chest x-rays under sedation or anaesthesia (to ensure they are relaxed and breathing calmly), and potentially also general blood tests depending on their age and symptoms. Some cats may also be recommended referral for special testing of their airways, to confirm a diagnosis. 

Can cats with feline asthma be treated?

Treatment involves controlling your cat’s airway inflammation with steroid medication. To reduce the potential for side effects from this treatment, we recommend the use of a prescribed puffer/inhaler long-term, which, surprisingly, many affected cats can be trained to accept! We also recommended reducing obvious triggers for your pet (e.g. by refraining from smoking indoors and not using fragranced products or chemicals around the house).

Cats who appear to be suffering from “asthma attack” type symptoms should be assessed urgently, and will often require additional medication to help open up their airways.

Fortunately, with prompt intervention and consistent, long-term management, cats with asthma can usually live a normal, happy life. So, you and your pet can breathe easy!

If you’ve ever been subjected to the cringeworthy, repetitive, “schlurp… schlurp…” sound of a dog obsessively licking their paws, you’ll know that recurrent paw licking can be an annoying problem for owners as well as pets!

Here, we’ll dig into some common causes of paw irritation in dogs.

Why does my dog lick their paws?
Some degree of paw licking is normal in pets, allowing them to clean off substances caught in their fur or between their toes.

However, if your pet is licking frequently at their paws, it may indicate an underlying problem. Signs that your dog is licking at their paws excessively can include:

• Your pet developing pink-brown saliva staining of the fur between their toes
• Your pet developing red skin irritation between their toes or underneath their paws
• Your pet being difficult to distract from the paw licking activity

What are some common causes of problematic paw licking?

• Allergies

This is the most common cause of excessive paw licking in dogs, and can be secondary to atopy (environmental allergies), contact allergies or food allergies. Pets with underlying allergies are also more prone to developing secondary skin infections that can rapidly worsen their problem.

• Claw issues, foreign bodies, or other injuries

If your pet is focusing on a particular area of one paw, it’s a good idea to check the area for any issues such as broken claws, lumps, or wounds that could indicate that something is stuck in their skin (like glass or a grass seed).

• Pain

  Sometimes, licking of paws and joints above them can be a sign of joint pain. Osteoarthritis or a chronic injury may lead to excessive licking as the pet tries to soothe the area. 

   

• Behavioural

If we rule out other medical issues, we may diagnose behavioural paw licking secondary to issues such as anxiety or an obsessive-compulsive disorder.

If you notice that your pet appears to be licking at their paws a lot, we’d recommend a prompt check-up with our skin-savvy vets. We'll work with you to get to the root of the problem and provide your pet with some much needed relief. 

This email contains comments of a general nature only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional veterinary advice. Please always consult your vet for specific advice on your pet's individual needs.

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