Can you see early signs of HD in the way they walk?

[Jordan & Daisy]

Yesterday I had some family over and my aunt commented that she thought Daisy was already displaying signs of bad hips because of the way she walks. She does a sort of "sway" walk, where her hips move left and right as she walks around. Can this really be a sign of HD?? This made me really upset and I don't know whether she is clueless or I should be worried. :(

[Julie and Max]

I read that hip swaying is not an indication of HD rather if they hop like a bunny (both back legs hopping together) 

If your dog's joint malformation (dysplasia) is major, you can see signs of pain an discomfort as early as 5-10 months of age. These pups take short, hopping steps - a lot like a rabbit. When they rest after playing, they hesitate to get back up.Instead they will sit on their haunches with their legs splayed outward like a frog.They have trouble climbing stairs and going up slopes. They are reluctant to jump up on things. Because of the pain, these puppies often carry their rear legs far forward in order to keep more of their weight on their front legs.

When you examine these dogs, their upper thighs and hips are bony and lack muscle mass. They are often cow-hocked, standing with their hocks almost touching. Pups with severe dysplasia stand with their rear legs slightly forward so that their front legs can support more of their weight.

Puppies as young as 10-12 weeks of age can be examined for susceptibility to future hip dysplasia; either through a moderately accurate procedure called theOrtolani test that your veterinarian performs in his/her office or the much more accurate PennHip evaluation (see links below).

So if it really worries you, talk to the vet, but a lot of dogs, especially I noticed with lab and retriever puppies have a little bit of a hip sway (check out the budweizer commercial puppy love that little lab has a hip sway lol)

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

That is the way most Golden Retrievers walk. I don't think there is anything to worry about at this point.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Here is a link Adina posted once about canine gait.  This shows normal, hip displasia, CCL tears in walking, trotting and climbing.  It is VERY informative.

http://accad.osu.edu/~hcaprett/COTA_741_sp04/CanineLO_090504.html

[Rose Coward]

Very interesting

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Don't worry about the hip-sway. Bunny hopping and preferring to lay froggy style can be signs but what you should pay the most attention to is any difficulty getting up after playing and then resting. A good vet can do a physical test in the office (and should as part of a regular exam) but the only way to really know is through x-rays. Pain and trouble walking after strenuous play and a rest were the first signs for Finn. I wouldn't worry at this point.

[Rosemary (Ro) and Enzo]

I would not stress over the "sway" too much. Have your Vet eye the walk....but most Vets won't bother to XRay before 18 months, unless something is very evident. Does she show any pain after a hard round of play or run?

[Jordan & Daisy]

Wow, Nancy that is an amazing article on gait, thank you. The only thing I noticed is that one of Daisy's hips seems like it could be a little lower than the other (which it shows in the posterior view of the HD dog) but sometimes I wonder if it's just because her butt is so fluffy!!
To answer others, she has never demonstrated pain, reluctance to bear weight on one hind leg or both, nor is she reluctant to do stairs, etc. She is sometimes reluctant to get up after a hard run or play session but it seems like she's tired, she doesn't yelp or anything.
She does do the "frog" sit but it sounds like many puppies do this.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

True. Someone even said to me when they saw Finney laying like a frog as a pup - "if a dog can lay like that, you'll never have to worry about HD. It means he has great hips." So much for urban legends :)  But when my dog would try to get up a few hours after a strenuous play session, he could barely walk, his hind legs were so stiff. He would hunch over. Laying down, he would growl softly which I've learned means " I'm hurting." Daisy doesn't sound like she's having any of that :) 

There are two organizations whose evaluations are recognized for Hip Dysplasia - the OFA and Penn Hip. For a final evaluation both want the dog to be at least 2 years old.  If I had a breeding dog, or a dog with severe problems, I would want the Penn Hip but for my purposes, the OFA panel review was fine. I had never seen Adina's video --very interesting.  Finn definitely has the trot gait.  But if you met him at a romp and saw him zooming around, you would never think he has HD. Thankfully, it is mild and I'm doing what I can to manage it, hoping to avoid or minimize secondary arthritis.  

[Jordan & Daisy]

How old was Finn when you realized he might be having hip trouble?? Thanks for all your help!

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

About 18 months.  At first, we thought it might be Addison's but those tests came back negative.  He wasn't lame, just exhausted, a little lethargic and off his food for up to 24 hours following strenuous play. Sometimes he'd get an odd momentary "hitch" in his hind leg when walking. Based on the physical exam, and his flexibility, the orthopedic vet didn't think it could be Dysplasia and neither did I. Then Finn started to come up lame.  He was x-rayed around 22 months.

[Jordan & Daisy]

Oh wow, that is so strange the way it presented at first. I am glad to hear you've been able to manage it well and that Finn has a caring mommy like you!

[Marie and Hoka]

Jordan,  I hope it's nothing!  I know all puppies walk like drunks for a bit.  Keep us all up to date,
Marie