Veterinary: A hunting trip, without the help of the dog, cannot be called such. A hunt cannot be said to be such even when the hunting dog is there, but it is not in the best shape. In fact, there are many difficulties that can afflict the hunter's most trusted friend, including an annoying and disabling canine disease called “dysplasia”.
This term indicates a malformation of the hip, or of the coxo-femoral joint of the dog. The malformation can be unilateral, ie localized to only one hip, or bilateral, ie extended to two joints. The causes of this pathology are still unknown, although they remain linked to genetic and environmental factors. The way in which genes and external agents interact in determining hip dysplasia are not yet fully known, while the symptoms of the disease and the difficulties encountered by the dog both during hunting and other activities are known.
La hip dysplasia it is not easily identifiable in puppies, while it is more evident in adult dogs of about 12 months of age and large or giant breeds. Symptoms of hip dysplasia can be different and range from the animal's difficulty in standing up, to a strange jumping movement called "rabbit", to excessive stiffness and difficulty of the dog in moving and chasing the game. .
Among the first manifestations of hip dysplasia in hunting dogs we also find the tendency of the animal to stay seated, when, on the other hand, the function of this particular type of dog is to stand up to assist the hunter in identifying and catching game. According to the testimonies of the hunting enthusiasts themselves, hip dysplasia would affect pointing dogs to a greater extent, that is dogs that after having smelled the smell of the prey stop at a short distance from them, allowing the hunter to identify them.
Hip dysplasia: Radiography (X-ray) of the pelvis of a normal dog. The head of the femur (arrow) is seated deeply inside the acetabulum, indicating congruence eccellente hip. |
Hip dysplasia: Radiograph (X-ray) of a juvenile dog with subluxation of both hip joints secondary to hip dysplasia. The head of the femur (arrow) is poorly inserted into the acetabulum, indicating poor hip congruence. There is no evidence of degenerative joint disease (arthritis). |
Radiography (X-rays) of an adult and mature dog with degenerative joint disease secondary to chronic hip dysplasia. The femoral head (arrow) and acetabulum are severely arthritic, as evidenced by the flattened femoral head, thickened femoral neck, numerous osteophytes, and shallow, sclerotic acetabulum. |
The consequences of the hip dysplasia in hunting dogs in addition to the classic ones of lameness, the development of osteoarthritis and micro-lesions of the cartilage (due to the removal of the femoral head from the acetabular cavity of the joint), also the impossibility of being able to be used for further hunting trips. This often means replacing the sick dog with a healthy one.
When choosing a hunting dog you should avoid getting one that is affected or that can develop mitochondrial. The main methods of preventing hip dysplasia in hunting dogs are the couplings between healthy animals and nutrition. The latter should avoid excesses (high-protein diets and administration of vitamins), which tend to increase the weight of the dog, compromising its skeletal development.
Also the mating between breeds not affected by dysplasia allows to have healthy and efficient hunting dogs next to them. In the field of hunting dogs, however, there is a strange phenomenon, as reported in an article published in 2009 by the Woodcock Club: while in the past the mating of animals was carried out between males and females used in hunting trials and therefore with proven skeletal strength. , today we resort to mating between females never used in hunting and males whose hunting skills, regardless of the real evidence, are only praised in words.
In this context, fighting hip dysplasia in hunting dogs will be increasingly difficult, compromising not only the success of the hunting expedition, but also the health of the dog, which like any creature has the right not to suffer and to live in good health.